wolfsbride

So... I am living in a house that smells like rotten eggs and old gym socks. Being that I don't want my boss to have to move when she gets home, I was looking for ways to get the skunk smell off the dog. My neighbour kindly donated a HUGE can of Heinz tomato juice. However, I know from prior experience - I used to work in a grooming salon - that tomato juice does not actually work. It just makes your dog smell like a really stinky pizza. So... what to do.

Interwebs to the rescue! Actually.. my ex boss from the grooming salon to the rescue. She told me of some pretty good recipe that she'd heard about. That's when I went to look it up. Warning.. The following contains science. Please bring your chairs and trays to the upright position and fasten your seatbelts.

1 quart (or liter) of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide - Use fresh (unopened) hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide eventually turns into water.
1/4 cup (50 ml.) of Baking Soda
1 teaspoon (5 ml.) of Liquid Soap

Now for the science....

Forget what you have heard about tomato juice--it doesn't work. Skunk spray is mainly composed of low molecular weight thiol compounds. ("Thiols" are compounds with the "-SH radical" attached to a carbon atom.) In industrial applications, alkaline hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is used for scrubbing similar compounds from waste gas streams.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, when combined, become a "chemical engine" for churning out oxygen. That's why it has to be used immediately after mixing. The soap breaks up the oils in the skunk spray, allowing the other ingredients to do their work.

That SH is short for SHIT! I'VE BEEN SKUNKED!

I will let you know if it works. If it does, I will THROW THE DOG AT SKUNKS! Just so I can do it again and again! Whoo!

What? What do you mean responsible dog ownership!???!?!? IT'S FOR SCIENCE, MAN!!!