This article comes from Angi.
How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell In Your Home
If a real-life Pepé Le Pew sneaks onto your property and sprays you, your pet, or your favorite sofa, the overwhelming odor can be enough to send you into a blind panic. Thankfully, if you jump into action, you won’t have to worry about imminently arriving guests beating a hasty retreat. Learn how to get rid of skunk smells with some simple household items and a little elbow grease.
1. Get the Air Flowing
Don’t delay opening your windows, powering up the air conditioning, and running floor and ceiling fans at high power. Lift blinds and open curtains to let the sun stream in, helping to oxidize the odor.
2. Air Out and Clean Furniture
Don’t despair if your costly couch or another piece of prized furniture is a victim of skunk spray. Quickly move the piece into the yard to air it and start the cleaning process. You can use a commercial skunk smell removal cleaner, but steam cleaning is worthwhile for ingrained odors. If you don’t have a steam cleaner, you can hire a furniture upholstery cleaner near you to tackle the task.
3. Clean Your Carpets
If the skunk aerosols an area rug, it might be enough to put it in the washing machine, but how do you deal with a doused carpet? It depends on the carpet material and how much of it took a hit.
One DIY method is to use baking soda, vinegar, and warm water solution for small patches, let it dry, and then repeat as necessary. For stubborn smells or larger areas, you should hire a professional carpet cleaner.
4. Wipe Down the Walls
Hard surfaces like wood, ceramic, vinyl, concrete, and laminate are less of a challenge to tidy up than carpets and soft furnishings. Mix nine parts water to one part bleach in a spray bottle, and then spray hard flooring and walls, wiping down with a rag or paper towels. Perform a patch test to ensure the color will hold as you clean. If you’re uncomfortable using bleach on some surface types, create a similar mixture using distilled vinegar.
5. Use Vinegar to Lift Lingering Odors
Fill several small bowls with white vinegar and leave them around the offending area for 24 to 48 hours, or until the skunk’s scent fully disperses. Vinegar has many surprising uses, and it tends to absorb and neutralize any foul odors. Keep the bowls out of reach of children and furry friends. Boiling some vinegar in a pot for a few minutes can speed up the results if the smells are stuck in your kitchen.
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