13 months ago, a white skunk paid a visit, attacking my dog, my daughter
and son, and my wood deck. My daughter,son, and dog are fine. But the
wood deck still reeks of skunk odor, especially when it is warm, humid,
and or raining. What can I use to get rid of this odor that seems to be
imbedded into the wood, short of replacing the wood? $$$$$

My sister in law had a family of skunks living around their house, one
sprayed the front porch and the smell was there for well over 1 year!

Ed Schmitt wrote in message ...
13 months ago, a white skunk paid a visit, attacking my dog, my daughter
and son, and my wood deck. My daughter,son, and dog are fine. But the
wood deck still reeks of skunk odor, especially when it is warm, humid,
and or raining. What can I use to get rid of this odor that seems to be
imbedded into the wood, short of replacing the wood? $$$$$

Big bucket of water 1 box of baking soda 1 qt of hydrogen peroxide 3%
1 half cup of dish detergent.

Slather it on' it helps break the sulfur bond in the skunk spray that
makes it so pungent.

This is the same formulae used on the dogs after an encounter.

I've encountered skunks several times along the years but never once even
came close to being sprayed. I also handraised baby skunks, mainly
domestics, but had one wild litter that a construction crew had stirred
up, & the young were brought to me scared to death. They are not able to
spray when they're so little, but they don't realize they can't, their
instinct to try precedes the ability. These tiny skunks no bigger than a
boxer's fist jump up on their front feet & aim their anuses at the source
of their terror & try to squirt, but there's nothing to squirt. Funniest
damned sight, to open a box of baby skunks, & they all do handstands of
terror. After only ten minutes of handling, they lost all fear, & never
again tried to squirt -- they were instantly tamable & afterward full of
trust.

Anyway, I wonder if anyone has ever used the commercial products such as
Outright Skunk Odor Remover. Such products always claim the odor can never
be fully neutralized but requires bacterial action to break down
mercaptans, which otherwise persist in the environment for months no
matter what other solutions are slathered over them. Could be ad hype --
that Outright says on the label "can be used up to three times a day"
seems to assume it ain't a quick solution. For washing kids or pets, a
mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is frequently recommended,
plus a bit of soap to help release molecules and wash the stench out of
the fur & down a drain, but presumedly what gets washed out would still
smell horrid, it would just no longer be on the dog or child, & to remove
the same mercaptans from a larger environmental area would be way more
difficult.

This page from Humbold University chemistry department:
http://www.humboldt.edu/~wfw2/deodorize.shtml
essentially says nothing will remove the scent from a large area except
"time and adequate ventillation," though it provides the two most often
seen formulas to remove the odor from pets, or from wooden decks. The page
also provides a neat little explanation for why people think tomato juice
works, though it doesn't work.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

"Ed Schmitt" wrote in message
...
13 months ago, a white skunk paid a visit, attacking my dog, my daughter
and son, and my wood deck. My daughter,son, and dog are fine. But the
wood deck still reeks of skunk odor, especially when it is warm, humid,
and or raining. What can I use to get rid of this odor that seems to be
imbedded into the wood, short of replacing the wood? $$$$$

Try this:
http://www.agilityability.com/skunk_...val_recipe.htm
I suspect diluted bleach would also work but do not leave it on too long or
it might attach the wood.
Either peroxide or hypochlorite should oxidize the mercaptan to an odorless
form.
Frank

From: "Frank Logullo"
Date: Sun, Aug 10, 2003 7:25 PM
Message-id:


"Ed Schmitt" wrote in message
...
13 months ago, a white skunk paid a visit, attacking my dog, my daughter
and son, and my wood deck. My daughter,son, and dog are fine. But the
wood deck still reeks of skunk odor, especially when it is warm, humid,
and or raining. What can I use to get rid of this odor that seems to
be
imbedded into the wood, short of replacing the wood? $$$$$

Try this:
http://www.agilityability.com/skunk_...val_recipe.htm
I suspect diluted bleach would also work but do not leave it on too long
or
it might attach the wood.
Either peroxide or hypochlorite should oxidize the mercaptan to an odorless
form.
Frank


A few years back I had to treat a large area at the back of the garden where a
skunk must have met an enemy during the night. (This event affected the entire
neighborhood, since everyone was griping the next day....and the next.....) I
dumped a pretty big amount of hydrated lime over the area, not wanting to put
anything on the soil that would damage it in the long or short run. It did
seem to help within a couple of days, although the smell stuck around to some
extent for at least a month, until some hard rains came by.

Hydrated lime on a deck would be a mess for a while.....temporary whitewash and
all that......but it could work with much less toxicity and wood damage than
some other products.

Just a thought.

Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa z7

This will fade over time; time in this case being several years.
I'd try washing the deck down with oxalic acid, and then sealing
it.

Chris Owens

Ed Schmitt wrote:

13 months ago, a white skunk paid a visit, attacking my dog, my daughter
and son, and my wood deck. My daughter,son, and dog are fine. But the
wood deck still reeks of skunk odor, especially when it is warm, humid,
and or raining. What can I use to get rid of this odor that seems to be
imbedded into the wood, short of replacing the wood? $$$$$


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