We've had a disaster, please read

[TomSeller]

that stinks

Dang it, I was going to say that.

 

[GGB]

I'll second the "Recipe" with the hydrogen peroxide for cleaning up the dogs (or you if you also got sprayed). You may need to do it more than once, but often once is enough. Ask me and my dogs how we know! The tomato juice method is very ineffective compared to this option.

I've also used the over the counter hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle on items with good results. But be cautious if the item you are trying to clean up isn't color fast.

Good luck with the cleanup.

 

[npalen]

My wife and I awoke about midnight a couple years ago to a very strong smell that he couldn't immediately identify. I was afraid it was natural gas that had leaked into the basement so I turned off the gas valve at the meter and we opened up the house to air it out. (middle of winter) I disconnected an outside line to our gas grill that I thought might be leaking underground into the basement and then turned the gas back on as it was getting very cold inside the house without the gas furnace. The smell lingered and was particularly strong in the basement so I opened up a basement window and turned on the whole house exhaust fan about 3:00 AM and went back to bed. Got up early to call the gas company and the smell was stronger than ever. The gas boys arrived and said immediately that it smelled like a skunk but they still checked for gas leaks around the house. They left and then when I went to close the basement window I was met by a skunk staring me in the face. It had apparently been in the window well all night after getting into a fight with some other critter. Needless to say, I shut the screened window rather hurriedly and then called animal control who came and removed the skunk which appeared to be ill. (rabies?) We lived with the smell for several weeks before it finally disappeared. I must admit that I should have recognized the smell in the first place but wasn't thinking very well at that time of the night. The irony of the whole episode is that the smell wouldn't have been as strong if I hadn't opened the window and sucked it thru the entire house. I suspect that I frightened the skunk when I opened the window and he let loose. It was dark in the window well so I didn't see him.

 

[kidr]

Skunk juice is a volatile oil.A salamander blowing heat through the crawlspace might help. You could turn your heat way up to help clear the ducts.

 

[Looking4new]

Got a possum this morning. Trouble is he didn't smell like he had been sprayed. Hope he was the right one. Traps set out and baited again. Using the humane cage type traps. Wish they made something like a huge mousetrap. I would set one out,....no,....that would be too quick. I want this skunk to suffer.

House smelled better this morning but we could still smell it. Wife opened a drawer I had missed and the smell filled that bedroom. Probably have to lime under the house and put new plastic down.

RSKY

I think that you can get connabear (sp) traps down there. They are used to kill fishers and are not legal up here. The connabear will 'fix' the skunk.

 

[RSKY]

Skunk caught and 'fixed' this morning. House was so bad we couldn't stay in it very long. Turned ozone machine on again. Hole sealed. Will wait a couple days then put trap in crawl space. Anything still under will go for bait.

 

[k0ua]

My wife and I awoke about midnight a couple years ago to a very strong smell that he couldn't immediately identify. I was afraid it was natural gas that had leaked into the basement so I turned off the gas valve at the meter and we opened up the house to air it out. (middle of winter) I disconnected an outside line to our gas grill that I thought might be leaking underground into the basement and then turned the gas back on as it was getting very cold inside the house without the gas furnace. The smell lingered and was particularly strong in the basement so I opened up a basement window and turned on the whole house exhaust fan about 3:00 AM and went back to bed. Got up early to call the gas company and the smell was stronger than ever. The gas boys arrived and said immediately that it smelled like a skunk but they still checked for gas leaks around the house. They left and then when I went to close the basement window I was met by a skunk staring me in the face. It had apparently been in the window well all night after getting into a fight with some other critter. Needless to say, I shut the screened window rather hurriedly and then called animal control who came and removed the skunk which appeared to be ill. (rabies?) We lived with the smell for several weeks before it finally disappeared. I must admit that I should have recognized the smell in the first place but wasn't thinking very well at that time of the night. The irony of the whole episode is that the smell wouldn't have been as strong if I hadn't opened the window and sucked it thru the entire house. I suspect that I frightened the skunk when I opened the window and he let loose. It was dark in the window well so I didn't see him.

I really enjoyed your skunk story. I know it was not all that funny at the time, but you gotta admit, it is pretty funny now. :laughing:

 

[300UGUY]

We have had the "opportunity" to use that recipe (twice in a 2 week period...slow learner of a dog I guess) and it actually worked pretty well. Our recipe called specifically for Dawn dish detergent. The Dawn cuts the oil in the musk allowing the hyd prox and baking soda go to work on breaking down the smell. We were fortunate in that the dog did not make it into the house. The odor of a direct shot is much worse than a road kill (almost gagging) and is one of those things that will get into your sinuses so you can enjoy it from time to time for a week or so. And as noted, for several weeks a faint odor returned when the dog got wet.

My wife has groomed dogs for 28 years, and has used the dawn recipe for most of that time. Usually when a dog gets sprayed, it is in his face and front area. Try not to clean front to back, just clean the front seperately, you don't want to spread the oil onto the whole dog. Dealing with a whole house would be tough. Btw, skunks and possums both feed off dead things, so maybe you have something else that died under there?

 

[Looking4new]

I don't know about possums, but skunks like eggs.

 

[bulldogshotgun]

couple years ago one of my buddies had one spray under house. they stayed with family a couple 3 weeks had all there clothes dry cleaned, carpets steam cleaned repeatedly i think there bill was 13k+ luckily insurance took care of it.