Does Your Car Smell Like Skunk? Follow These 3 Simple Steps!

There are many animals that can be accidentally hit by cars. Some examples include deer, foxes, badgers, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, cats, dogs, rabbits, and birds.

Which road kill is more common varies tremendously from one place to the other. For instance, in the US raccoons are the top victims. In the UK, on the other hand, badgers are the most unfortunate creatures. Especially if you love animals, it can be quite devastating to accidentally hit or run over one.

However, there is one road kill that can devastate your nose, too, for it really smells: a skunk.

It’s no secret that skunks are considered as the smelliest animals on the face of the planet. When they spray each time they are scared or surprised, everyone comes scrambling to remove skunk smell. Hitting a skunk with your car can make it hard to run away from the nightmarish skunk smell as it can linger in the exteriors and interiors of your car for days.

Fortunately, your nose and everyone else’s need not endure skunk smells for a long time. That’s because it is really easy to get rid of that skunk’s smell that no one can bear.

There is no need for you to head to the local car wash for getting rid of the smell because just about everything that you will need for the odor removal task is probably in your kitchen and medicine cabinet right now. With just a few steps, you can remove the odor, thus your car can smell nice all over again — it’s like you never accidentally ran over a skunk.

Getting rid of skunks — all skunks in the world — is impossible as well as mean. But the good news is that getting rid of skunk odor takes only 3 simple steps! Without further ado, let’s check out how to get rid of skunk smell in the car:

Step #1: Exterminate the Skunk Smell From the Exteriors

It’s true that the tires (and probably the undercarriage, too) of your car are the ones that have the bits of the deceased skunk. However, it doesn’t mean that they are the only ones that can smell horribly. The unmistakable odor can stink out the interiors, too, causing anyone who gets in it to want to hurl.

Because the source of the smell can be found in the exteriors, it’s just right that we start with them in this skunk smell removal project of yours.

Unfortunately, soap and water won’t do the trick. In order to get rid of any skunk smell, we will need to count on a more powerful cleanser, one that is capable of getting the smell out effectively. Worry not because you don’t have to buy a product that comes with a steep price tag. As promised, to remove skunks smell everything that you will need to get your hands on is most likely available in your kitchen.

So what are the ingredients that you need to grab from your kitchen for effectively removing skunk smell? They’re distilled vinegar and liquid dish detergent.

Grab your garden sprayer and fill it with distilled vinegar and liquid dish detergent. Afterward, generously spray the mixture on the tires as well as the undercarriage of your car to neutralize that skunk stink. Allow the mixture to sit there for a few minutes to give it plenty of time to take the skunk smell out. Remove with a brush skunk bits that you can spot to make it easier for the mixture to do its job. Using your garden hose, rinse off the mixture very well after.

Congratulations — you have just completed the first step! Alas, the work is not done!

Step #2: Cleaning and Deodorizing Your Car’s Interiors

Everyone knows just how potent skunk odor is. It’s so powerful that it can easily make its way inside your car, which is what makes accidentally running over a skunk hard on your nose. Luckily, eliminating that unmistakable stink from the interiors of your car is just as easy as riding your exteriors of it.

Because the interiors of your car are not as hard-wearing as the car’s exteriors, you will need a different cleanser to make it smell nice and clean all over again. As before, there is no need to buy any deodorizing product.

For removing skunk smell inside your car, combine a cup of water, a cup of hydrogen peroxide, a cup of baking soda and a teaspoon of liquid dish detergent in a large bowl. You will notice some fizzing when you combine the ingredients. It’s because of the chemical reaction taking place between hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. This is why you should place the ingredients in a bowl and not in a spray bottle — the gas-forming could make the spray bottle explode!

Open all the doors of the car to let much of the rotten egg-like odor out. Grab a sponge, dip it in the mixture, squeeze out excess, and scrub away. Just steer clear of scrubbing the upholstery with it.

Speaking of the upholstery, the best tip on how to get rid of skunk smell on upholstered car seats is to mist them with distilled vinegar and water. It’s not a good idea to allow them to come into contact with hydrogen peroxide car deodorizing solution as fading may occur. So to neutralize the car smells safe, fill a small spray bottle with equal parts distilled vinegar and water. Give the spray bottle a good shake, and then spray a little on the seats. Do the same on the carpets to zap skunk odors. As you can see, how to remove skunk odor everywhere in your car is easy.

By the way, if you have leather seats use a mixture consisting of equal parts of distilled vinegar and linseed oil.

There is only one step remaining on how to get rid of skunk odor, and it’s the easiest of all.

Step #3: Leave Some Charcoal Bricks Inside Your Vehicle

The goal is to leave your car smelling like an accident involving a skunk never happened in the first place. Fortunately, there is no need to purchase any special deodorizer for how to remove skunk smells as the answer to how to get your car smelling nice again may already be in your kitchen or backyard, especially if you love barbecuing.

Believe it or not, leaving some charcoal bricks in your car is very good for skunk smell removal!

Charcoal bricks have pores in them that are capable of effectively absorbing odor-causing molecules in the air, thus getting rid of any unwanted smell. And this is why this article on how to get skunk smell out of your car highly recommends using them instead of a deodorizer containing all kinds of questionable chemicals.

Aside from charcoal bricks, you may also count on baking soda to get rid of skunk smell. Just like charcoal bricks, it can remove skunk odors by absorbing them. For getting rid of skunk smell or any other foul odor, just leave an opened box of baking soda in your car overnight.

You don’t need to have a hard time wondering how to get rid of skunk odor in your car effectively. Just follow the above tips on how to get rid of skunk smell in the car and you’re golden.

If you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: info@zemotor.com