Pepe Le Pew vs Cavalier = NEED HELP!!

[GregCavi]

From the title you may have gathered what my problem is! It all happend when I was coming back from my girlfreinds house last wednesday night. I came over a hill @ 60 mph`s and hit a skunk wandering down the road. I heard a nice little thud as it passed underneath my vehilce. Thank god it doesnt smell i said, a mile down the road and a whole nother smell!! so now I have this gross skunk smell on my car! The interior is fine with no hint of skunk, thanks to poorboys leather scent (10 sprays!!). I parked the car outdoors for 2 days. One day was super windy and the otehr was very snowy and windy. I pulled the car indoors to remove the snow and left it. It didnt have a smell when I pulled it in. after sitting in the garage for about an hour the smell was back. Its not mega strong but its enough to make you not want to touch the car when near it.

so what is a good remidy for skunk scent removal? Dont say tomato juice! haha. From reading other threads here I saw that 10% bleach in water will remove it. Anyone know more on this process or any other processes to remove the smell? Great appreciated is your help!

CLIFF NOTES: Hit by skunk, interior smells fine, but exterior smells mildly bad. How to fix?

Greg

[patches]

check it out


http://www.topoftheline.com/trabodre.html

[jaybs02]

Greg,
I would think that if anything the area that has to be cleaned it is the underneath of your car.

I saw this maybe it will help skunk odor remedy

Good luck
"J"

[maximv1]

do you have car ramps or know anyone that does? if so put the back end up on them and power wash the undercarraige. there might be skunk bits attached, this will help you get to the source easier. good luck.

[rollman]

there might be skunk bits attached,

To bad you didn`t stop , you coulda made a hat for the winter :canadian:

Sounds like you need to clean the underside of the car , the warmth of the garage is just enough to bring the stink back . The smell will dissipate over time , I`ve ran a few over in my truck. Your lucky it`s not July cause the stink last longer in the heat . Make sure you get all the skunk chunks out.

[joe.p]

i know what its like my daughter hit a skunk about a year ago the odor was in her vents,door seems & trunk. each time you turn the heat on its gonna be a reminder. anyway we cleaned up the odor and itwas much easier to deal with and it was gone in a couple days.good luck.

[vdubbya]

Greg-

Wash the undercarriage well and let it air out a while(7-10) days and the smell should be gone. Been there, done that. Good luck!

-Chris

[GregCavi]

Just waiting a while before I perform the under carriage wash.. Seeing if leaving it outside will do the trick first. Wil do the suggested if it doesnt get better.

Greg

[Squirtgun]

Spray the underside of the car with white vinegar allow to dwell for about 15 minutes the wash with soap and water. We just had the discussion on one of the pressure washing forums.
The vinegar does the same thing as tomatoe juice and other methods. Bleach will work,but the effetcs on metal make it a less appealing alternative.

[Jngrbrdman]

From wikipedia.org:

The following Skunk Smell Remover Formula is effective in removing skunk smell from sprayed victims, as proven in an episode of MythBusters

• 1 U.S. Quart (approx 1 litre) of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
• 1/4 cup (approx 45ml) baking soda.
• 1 teaspoon (approx 5ml) liquid soap.

Directions: Mix together at time of usage, and apply foaming mixture to affected areas.

How it works: The oxygen molecules emitted by the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda reaction deactivate the smell molecules by binding to them and rendering them inert.

The same thing can be accomplished by holding your pet or yourself in smoke (not FLAMES) from a campfire or grassfire. The ions in the smoke neutralize the odor-producing chemical.

Folklore also claims tomato juice to be a potent skunk smell remover. Tomato juice has no chemical effect on the skunk smell, but it does have a distinct odor of its own. According to the Indiana University School of Medicine:

The smell receptors in your nose bind the skunk odor so tightly that eventually you stop smelling it so much. This is called "olfactory fatigue". At that point, the tomato juice you`ve just bathed your pet with is a new smell that your nose is not used to yet. After a while, though, the tomato juice smell will go away and that skunk odor will come back. [1] Let`s say it`s useless.

Skunk stink is a strong alkaloid, so bleach, baking soda/H2O2, aren`t going to be particularly effective. And bleach will corrode the crap out of your underbody, especially the exhaust.

You need to use something acidic to neutralize the spray. Like tomato, lemon, lime ... maybe just a bloody mary! I don`t care what wikipedia says about tomato juice not working, because I`ve used it several times when my dog was hit with a skunk and it always worked fine.

Or just a citrus based cleaner. Give that a try and see if it works. You might also consider changing your air filter and cabin filter since the smell is likely trapped in there too.