Skunk ‘Fall Shuffle’: Illinois, How Do You Get The Stink Out?

Illinois — Skunks all over Illinois are once again having an “autumn shuffle” as young skunks mature and leave their mother’s dens to make their own way in the skunk world. highway skunk,

All striped skunks, whether young adults or empty nests, are frantically digging up their white larvae prior to mid-winter dormancy. I feel sorry for the poor creatures, animals, or other animals that get in the way of the autumn shuffle.

Skunks can raise their fluffy black and white tails and strike intruders with a greasy, fetid blast that can travel up to 8 feet.

Skunks are nocturnal, but given all the things they have to do before getting ready for their two-week winter nap, it’s best to go outside early in the morning at all hours of the day and night to ensure that you or your pet aren’t. You are more likely to be glued to. Known as “natural tear gas”.

In Illinois, skunks are most likely to be found in urban areas near cemeteries, forest reserves, golf courses, open grasslands, railroad tracks and high-voltage power lines, state officials said.

In more rural areas, skunks tend to make homes near dry drainage tiles, junk piles, old buildings, rock piles, storerooms, storm sewers, and tree piles.

You don’t want to spray your pets (or yourself). But if so, there are some home remedies you can use to keep you and your creatures fit to be around.

popular home remedies

Of the many purported remedies, one of the most common is a tomato juice bath, but that’s folklore. What does it smell like?

Instead, try this folk remedy that has been passed down by dog ​​owners for generations and made with items you probably have around the house. So please adjust as necessary.

In an open container, mix together:

• ¼ cup baking soda
• 1 quart fresh bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide
• 1-2 teaspoons liquid dish soap

This solution must be used immediately and cannot be stored. For pets and humans, avoid the eyes and mouth, apply well to the fur, hair and skin, and leave it for 5 minutes. Then rinse with fresh water and repeat if necessary.

According to Iowa State University Extension Services, it will not remove skunk odor from clothing and should not be applied to clothing that you do not want bleached. With regular washing and exposure to air, the odor will eventually go away. However, you may have already thrown your clothes in the trash.

Hazel Christiansen, a professional dog groomer and former president of the Idaho-based Association of American Grooming Shops, offers a few more tips for getting rid of skunk odors.

Apply this potion to your dog and let it soak for 10 minutes before shampooing.

• 1 cup vanilla essence
• 1 gallon of water

The total amount needed for this next treatment will depend on the size of your dog. Wet your dog’s coat completely, let the solution work through the coat, let it soak for 5 minutes, then shampoo and rinse thoroughly. Be careful not to get the solution in your dog’s eyes (it may sting).

• 2 parts water
• 1 part apple cider vinegar

If you hit a skunk on the highway

If you’re unlucky enough to encounter a skunk on the highway, sniff it immediately. The longer the odor lasts, the more difficult it is to get rid of. If untreated, the putrid odor he will persist for 21 days. When exposed to the elements, the odor will disappear in about two weeks.

Going through an automatic car wash is not enough.

Cartreats.com recommends treating the exterior of your vehicle with distilled vinegar/dish soap. Using a clean pump or backpack sprayer, mix equal parts vinegar and water, add a few drops of dish soap, and apply liberally to about the bottom half of the exterior of your vehicle. Let the solution sit for about 5 minutes, then rinse it off with a garden hose.

Perhaps the skunk smell permeates the interior of the car. Mix hydrogen peroxide and water in a 1:5 ratio with a “healthy” amount of baby shampoo, scrub the carpet and upholstery, and let the room dry in direct sunlight with all windows open. increase.

Another automotive site, mechanicalbase.com, recommends scrubbing tires that have likely come in contact with a skunk with a vinegar/water/dish soap combination. I guess the undercarriage was also hit directly, but that is more difficult to clean.

“If you have time, put a tarp under your car and put some charcoal on top,” the site recommends, explaining that the charcoal should absorb skunk odors.

The site says that a vinegar and water solution is fine for fabric upholstery, but for leather and vinyl seats, use a mixture of vinegar and linseed oil without water.

Spray the carpet with a commercial deodorant that neutralizes the order.

Do not place invitations on the deck

The best way is to take some precautions. That way, your skunks can have fun and have fun without spraying you or your pets. are looking for and you may think your deck or patio is just the place.

Consider adding a 0.5 inch mesh hardware cloth firmly attached to the deck frame and buried about 1 foot below the ground and adding a fence below the deck.

Ironically, skunks have a unique odor in the animal kingdom, but they dislike odors such as citrus, ammonia, insect repellent, and the urine of predators such as dogs and coyotes. But be careful when using these as a deterrent. If you use mothballs or ammonia-soaked cotton wool, keep it out of reach of children.

Skunks also provide ample warning before sniffing to target the end of their musk gland business. Bend into a U shape and tear.

They don’t really want to spray you. Their weapons don’t have much protection. It does not store an infinite amount of stench, and depending on its output, it takes a week to ten days to recover, leaving it vulnerable to predators.

your turn: Go to the comments and tell us about you or your pet skunk encounter.