Tips on Tuesday: On Cleaning Skunks and Fixing Keurigs (not at the same time)

Monday was a…well…MONDAY in every sense of the word.

As in, it was a pretty stinky day.

Literally. But, like I tell my kids, every problem is an opportunity to learn something new, and oh boy, did I ever.

And I want to share a few tips with you, specifically on what to do when your dog gets sprayed by a skunk. Also, a handy tip on what to do when you get the single lit cup light on your Keurig, which according to the company, if you have done all the recommended de-scaling tips, means that machine is DONE. (It’s not.)

These may seem like two very disparate subjects, but I came by them while working on the same problem. Stay with me here…

So, lesson number one: when a mama skunk has a den of babies, she doesn’t leave her nest at night, as she needs to keep them safe. No, she will wander out during the day to forage!

Lesson number two: despite being very nearsighted, a skunk can hit a target from a distance of 15 feet. I offer up my spaniel as Exhibit A.

Lesson number three: my husband has a very delicate sense of smell, and was gagging the entire time with his sweatshirt pulled over his face. How he survived two newborns and the resulting poopy diapers is beyond me…

So: your dog made the mistake of barking at a skunk, and gets sprayed. What do you do?

1. You want to get everything cleaned up asap or else it can take a very long time for the smell to go away. A skunk’s spray is very oily, so you want to soak up the oil, but don’t rub, or you will spread it. Paper towel proved great for blotting.

2. Put away that tomato juice! It has the opposite effect on dogs (ok, it actually doesn’t work at all – your nose just thinks it did, but you aren’t fooling anyone.) Instead in a clean bucket, mix: 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 c baking soda, and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Stir it up until the peroxide is dissolved. Using a clean sponge or old wash cloth, carefully wash the dog but keep this stuff out of its eyes (if the poor beastie was sprayed in the face, its eyes already hurt from the spray. Boo.)

3. That peroxide mix? You can spray it on your bushes/lawn/grass if a skunk sprays them. Yes, where the skunk sprayed will hold the smell for a while. (Just don’t put it in a bottle. It’s fizzy and will build pressure pretty quick. Instead, take the spray nozzle off the bottle and spray from the bucket or a smaller container. It’s awkward. You can thank me later.)

4. Skunk spray your house or steps? Wash those with a bleach and water solution, pronto.

5. Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover has also been highly recommended by Macy’s groomer, and you can use it on rugs, furniture, clothes (just test for color-fastness first.) Furniture that smells may also be caused by the cleanliness of your furniture. Even if it doesn’t smell, it may very well need to be freshened up to keep your home clean and tidy. Does this mean that I may need a furniture steam cleaner? As I’ve heard that this is a very effective way to be able to make my sofa and even my carpet clean and free of any unwanted and unpleasant smells. I think I will look into this when I get a chance as who doesn’t want to have a clean house?

Oh, and you think your dog smells better? Guess what: when they get wet, the skunk smell will come back. The groomer told me it will take about five good shampoos to fully get the smell out. With lots of mama and baby skunks making their appearance this month, it’s a good idea to put together a “skunk kit”. Get a clean bucket (you don’t want to wash your dog from a bucket from which you wash your floors) and in it put:

• a pack of disposable gloves
• a roll of paper towels
• a quart bottle of peroxide
• old wash cloths

Last tip, which leads me to my Keurig tip: so your dog maybe wasn’t clean, or your windows are open and the house is pretty stinky. Boiling vinegar will remove the smell from your house. (Okay, the house smells like vinegar, but when that smell dissipates, the skunk smell is gone.)

Clever me, I see mineral deposits spotting the tank of the Keurig, and think: “Bingo. I shall clean my coffeemaker, which will boil the vinegar, which will eliminate the smell. Multitasking”.

Tip 1: acidic liquids can stain/mar granite. If you have a granite countertop, move your Keurig to another surface for cleaning, as there is always a bit of splashing when brewing 10 cups or so.

I poked a paper clip in the needles to clean them out. I started brewing vinegar. My house began to smell like a dill pickle. Unfortunately, after the third cup brewed, I didn’t hear the gurgle of the tank refilling, and when the ready lights came on, I did not see three lights flashing. No, only the large cup lit. And it didn’t flash. And THEN the de-scaling light came on. (Wasn’t I already doing that?) I pushed the button for the large cup, the brewing light came on…and it did nothing.

I called Keurig, and they said “sorry, if you followed all the steps, there is nothing more you can do. Oh, and it’s out of warranty.” They did offer me a great deal on a replacement, but I got to thinking….

…if the de-scaling light came on after I started, then that vinegar knocked something loose, right? So do you know what I did?

I walked away. I let it sit overnight, full of vinegar. (With the house smelling of vinegar with a dash of skunk.)

Yup, that is tip #2. Let that vinegar do its business.

In the morning, I fired her up. All the lights lit! She brewed ONE cup… and then quit. I shut it off. Topped up the vinegar. And let it sit another hour.

And then I fired it up a third time, and brewed the rest of the tank. And then brewed one more tank of vinegar. That’s a lot of vinegar people. (And then I cleaned out the vinegar with a couple of tanks of water, but that’s boring.)

And that is how my dog getting skunked led to the breaking (and fixing) of my Keurig! Fingers crossed that she stays far away from those striped kitty cats, but if she doesn’t, well, this time, I’m prepared.