Sure, skunks are cute and cuddly, but they can definitely spray a nasty smell that can knock you out.
Let’s say, unfortunately, you ran one over on the road, and now you have the smell that you’ll never forget, both on the outside of your car and on the inside of your car. If you’re lucky and act quick enough, you can get the skunk smell out of your car.
Here is what to do if you have a skunk smell on the outside or on the undercarriage of your car. I’ve also included tips for the skunk smell inside your car.
How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell From Car Exterior?
#1. Make A Cleaning Solution.
You’re not gonna want to do regular soap and water or a car wash solution for this. You want a cleaning solution with a higher voltage when it comes to skunk smell.
Get your spray bottle and add distilled vinegar to the liquid dish detergent. Just be sure you’ve mixed it well enough!
#2. Spray The Affected Parts.
You should start with the tires because they are most likely to have had contact with the skunk. You will want to spray and rub the tires rather aggressively.
In other words, the more contact the skunk had with your car, the more cleaning you will have to do. However, you would not use this cleaning solution any other part of the car it did not touch. Those parts can simply be washed as normal.
#3. Rinse and Dry the Car.
Once you’ve covered all the areas that had contact, you can rinse it off with your hose or pressure washer. Then dry the car with a clean microfiber towel to avoid water spots.
After you’ve rinsed it off, you can wait approximately 1 hour to check again for the skunk smell. If you continue to smell skunk on the car, continue to rinse and rub the tire spray solution over the affected areas until the smell gets better.
How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell From Undercarriage
#1. Using Charcoal.
If you’ve hit a skunk the tires are only one point of contact. It’s quite possible the smell is also on your car’s undercarriage and good luck accessing that.
If you have time, put a tarp under the car when you get home and pile charcoal on it. This should help bring some of that smell out of the car.
#2. Spray with Solution.
If you do not have time to wait, you can also do the same thing you did for the exterior of the car with whichever solution you used. Spray the vinegar and soap on the undercarriage.
Just be sure it is thoroughly coated. You may have to repeat this step a couple of times to be sure you its on all affected parts.
#3. Rinse Clean.
Rinse the area clean. This will take some extra work, you may even have to be under the car a little bit.
If it still smells after the cleaning you will have to try again, the skunk smell can hang around for a long time and it will not clean itself away.
How to Remove Skunk Smell from Car Interior
#1. Make a Cleaning Solution.
Eventually, the smell of skunk from the exterior of your car will be so strong that it comes into the cabin of your car. For cleaning the interior, you’ll need to make a special solution that works with the upholstery.
If your car has cloth seats, mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle. If you have leather or vinyl seats, use vinegar and linseed oil. Don’t put any water in that mixture.
#2. Clean the Seats.
If you have cloth seats, you can spray the solution directly on the material. Don’t forget about spraying the carpet too.
Let this solution sit for a couple minutes, then wipe it off with a clean microfiber cloth. Don’t rub it dry, just dab. Rubbing it can push the smell deeper into the fabric.
If you have leather or vinyl seats, spray the solution on your towel, not the material. Then you can just dab it dry with another towel after a couple minutes.
You may have to do the process a couple times before the smell goes away. In most cases, two times is enough to get back to a livable car interior.
#3. Use a Carpet Deodorizer.
If the smell is so strong that it penetrated the carpet, you can buy a commercial carpet deodorizer. Some carpet deodorizers only cover up odors and will not work for skunk smell. Look for a carpet deodorizer that will neutralize odors.
The great thing about carpet deodorizer is that you can also use it on cloth upholstery. Use some deodorizer on top of your cleaning methods to get rid of the skunk smell more quickly.
How do I get the smell of a skunk out of my car?
To best get rid of the smell of a skunk from your vehicle, you should give it a thorough and systematic cleaning. Start with washing outside with a mixture of distilled vinegar, liquid dish soap and warm water.
After the affected areas are all saturated and the smell has started dissipating, rinse it all off and give it a regular wash. On the inside, you will wash the upholstery with a mild mixture of distilled vinegar and water.
How long does skunk smell last on a car?
The smell of a skunk can last as long as you don’t try to get rid of it. If you do nothing, it can take weeks for this horrendous smell to fade from the car.
That being said, this time frame could be greatly shortened by taking the proper steps as soon as you have hit the skunk. There are specialized cleaning methods and products that can fully remove or reduce the odor of a skunk.
Will a car wash remove the skunk smell?
Yes, if done correctly, using a car wash will help to remove the smell of a skunk. But removing skunk odors cannot be done with just standard car shampoo. It just won’t cut it.
A successful method that works to remove skunk odor is to mix distilled vinegar and liquid dish detergent in warm water and thoroughly spray all areas the skunk could have come into contact. Leave it on a few minutes, rinse off with water, and then do a normal wash.
What neutralizes the skunk smell?
There are a number of super easy DIY recipes with common house hold items that can quickly remove the skunk smell. The easiest method is to make a cleaning mixture using distilled vinegar, liquid dish detergent, and warm water.
Another option to vinegar, is using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Both these breaks down the compounds of the skunk spray.
Whether it’s on the Interstate or a back road, having an animal on the side of the road, and hitting an animal is certainly a horrible experience for you, your car, and the poor animal who is the unfortunate victim underneath your tire.
However, if, like I said, you hit a skunk, you won’t be sad for long because that odor will quickly introduce itself to your senses, squeezing your heartbreak as quickly as it appears, and for that matter, you will want to clean it off your car before it is saturated with the smell.
For the outside of the vehicle – the same vinegar, detergent, and warm water mixture is sufficient. Spray that on the affected areas of skunk contact outside the vehicle, and wash it off.
For the interior, use a vinegar and water solution if your car is cloth upholstery. If leather seats, try using a vinegar and linseed oil solution. Be sure to do a good job of cleaning and repeat as needed!