8 / OutdoorIllinois March 2009

W henever conversationsturn to skunks theinevitable questionpops up: “Have youever been sprayed?” It

seems everybody loves a good, personalhorror story. And, since many of ushave personally suffered nature’s ulti-mate stench, experimenting with de-skunking remedies that didn’t work,perhaps it’s time to clear the air aboutcertain skunk facts.

BackgroundSkunks are famous for their odorous

defensive spray, known as musk. Theydon’t like the odor any more than

humans, and the odor does notemanate from the skunk as it does inthe PePe LePew cartoons—it is shot outat distances of 6 to 10 feet.Skunk musk is a yellow-tinted, oily

liquid stored in two sacks located onopposite sides of the skunk’s anus.Each sack holds about a teaspoon ofmusk; enough to allow multiple sprays.Skunks have specially designed

anatomical features to discharge themusk called “nipples.” These nipplesprovide skunks with three advantages.First, each nipple is connected to itsown musk sack, allowing the skunk toshoot with “both barrels.” Second, thenipples can be directed to aim at a spe-cific target. Third, the nipples can

Mephitis mephitistranslatesto “noxious gas,noxious gas.”

What works, and doesn’t work, for removing theodoriferous defensive secretion of Mephitis mephitis.

Skunk the Skunk

Story By StephenVantassel, Scott Hygnstromand Dennis FerraroPhotos By Joe McFarland

watering eyes and may even vomit.Asthmatics also may experience diffi-culties in breathing when exposed tothe odor.

Odor TheoryThree elements must be present

before someone can smell an odor. First,there must be an odor source. Second,the odor must be released. Finally, theodor must be perceived. Remove anysingle part of the odor triad and therewill be no perception of odor.With the exception of burying

unwanted materials, odor control meth-ods try to prevent the release of odorby encapsulating themusually are imprac-tical. Most effec-tive odor con-trol techniqueseither removethe odor orstop our abilityto smell it.

General DeodorizingPrinciplesTreat the source. Deodorants work

best when applied directly on the tar-get of the skunk’s spray.

There are better and less

messy ways to deodorize

skunk odor than using

tomato juice.

adjust to spray the musk as a mist or astream.Skunk musk is composed of seven

ingredients: three volatile chemicals(thiols), three thioacetate derivatives ofthe thiols and an alkaloid. The awfulsmell comes from the thiols. Researchhas shown that humans can smellskunk musk in concentrations as low as10 parts per billion.Skunk musk does not transmit

rabies. In one study, 51 rabid skunkshad their musk (and surrounding tis-sue) tested for the presence of therabies virus. All were negative.The spray can temporarily blind and

stun individuals unlucky enough to behit in the face. Victims will experience

Avoid unnecessary movement ofcontaminated materials to reducespreading odors.Ventilate with fresh air.Understand that skunk odor may

“reactivate” during periods of highhumidity.If the odor doesn’t decline in

strength after a week or two, perhapsthe skunk has re-sprayed or has died onthe property.Use air fresheners as needed to mask

any residual odor.Be aware that women are more like-

ly to notice odors than men. Researchsuggests women are biologically wiredto have noses more sensitive than men.

Deodorizing TreatmentAn odor can be effectively con-

trolled by chemically changing it into aless offensive one. In the case of skunkmusk, relief can be achieved by oxidiz-ing the thiols. Odors also can be con-trolled by covering the unpleasantodor with a preferable one. Ultimately,both strategies have their role in gain-

ing success over skunkmusk. The term “neutral-ize” refers here to prod-

ucts that chemically interactwith skunk musk. The term

“scent” describes products that simplymask the skunk musk odor. “Deodoriz-ing” describes all products that miti-gate the skunk odor regardless of themechanism.

Scent

Tomato juice doesn’t work

The reason people continue to think thattomato juice is an effective deodorant stems

from a phenomenon called Olfactory Fatigue—in the presence of a persistent odor, you will

begin to stop smelling it. Sowhen a new odor isintroduced, such astomato juice, youbegin to smell itbecause it is “new.”It is similar to the waythat, over time, wetune out a persistentnoise so that we onlyhear the new noises.

March 2009 OutdoorIllinois / 9

Encountering a skunk can

leave a lasting impression.

What works, and doesn’t work,

to remove skunk musk?

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An effective neutralizing agent

for skunk odor is a mixture of

hydrogen peroxide, baking soda

and liquid detergent, but cautious

use is required.

Deodorizing ProductsHome Remedies/Over theCounterA variety of commercial odor-control

products are available. However,reviews are mixed.A formula that has proven to chemi-

cally neutralize the odorous thiols is 1quart of 3-percent hydrogen peroxide,1/4 cup of baking soda and a teaspoonof liquid detergent. Ingredients must bemixed in an open container and usedimmediately. Never mix the ingredientsin advance as the oxygen in the hydro-gen peroxide may be released, causingthe container to explode. Any left overmixture should be discarded. This for-mula can be used on people or pets,but avoid splashing the product in the

eyes or mouth. Allow the solution toremain in hair for five minutes beforerinsing with water. Repeat as needed.For inanimate objects only, mix one

cup of liquid laundry bleach into one

gallon of water. Be careful as bleach hascorrosive and staining properties.“Color safe” might not work.Never overlook simply washing one’s

body and clothes. Even using plainwater will help to mitigate the smell.

Electric AtomistSprayers/FoggersSometimes the skunk odor is so dis-

persed that fogging a deodorant is nec-essary. Atomizers, by converting thedeodorant solution into a fine mist, pro-vide two key advantages for odor con-trol over hand pump sprayers. First,small droplets stay airborne longer,thereby circulating throughout thetreatment area. Second, smaller dropletsizes allow less product to be usedbecause they have greater surface areato volume than larger droplets. As arule of thumb, 16 ounces of neutraliz-ing deodorant solution, atomized with adroplet size of 15 microns, can deodor-ize a 1,500 square foot residence.

Deodorizing FabricSince the skunk’s spray is an oily

compound, it can be removed from fab-

A healthy dose of fresh air is a

cheap, but lengthy, fix for removing

the skunk scent from clothing.

10 / OutdoorIllinois March 2009

rics by methods used to remove oily soil:time, air, soap and water, ammonia inwater and a weak acid. White vinegar,dry-cleaning fluid or household chlorinebleach in a weak solution—used in sepa-rate steps, not together—is suggestedfor removing skunk odor from clothing.

Other recommended treatmentsinclude washing items with a strongsoap, a heavy-duty liquid detergent orborax. Consumers have reported thatmethyl salicylate (see www2.siri.org/msds/f2/bcj/bcjdz.html), used at a rateof 1 ounce per 2 gallons of warmwater, can be effective for deodorizingwashable items. The manufacturerdoes not offer evidence for laundryand carpet use.

For clothing that cannot be washedor dry-cleaned, such as shoes, somesuggest burying them in fine, dry soilfor several days. The fine particles ofsoil are purported to absorb the odor,leaving the original article odor free.Kitty litter, sweeping compound andother fine-particle materials also arealleged to work.Odorous materials can be hung out-

doors allowing fresh air to carry awaythe volatile thiols.

Precautions

Some deodorants contain toxic materials. All chemicals—whether natural or man-made—should be used in a manner that reduces exposure levels.

� Carefully read safety and first-aid guidelines on the product label prior to mixing andapplying any product. If a poisoning event occurs provide medical personnel with thename of the chemical, approximate amount/severity of exposure, age and weight of thevictim.� Use deodorants in well-ventilated areas.� Deodorant products may cause adverse reactions in people sensitive to the ingredi-ents, and individuals don’t always know what substances will cause an allergic reaction.� Never mix deodorants with other chemicals or products unless the directions specifi-cally permit it.� Special care should be taken to avoid exposing children, pets and plants to chemicalsunnecessarily.� Remove or secure food stuffs and food preparation areas before applying deodorantswhenever possible.� Some products may discolor fabrics and other materials. Always test the product on aless noticeable area prior to treating more visible areas to evaluate its effect on the mate-rial.� Whenever odors penetrate porous surfaces like sheet rock, unpainted wood, etc.,multiple deodorant treatments may be necessary. Sometimes removal of contaminatedmaterials will be the only solution.� Ozone is hazardous to people, pets and plants. It is advisable that ozone generatorsbe used only by qualified and experienced odor control professionals.

For more information on skunk man-agement and control, visit www.ic

wdm.org/wildlife/skunk/skunks.asp#Deodorizing_Skunk_Odor.

Located at the University of Nebraska,

Stephen Vantassel is Project Coordinator,

Scott Hygnstrom is Extension Specialist

and Dennis Ferraro is Extension Educator.

Fine-particle materials, such as

kitty litter, may soak up evidence

of a skunk encounter.

March 2009 OutdoorIllinois / 11

Bury the scent! Many claim

soil particles will absorb the

skunk odor.

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