What a situation! Having a skunk spray your car is a truly unpleasant scenario. You need your car to be clean and with pleasant aromas. Skunks sometimes hide under cars, and when the car starts, they get scared and spray, leaving you to deal with the remnants! Other times, drivers accidentally run over a skunk, causing them to spray. If unfortunate encounters with skunks have happened to you more than once, you may need to hire a professional skunk removal service. In the meantime, follow these steps for how to clean your car after getting sprayed by a skunk.

1. Create a Specialized Cleaning Solution

For cleaning the exterior of your car, a simple combination of soap and water will not clear the stench of skunk. What you’ll need is a spray bottle, distilled vinegar, concentrated liquid dish detergent, and water. The vinegar and soap together will cut the pungent smell and toxic acidity. Spray this concoction on the tires and other parts of the car’s exterior that likely came into contact with the skunk. There is no need to wash the entire car, however. Only spray the parts that you think are affected. Let the solution sit on your car for about 10 minutes, then rinse it clean. After about an hour, check to see if the smell still persists. If so, apply another dose of the solution. 

2. Place Charcoal Underneath and Around the Base of Your Car

Find some newspaper or cardboard and place it underneath and beside your car. Then place some charcoal briquettes on the paper. Charcoal has a chemical property that allows it to absorb smells. This can help with cleaning the car’s undercarriage, which was likely affected by the skunk, but is difficult to access for cleaning. If charcoal is not a good option for you, simply use the same solution you used for the tires and exterior of the car. 

3. Clean the Interior of Your Car With a Different Solution

When the skunk smell in Whitby is on the exterior and undercarriage of your car, it can also seep its way into the air intake and cabin vents. When this happens, the remnants of the spray may be temporarily absorbed into the top layer of your upholstery. Don’t use a detergent-based solution, however, as the petroleum in these products may damage your seats and console. Instead, for cloth seats, use white vinegar and water. It is safe to spray this directly onto the cloth seat. For leather seats, use linseed oil and vinegar, and spray it onto a towel before applying it to the seat. For both types of seats, be sure to dab the upholstery, not scrub. Rubbing and scrubbing can drive the smell deeper into the fabric. 

4. Apply a Carpet Deodorizer

If the smell still persists after more than one application of cleaning solution in each area, it is possible that the carpet may be the culprit. Be sure to buy a product that does not simply mask the odour. The skunk smell will be too powerful for these. Find one that truly neutralizes the odour. 

Call Skedaddle for Skunk Removal and Wildlife Control in Whitby

If your encounters with skunks tend to happen frequently, you can trust our experts to fully assess your situation and design a plan for skunk removal. If you see a skunk, please do not try to remove, trap or handle it by yourself! Due to the dangers involved with wild animals, we always recommend giving us a call or accessing our website for information. We’ve been there, done that, and can help you, too.