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Has your home been infested with the smell of a dead rotting animal or bird carcass that has fallen down the chimney and into the smoke chamber of your fireplace?  Or perhaps you are wondering what is causing the smell that is coming from beneath your deck, shed or crawl space outside of your kitchen window.

If you dread the fact that crawling into a tight, dark crawl space can be dangerous, dirty, tiresome, smelly and most important, unhealthy then contact Bees, Bats and Beyond to perform the dead animal removal services for you.  We have the right equipment, knowledge and experience to do the job right the first time.

Just because the dead animal has been discovered and removed does not mean that the problem has been resolved.  Just removing the carcass might temporarily relieve the smell but might not resolve any similar future problems.  That animal or bird got in there somehow and if the problem is not corrected the incident could repeat itself again in the future.

For information on how to prevent birds and animals from accessing these areas of your property go to either my Carpentry & Exclusion Work or Chimney Cap Installations page.

Perhaps your favorite pet "Fluffy" got sprayed by a skunk while playing in the back yard.  "Fluffy" is now rolling on top of your living room carpet or crawling underneath your kitchen table emitting these noxious odors/smells.  Now that the skunk odor is within your home how do you get rid of it?  How can you remove the skunk odor from your pet so that it won't transfer onto your other pieces of furniture?  If this is your present situation then read on.

Some odors/smells might remain in the area only temporarily while others could linger on for many months.  Some odors can actually remain indefinitely in areas where animals, birds or rodents were allowed to nest for long periods of time.  Such might be the case where a building's structural lumber was allowed to be impregnated with urine and/or feces from pests that were nesting inside a ceiling or wall cavity.  The only means of removing these odors might be to replace the item in question.  This might entail replacing a wall stud or perhaps removing ceiling tiles and/or floor boards.  Sometimes the problem can be alleviated without compromising any of the structural members of the home by simply coating the item(s) with a coat of varnish or polyurethane prior to covering with sheetrock.

I have obtained the following information from various sources on the internet.  You may do your own search but here are the basics:

The reason why skunk odor appears to be so strong is because the human nose is very sensitive to thiols.  Skunk odor contains sulfur chemical compounds called thiocetates which decompose very slowly into thiols.  For this reason skunk odor lingers on for a long time and requires special treatments.  Household remedies such as tomato juice and fragrant cleaning solutions are ineffective in breaking down the thiols and only cover up the odor temporarily.  The best way to get rid of skunk odor is to wash the affected area by using a chemical solution that will actually neutralize the thiols and/or air-out the affected item.

You can wash clothing material with a bleach solution but be advised that some "bleaching" might occur.  Airing out the item will help but it might take a very long time.  I heard that burying the material in the soil might get rid of the smell.  Personally, I have never tried this so I don't know if it really works.  Want to experiment???

Back in 1993 a chemist by the name of Paul Krebaum came up with a formula for getting rid of skunk smells.  At the time Mr. Krebaum was working for Molex, Inc of Lisle, Illinois.  His research involved a group of chemicals called thiols.  Thiols are naturally produced during the decay of proteins and are also included in skunk musk.  Thiols are what humans usually smell during the decomposition of  human or animal putrefaction.  At the time Mr. Krebaum was not trying to invent a formula for getting rid of skunk odors but was actually trying to rid his laboratory of odors produced by these thiols.  Krebaum used this formula in his lab for some time with great success.

Eventually one of his colleagues approached him and asked to help with a pet cat that had been sprayed by a skunk.  Mr. Krebaum modified his formula so that it could be used on animals and after trying it out his colleague reported that the formula worked well.  Initially, Mr. Krebaum thought about getting a patent on his formula but due to packaging and transportation difficulties with the ingredients he decided  against it and put it on public domain for all to use for free.

1 quart (32 fl oz) of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution

​1/4 cup Baking Soda (not baking powder)

1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent

1 cup water

***Since skunk musk contains sulfur-containing thiols this concoction really works because it chemically neutralizes the thiols removing the smell.

***Warning:  Be advised that the following information was obtained from the internet and is strictly for informational purposes only.  The use of certain products could be harmful or damaging to certain species of wildlife, pets, furniture, materials or humans who might be allergic to these products.  If you decide to use any of these products or follow any portions of these instructions you are doing so at your own risk.  Neither the author of this web page nor Bees, Bats and Beyond will assume any responsibilities for damages and/or injuries sustained through the use of these products or instructions.

If your pet "Fluffy" got sprayed by a skunk the only ways to treat him is to prepare a bathing solution using the aforementioned formula.   Do NOT mix anything else with this formula except for water if you just want to increase the volume.  Better to use this in its concentrated form.  As soon as you mix the ingredients you will notice a fizzing reaction.  That fizzing reaction is what cleans.  Use immediately and dispose of any unused portions.  As a matter of fact don't even attempt to temporarily seal the container because the oxygen bubbles (fizzing) will create pressure within the container and might explode.  

Don't forget to use rubber gloves and follow other safety precautions to protect yourself as well as your clothing.  Try to avoid getting this liquid into your pet's eyes and mouth.  You must first wet your pet water prior to using this solution.  Begin to massage the solution into your pets fur.  Let the mixture sit on your pet for at least 5 minutes after which time you can hose/rinse him off.  You might have to repeat this process several times to fully remove the odor/smell, especially if "Fluffy" weighs 75 lbs. and has fur resembling the abominable snowman.

During my skunk removal work I usually take a large towel or sheet to cover my traps for protection.  Sometimes the skunks spray inside the trap and the towels get contaminated with musk.  I have actually taken the contaminated towels and dipped them into the "Hydrogen Peroxide - Baking Soda"solution and managed to get rid of the smell.  Some of these towels have no musk smell at all while others still have a very faint odor which I am sure could be removed through additional treatment.

If your pet "Fluffy" already came running into your home and managed to transfer the skunk musk onto your couch or carpet then your problem has just escalated.  Your best bet now is to clean the affected area with some mild cleaning solution and ventilate the area as much as possible.  Don't forget that chemicals might damage or at least stain the affected area.  If the affected item can be removed and treated outside the home then that will solve some of the problem.  Now comes the question of "how to get rid of the lingering skunk smell within the home?"  There are various formulas on the market that will temporarily mask the skunk's odor but will not actually clean.  These are only a temporary solution and because of the lingering effects of thiols the smell could persist for a very long time.  Sometimes the smell may reactivate during periods of high humidity.  If the thiol molecules have dispersed throughout the home by becoming impregnating into your ceilings, walls and wood surfaces then the only way to remedy the situation is through the use of a neutralizing formula.  These neutralizing agents can best be applied through the use of an electric fogger or atomizing sprayer.  Bees, Bats and Beyond has the right equipment and products to perform such services.

If you presently have a skunk odor or dead animal problem as mentioned above then contact Bees, Bats and Beyond for and inspection and/or consultation on how to treat the problem safely and efficiently.

Call (508) 885-2000 (H) or (508) 450-9035 (C).