PORTSMOUTH — Writing about squished skunks raises an obvious question: If you hit one, will that noxious odor be with you forever?


And what do you do if you or your pet gets sprayed?

The absolute worst thing to do is add water, said Tina Hobart, manager of the Portsmouth Petco store.

Hobart said if water is applied to the unique enzymes that make up the foul odor, the oils in it are dispersed.

"If you squish the animal and the sac (containing the animal's spray) breaks under the car, it gets in the vents and it will be really hard to get rid of," said Hobart. "Do not hose the car off. I was driving last fall, and I hit nothing, but all of a sudden I smelled it. It had sprayed up the car. My husband put baking soda and peroxide on it, and then washed it off right away. It was bad."

According to several Web sites and the Emergency Veterinary Clinic on Woodbury Avenue, Hobart's husband wasn't far from getting it right.

To deal with skunk odor, the sites recommend hydrogen peroxide, baking soda (not powder) and dish soap mixed in a bath to help neutralize the smell.

"An easy-to-remember recipe of one pint of hydrogen peroxide, one small box of baking soda, and a couple of squirts of any dish-washing liquid mixed in a gallon of water makes an effective, scientifically based antidote," according to www.essortment.com.

It says the ingredients are easy to store in separate packages in a plastic bucket with camping equipment or on the back porch to be handy when they're needed, but warns that, once mixed, they lose their effectiveness after about an hour and can explode if stored mixed in a covered container. Hydrogen peroxide can also be dangerous to pets' eyes.

Essortment.com indicates the ingredients may bleach surfaces through oxidation, so the mixture might turn a black dog brown or grey until the hair grows back out.

If the skunk's victim is a pet, work the solution into the coat thoroughly, let it sit about five minutes, then rinse it out. The solution also works for clothing.

Tomato juice, the standby of folklore, doesn't work. Because it contains some oil, it might break up the structure of the sulfur-based skunk spray and make it easier to wash out. It's gotten a reputation for killing skunk odor because the pungency of tomato can be detected as "stronger" than skunk. It doesn't kill the odor, but it does make it less noticeable.

Chlorine bleach also neutralizes skunk odor and can be used on wood, cars, clothing, bricks and other surfaces where a permanent color change won't be a problem.

Pet stores have pre-mixed solutions that work just as well.

"We use Nature's Miracle, a natural enzyme that breaks down the chemical in the spray," said Hobart. "We used it on my dog. He loves skunks."

Another tip Hobart offers is mothballs. She said skunks don't like them and will avoid your yard if you put them in holes in the area.

"It won't hurt them; they just don't like them," she said.