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Not many skunks on the 15th floor...

..but I thought bathing in tomato juice worked?

The horror . . . the horror . . .
My dogs got sprayed in the face then promptly vomitted as soon as they were inside the apartment. Ughhhh!
I scrubbed and scrubbed, and scrubbed and scrubbed and weeks later the odor still lingered, especially in the bathroom. Apparently if skunk spray touches anything plastic the item is contaminated forever. The smell went away when I threw out the shower curtain. The memory of the incident still makes me quake.

@ChrisToronto--that sounds awful... Did you use tomato juice to get the smell out like bepsf mentioned?

for some reason I've always been oddly fascinated by skunk smell, it's not like I want to wear it as a cologne or have it as an air freshener, but I always secretly enjoy it whenever I drive past the smell.

@dennisd--you're not alone. My best friend admits to liking the odor of a skunk when we drive by an area that has been sprayed.

@bepsf, Nope, it doesn't work. It just makes your pet smell like tomato juice and skunk. You can use a mix of hydrogen peroxide, dish soap and baking soda (I think that's it, fortunately, I wasn't there when my parent's dog got sprayed) but nothing really gets all of the smell out. Six months after he got sprayed, my parents' dog still smelled skunky when he got wet.

There is skunk smell - as in "a skunk sprayed somewhere nearby" - and there is SKUNK SMELL - as in "I or my pet was sprayed and I'm standing over ground zero". There is absolutely, positively no comparison between the two smells. One is mildly unpleasant, the other can peel the skin off your face and burn your nose hairs.

My dog was sprayed in the face once 10 feet from where I was standing and the smell is so vividly seared into my memory it will haunt me until my dying day... Tomato juice doesn't work, even having the groomer treat him repeatedly with professional skunk remover hardly put a dent in it. Poor puppy! And Tiamat, you are so right. Getting him wet long after the fact still could bring back the smell.

For our two dogs we used a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and baking soda (I think it was a quart of peroxide, half a cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of dish soap but don't quote me.) Half of that mixture worked like a charm for our Shih Tzu, but our Lab/Chow Mutt needed nearly two batches of the stuff, and then they still smelled a bit when they would get wet. As for the house we just opened all the windows and cleaned the carpets. I believe we also mixed up a floor/counter cleaner with vinegar but I'm not sure how much that really worked lol. Luckily the skunk had only gotten our dogs and they had minimal contact with anything except our floor so there wasn't too much damage to the house.

I've heard of SCOE 10X online, but I've never needed to buy it. Their videos showed them spraying a dead skunk and actually eliminated all odours! Quite impressive!
http://www.scoe10x.com/Scripts/default.asp

@ LilyC:
I second that emotion! I can see how 'skunk sprayed somewhere nearby' can be pleasant to some...it smells like good marijuana.

But my first experience with 'ground zero skunk smell' was almost enough to make me pass out. Chico, my yorkie chihuahua got sprayed late at night, so I didn't have immediate access to a pet store to buy professional skunk odor remover. Here's my boy:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/taffypeterson/Chico/?action=view&current=chicopirateresize.jpg

Although a quick internet search dispelled the rumor that tomato juice works, I had no choice but to try it. I washed my little guy in it 3 times in a row -- and blowed him dry with a hair dryer in between -- it barely made a dent in the smell.

By 3 a.m. it was time to give up, but I wasn't about to let him in my bed, where he normally sleeps. The only option to get some sleep without him crying was to sleep with him -- on the bathroom floor!

The things we do for our 'babies'! Long story short, I bought some professional remover in the morning...luckily for me it took care of the remaining smell. Any lingering odor faded within a week.

The peroxide/baking soda/dish soap does work - and ingredients you may have already. My cat was sprayed late one evening, luckily not a direct hit so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. However, bathing a cat in the middle of the night is a story in itself.

My Dad, who has hunting dogs and runs into skunks on a semi-regular basis, swears by Diet Sprite for getting the smell out of their fur.

Beth1 . . . I happened to have some very good tar shampoo on hand, which smells strong to begin with and it worked really well on the dogs, although as others have mentioned, whenever they got wet, the smell would come back to haunt.

A skunk wanders into your kitchen and you . . .

A) Freak out
B) Run and get your camera

this sounds nutty, but feminine douche works better than anything else we have ever tried. not to mention, purchasing 20 containers of douche at the store absolutely boosts your self image!

A skunk JUST sprayed our cat and back door this last weekend! The (outdoor) cat still smells, but the apartment is finally airing out... The poor cat is missing getting petted though!

i luv skunks especially baby and teeenager skunks! they are super cute

One late night my dog chased the neighborhood skunk and I stupidly ran into the fray. That said, throw out anything plastic...it really does hold the scent forever. Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and white wine vinegar helps to dilute the smell. The worst of the smell dissipates in about 24 hours, which still makes for a very long day. Handy little biological weapon those guys have!

Oh my god, my cat got sprayed by a skunk last night. I now know what you all are talking about because I've now experienced ground zero of the skunk smell. Of course it was so late the pet store was not open to buy the skunk removal stuff so I used the hydrogen peroxide recipe everyone is talking about. I'd say it really works. He still has a lingering sent of skunk towards his head and chest (I was worried about getting the hydrogen peroxide in his eyes). I think I might go buy the stuff at the store for the lingering smell. Anything to avoid washing a cat- plus I just got done scrubbing down my entire bathroom!