Chook = Chicken.
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Have you tried an odor inhibitor like Frebreeze or possibly their commercial counterpart (janitorial supply).
Yep, I forgot about that one but I did spray Fabreeze odor eliminator on the whole collar, concentrating on the sealed joints, and then took a scrub brush to it. Sitting here at the keyboard the collar is on the counter about three feet away and I still get a whiff of "skunk" from it. I've found a product, Skunk Off, that's made in the region, but then I find information saying that commercial products, such as Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover don't work as well as the home made mix of peroxide, soda & soap developed by a chemist in '93. All of the other "home remedies", like vinegar, tomato juice, lemon juice and mixes using them simply mask odor temporarily and don't affect the source. I may buy a bottle of the commercial product to see what it does to plastic, but at this point I'm glad that Innotek put a new collar on the FedEx truck for me.
I note that these are all acid (rather than alkaline,) based, implying that the skunk smell itself is alkaline . . . would it be worth a crack to use a stronger acid?
Perhaps nitric?
Nitric acid doesn't have a detrimental effect on plastic, and should be readily available in a fairly strong mix from any hydroponic store.
Just a thought.
jb, I've read a scientific paper from Johns Hopkins where they actually analyzed the chemistry of the four (I think) different skunk varieties, identifying subtle differences in their spray makeup. The spray is a thick, oily mess that is derived from urine and stored in a pair of glands to be sprayed in a concentrated stream up to sixteen feet. They state that the best home remedy is the peroxide/soda/dishwashing detergent for the pet, and also for inanimate objects, but that common household laundry bleach is also effective for things that can take it. I did try a strong bleach solution, soaking the collar for about 1/2 hour, but no joy. The lab report suggested soaking clothes in vinegar, then Dawn, then laundry soap & water followed by a good rinse and leaving them in the sun until dry and odor free. Sunlight is said to be a key, and I can attest that when I thought Bones' web belting collar was "skunk free" putting it in the sun re-activated the aroma quite strong. Perhaps I need to leave both outside in the sun, were it not that today is cloudy.... Someone mentioned that this whole discussion is only of serious interest to me, and I can see that being true so I won't continue to bore you with more info.
Roger skunk is next to impossible to get out of material. I think it just penetrates at the molecular level. Imagine if a house paint worked so good! Nice of the company to send you a replacement! Some battles just aren't worth it, and skunks top the list! I had a jacka$$ of a neighbor/renter next door who partied outside our bedroom windows on his side of the fence , huge bon fire, can tossing into buckets, every night, some nights passed 3a.m. The Police were so tired of coming out they just started to refuse. He was unemployed and an ex fellow with a deep bass voice that sounded like one of those subwoofers in the gang banger cars. It went everywhere including thru my ear plugs. I tried every thing from diplomacy to making noise at 8a.m. while he tried to sleep, nothing would get him to stop. So then a hunting buddy gave me a bottle of skunk oil. It's amazing how fast people go inside when they think a skunk is outside. And they seem to stay inside for weeks! We seemed to have a skunk problem until he moved! :)
I love it!! A small bottle of "skunk oil" might be a good thing to send off to our friends "down under", just so they understand what we're talking about when we mention "skunk"! Not sure it would make it through Custom's or not, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be happy if they opened the bottle to "inspect" the contents....
That in itself would be worth the laugh to see a Customs guy whip the lid off the jar to see what it was, place his large nose over the top and inhale strongly, it would have to be caught on camera for sure....
Oh yeah, I could have some fun here with some skunk oil
just a few drops here and there
.... the front doors of city hall
.... on the local cop shop doors
.... the local maccas
my golly just load it inter a water pistol and have fun squirting cars at the lights
Roger, obviously, no one is bored with this discussion as we all keep reading and posting on it. I've been a little ornery and having a little fun with your stinky situation but certainly mean no harm or hurt feelings.;) Please accept my apologies if I've offended and please keep us posted on how you get it resolved. Who knows which of us might be next to get sprayed by one of those smelly critters!!:eek:
Use a small syringe to squirt it!
it travels far without anyone seeing it!
Randy, I'm not offended by anything that's been said. Absolutely no need to apologize from my standpoint. This is the second time Bones has been sprayed, and we're in a once burned, twice cautious mode at this point where our after dark constitutional walks are on a long leash as opposed to runs in the woods. I thought that the first spraying was bad, but this one has been worse!
Post a pic of Bones for us. The name sounds great! What kind of dog is he?
Bones is a Hungarian Vizsla, or simply a Vizsla. He's an amazing buddy.
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Wow, Bones is an absolutely gorgeous looking dog, just a pity he didn't learn a lesson the first time he encountered a lovely little critter called skunk.