a skunk recently sprayed in the crawl space under our house. we
trapped and removed the skunk , but the smell remains strong. I cannot
seem to find a source of information which would tell me how long it
will take for the skunk spray to completely degrade, and have the
smell disappear.

i understand that the spray is oil based. i am not asking for
information on how to clean the spray from the house. we do not know
where the spray is under our house.

the company which trapped the skunk seems certain that there was only
one pregnant skunk under our house since it took 8 days to trap it;
which i was told was a long time for a skunk to avoid coming out of
its den.

So at this point i am trying to find out how much longer i will have
to live with this skunk smell eminating from our crawlspace.

my question specifically is:

how long does it take for skunk spray to completely degrade on it own?

---

Clarification of Question by benzer-ga on 09 May 2005 21:52 PDT

thanks for the suggestion, but since the crawlspace covers an area of
11 sq ft ,deodorizing is impracticle. i just have to wait it out.

---

Clarification of Question by benzer-ga on 09 May 2005 21:53 PDT

thanks for the suggestion, but since the crawlspace covers an area of
1100 sq ft ,deodorizing is impracticle. i just have to wait it out.

Why not treat the crawlspace? 

Perhaps the following information will be helpful to you.

Inside a house, the only effective treatment is an aerosol mist
deodorant.  One of the most effective is neutroleum alpha, available
from many pest control operators and cleaning supply companies.  Other
effective deodorants are isobornyl acetate-based materials.  Most
household deodorants available in supermarkets are not strong enough.
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:vFC98S3coZgJ:web1.msue.msu.edu/wildlife/nr%2520skunks.doc+skunk+spray+lasts++inside+the+house&hl=en


=========

REMOVE SKUNK ODOR FROM ROOM OR CLOTHES       

Use Neutroleum Alpha, available from Vigon International
http://www.vigoninternational.com/
you may contact them via their website or calling them at 1-877-VIGON-39. 
Place Peppermint or Spearmint Oil on cotton balls or mix with water in
a water bottle and use as a spray.
http://www.urbanwildliferescue.org/humane/skunks.htm

=========

Listening to the homeowners' piteous pleas for help, Mr. Reavis
decided to try the pint sample of Alken Enz-Odor
http://www.alken-murray.com/EZ1pib.htm
he had obtained when the Edwards family was having a garage sale last
year. He mixed 1 pint of Alken Enz-Odor, original formula, with 4
quarts of water and sprayed it in the areas with the strongest odor.
Under the deck, where bicycles, a lawn mower, a spreader, roto-tiller,
etc. were stored, the odor was the most offensive, so he concentrated
treatment in this enclosed area. He did not have quite enough product
to properly treat the open area at the back of the house, where the
last skunk was trapped, but he used what little product was left
anyway...
http://www.alken-murray.com/EZcasestudy1.html

Hello benzer-ga,

Here'a a collection of articles about skunk spray. Unfortunately it
doesn't answer your question about how long it will take to disappear
from your crawl space or how you might treat a large area. It's
interesting reading to give you a better understanding of what you're
dealing with.

http://www.humboldt.edu/~wfw2/skunkspray.shtml

Good luck.

~ czh ~

I haven't found a specific number. probably because the time for
complete elimination of the odor depends on lots of variables. 
However, it seems like the consensus of opinion is that the time is
measured in months.

For example:

"However, what isn't washed off will continue to cause problems for
six months to one year after the hit. This is particularly true when
the vapor pressure drops and the dried skunk oil can vaporize more
easily. Examples: hot muggy days, when the dog gets wet, etc."
http://www.thornell.com/faq.aspx

"Just checking to see if you have a solution to your skunk problem. We
have had a skunk smell in our enclosed porch for months now and can't
get rid of it. I think it died under there. The externinator told us
the smell should be gone in a month or so, but that was 6 months ago
and its still here."
http://www.havahart.com/bulletin/_disc1/00000dfe.htm


"Once the animal has been removed, there
may be some smells which linger. Skunk smell is persistent; one
generally knows a skunk was around months after it is gone."
http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page601.html

In my experience, you will still smell it at least a couple of months.
If the crawl space is not ventilated, it will take even longer. I
would try to set up a fan, to keep sucking out the odor and reduce the
time needed for it to fade

This lady suggests that boiling vinegar can remove odor from an entire
house, perhaps you could adapt this to abate the smell in the crawl
space?

http://www.skunksaspets.com/odor1.htm

I also found this site for an all-natural odor eliminator (my dog got
skunked by the way -- I had no idea the stench was so noxious) and
they have a "Portable Electric Fogger for For Hard-To-Reach & Large
Areas"

http://www.pureayre.com/online.htm (scroll to bottom)