Skunk

[WARFAB]

I cannot believe how badly our house stinks right now. It's making it hard ro fall asleep. I looked outside and didn't see anything, so now I'm all nervous that a skunk might be under the deck. If the skunk sprayed under the deck I have no idea how I'd get rid of the smell. No easy access to clean that up.

[Cgrutt]

Ugh good luck...

[dwa12479]

Yikes. Doesn't sound like fun.

[WARFAB]

On the plus side, my boss said I didn't smell like skunk when I explained my situation to him. On the down side, the inside of our house still stinks pretty bad. The smell really seems to have come in through the kitchen area. My wife got to work and the one bag she keeps in the kitchen smelled so bad she put it outside the office on a chair. Outside the house doesn't smell too badly, but there is definitely a skunk smell in the one section of the deck. We might be able to open some windows when we get home. Really hoping that it was a neighborhood cat that got sprayed and not a skunk moving in under the deck.

I read online that putting bowls of white vinegar around the house will pull the skunk smell out of the air, so I put out a few bowls before I left for work this morning. Fingers crossed. After sleeping in the stink all night I'm sure olfactory fatigue has thrown off my sense of smell. I'm nervous about how bad it's going to seem when I get home from work tonight.

[camper4lyfe]

So y'all still stinking up the neighborhood?

[WARFAB]

So y'all still stinking up the neighborhood?

Not stinking up the neighborhood anymore. Just dealing with a stinky house interior. The smell outside has completely dissipated unless you're really looking for it in the one section of the deck. Unfortunately it's not as easy to air out the house. We turned off the AC and are opening lots of windows and both patio doors. It's not as bad as it was, but it's still there. The final step might be to cook some bacon in the oven to try covering up the remaining skunk smell.

[usmcveteran]

What about putting out some baking soda to absorb smell?
also could put some drier sheets in filter for duct system and turn it on to try and cover it up that way as well.

[WARFAB]

Interesting ideas. Thanks.

[thughes]

They probably moved in under your new addition....during the course of the 2 years it took you to finish it.

[WARFAB]

They probably moved in under your new addition....during the course of the 2 years it took you to finish it.

Actually 3 years, but the addition was built on an existing foundation and concrete cap, so thankfully there isn't a way for anything to get in there.

[camper4lyfe]

My guess is that a cat got sprayed and took up residence under the deck for a while. Skunks by themselves don’t smell, especially not that bad.

[WARFAB]

I've heard that animals will recognize humans as a dominant animal by scent. I'm going to try marking my territory around the deck and see if that keeps the cats out.

[WARFAB]

Whether it was a skunk or an animal that got sprayed by a skunk, it definitely headed under the deck. The house still smells, but things don't really smell outside the house. The dryer exhaust vent exits the house under the deck, and now the inside of the dryer still stinks like skunk.

Good times.