Tips to Get Rid of Skunk Spray Odor

Author: Disabled World - Contact Details
Published: 2014/06/05 - Updated: 2021/12/01
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Synopsis: Information on how to get rid of skunk spray odor from pets, buildings, and furnishing. Skunk spray is composed mainly of 3 low molecular weight thiol compounds, (E)-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, and 2-quinolinemethanethiol, as well as acetate thioesters of these. The smell can be detected by a human nose up to a mile downwind. The odor of the fluid is strong enough to ward off bears and other potential attackers and can be difficult to remove from clothing. Muscles located next to the scent glands allow them to spray with a high degree of accuracy.

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Skunks (occasionally called polecats in the U.S.) are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor.

The most notorious feature of skunks is their anal scent glands, which they can use as a defensive weapon. They are similar to, though much more developed than, the glands found in species of the Mustelidae family. Skunks have two glands, one on each side of the anus. These glands produce a mixture of sulfur-containing chemicals such as methyl and butyl thiols traditionally called mercaptans, which have a highly offensive smell that can be described as a combination of the odors of rotten eggs, garlic and burnt rubber. The odor of the fluid is strong enough to ward off bears and other potential attackers and can be difficult to remove from clothing. Muscles located next to the scent glands allow them to spray with a high degree of accuracy.

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Cite This Page (APA): Disabled World. (2014, June 5). Tips to Get Rid of Skunk Spray Odor. Disabled World. Retrieved November 29, 2023 from www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/household/tips/skunk.php

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