Reliable Steps for Removing Pervasive Skunk Odor

The scent of skunk is very pervasive, and it invades every nook and cranny. No odor control will be complete if any areas of the odor are missed.

If you think you have cleaned everything and some odors still remain, here are some tips.

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Steps for getting rid of Skunk Odor

1) Ventilate the house with fresh air. The stale air with the lingering odor must be removed and replaced with fresh air.

2) Think of what you are cleaning. Are there places the odor could still be hiding?

Here is an example -The question that prompted this article came from cleaning a sofa where an odor was still present after cleaning. Within the sofa itself, there is often a wooden frame. The frame may be covered by some cloth, but the odor easily penetrates the cloth. It may be necessary to remove cloth such as a dust cover to get to all the unfinished wood.

Wipe the wood with a solution of wood cleaner on a damp cloth. For light odor, spray with Hydrocide or Hydrocide Extreme. For a heavier odor, wipe the wood with a solvent deodorizer such as a citrus degreaser. There may be a coil spring or other surfaces that should also be wiped off with the general purpose cleaner.

Cushions can hold a lot of the odor on the inside, filling materials such as foam or down. Sometimes it is easiest to replace the foam filling. If the fabric doesn’t bleed, dampen the surface with Hydrocide, and place the cushion in a large plastic bag like a trash liner. Then use your vacuum to remove all the air. This will suck the Hydrocide into the foam filling material.

3) The odor may be coming from another place besides the area you are cleaning. Cleaners may focus on carpets and upholstery, but the odor may have gotten into the HVAC ducts or on walls and baseboards, curtains or drapes, and many other places. Usually, all these surfaces need to be washed down and deodorized (air filters need to be changed and so forth).

4) In traumatic situations, psychological odors are a big factor. The homeowner has connected the terrible smell with her couch. The trauma of the situation has burned this into her mind. She may always smell that odor even after it is long gone. It often helps to have an outside person check for odors. They will give you the true pass or fail on your deodorizing efforts.

by Scott Warrington