Hitting a skunk is one of the most inconvenient problems you could run into. The smell that a skunk emits can creep into the inside of a car after the critter is hit, and the smell will linger for quite awhile, sometimes even weeks! There are many theories of how to remove skunk smells from the human body, but from a car? That is a completely different subject altogether.
Removing skunk odor from a car can be tricky, and it can cost some money, but it is not by any means impossible. There are a few easy steps that can be taken to remove the disgusting smell from a vehicle. The first step to take is to wash the tires and interior of the car with vinegar. The amount of vinegar used should not be sparing. Wipe the car down thoroughly with it. This will help to decrease the smell and sterilize the car, making it harder for smells to linger. It will not wipe out the smell completely though.
The next step is to use a commercial cleaner and wipe the car down again. Again, a large amount of the cleaner should be used. Some good cleaners are "Skunk-Off," a cleaner that can be bought at a pet clinic or pet shop, or "Kids n' Pets All Purpose Smell and Odor Remover." The latter can be bought at most stores for a little over five dollars. After using a commercial cleaner, finish off the smell by using some form of scented and odor-removing aerosol. This should greatly decrease the smell and keep it from lingering. Another step that can be useful is using Pine-sol inside the car and on the tires, or using a mixture of ten percent bleach and ninety percent water.
This step-by-step system should finish off the smell of a skunk in a car for good. Also, it can be used the same way inside a home. If a smell persists after using this system, repeat it, and make sure to clean very thoroughly. The odor a skunk gives off is one of the most potent natural smells in the world.
A common misconception pertaining to skunk odor is that it can be removed using tomato juice. While a tomato juice bath can work on human beings, it cannot work on a car, and the amount of juice that would be needed to eliminate all skunk smells would be very costly and time-consuming, even if it did work. Putting tomato juice in a car could cause extreme staining, and the smell could be incredibly undesirable. Using the method provided above is all that is needed.