It Stinks! You’ve been sprayed by a skunk, and now you need to handle the care and first aid for this situation; what are you supposed to do?
The smell of skunk musk that’s been sprayed at you is terrible, and it can be putrid, but there are more pressing issues that you need to handle if you’ve been sprayed than just the overall smell. Before you move on to the first step of handling the problem you’re facing, you need to make sure the animal has left the area and isn’t trying to spray anyone else.
The Smell is Awful –Nothing Else Smells Quite as Bad
The noxious scent of skunk spray can be overpowering, cause you to start choking, and last a long time. This musk contains sulfur-based organic compounds called thiols that immediately smell worse than rotten eggs. This spray also contains thioacetates which are dormant at first but eventually become the same awful smell as the thiols that you smell right away. This is why regular water or humidity will make the smell stronger and last longer. This second compound is what makes a skunk smell last several days or a week before it goes away.
Do You Need First Aid?
Were you hit in the face by the spray? Do you have any open cuts, or did the animal attack you and cause new open cuts? If your eyes were hit with the musk, or you have open wounds that were also sprayed, you’re going to need to administer some first aid right away. This means you should flush your eyes with cool water for several minutes and treat your scratches with antibacterial cream to reduce the risk of infection. If you were bitten by the skunk, and yes, this can happen, you’ll need to see a doctor right away so that anti-rabies treatments can begin.
Keep that Smell Outside
You might need to come inside to wash up, but if you can, you should stay outside for as long as you can. It’s better to find a way to strip down and wash up outside, but that might be impossible to explain to the neighbors. Telling them that you’ve been sprayed by a skunk might not be enough to put the image of you dancing around in your underwear, trying to get the smell out away from their minds. If you di need to go inside, go straight to the bathroom without touching anything at all.
Forget the Tomato Juice; Take a Different Kind of Bath
We’ve often heard that skunk spray can only be treated with a bath of tomato juice, but that is only a last resort. While tomato juice is better than nothing, you should try a more effective solution to handle the smell. The same is true of vinegar and beer baths that tend to mask the smell without removing it. What you should do is use a commercial skunk-odor remover or a solution of peroxide and baking soda to give you the bath you need.
Use the Right Mixture
The right mixture of peroxide and baking soda is one quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and ½ cup of baking soda. Add one teaspoon of dish soap or laundry detergent and scrub your skin thoroughly with this mixture. This mixture should sit on the skin for five minutes and then be rinsed off with cool water. The mixture of peroxide and baking soda will help to neutralize the odor of the skunk spray, and the dish soap will remove the oily residue.
Another Bath is What You’ll Need
The peroxide in the skunk mixture could have a bleaching effect on your hair, and it could be harsh on sensitive skin. For that reason, you should only leave this mixture on for five minutes. Don’t store any leftover mixture; it can expand and cause a sealed container to explode. Once you’re done with the solution bath, you need to take a regular bath with soap and water like you would when getting ready for your day. This is one of the most important steps to go from the smell of being sprayed by a skunk back to the fresh and enjoyable scent that you share with everyone around you.
You Might Need to Wait it Out
Even after a couple of treatments of different mixtures that are supposed to get rid of the smell after a skunk sprays you, there might be some smell still wafting around. This means you might need to wait it out. Although skunk musk is one of the most lasting of all the animal odors, it will eventually go away. Try to avoid touching things that might need to be cleaned later, which might make life a little uncomfortable for you.
Ventilation Might Be Necessary
If the smell of the skunk spray continues to permeate your home, you’ll want to take a few steps to try and get the smell out of your home. You can do this by opening windows and ventilating the air in your home. If you use an HVAC system, run the fans continuously until the smell is gone. You could also place a bowl of vinegar in each room of the house and leave those bowls there for 24 to 48 hours or until the smell is gone. Once the smell is gone, change your air filters to ensure it stays gone from your home.
Work to Prevent Being Sprayed at All
Skunks are, by nature, pretty docile creatures. The only time you will likely find one that’s aggressive and makes the first move is when the animal has rabies. Otherwise, they are pretty skittish and will likely leave your area quickly when they see you approaching. The only time skunks spray their musk is when they feel threatened. This is one reason that dogs are often sprayed; they don’t seem to understand how to leave a skunk alone. If you’ve been sprayed, you might have startled the creature, and it didn’t know what else to do.
