Keeping Skunks Out From Under Your Deck

Confirm and clear first

A persistent musky odor, a dug entry hole at the deck or porch skirt, and nighttime activity point to a skunk den. Before sealing anything, confirm whether a skunk is currently using it — and in spring, whether there are young, since sealing a den with kits inside creates a worse problem.

Removal is done carefully to avoid triggering spray, and only once the space is confirmed empty should it be closed off.

Install a dig-proof barrier

Skunks dig, so a surface barrier is not enough. The effective fix is hardware cloth or metal skirting that extends below grade and bends outward in an L-shape, so a skunk that tries to dig back in hits the buried lip and gives up. This is the step that actually keeps the space closed after the animal is out.

• Use galvanized hardware cloth, not plastic mesh.
• Bury the bottom edge and flare it outward underground.
• Close the whole perimeter — skunks find the one gap you leave.

Remove the food draw

Skunks often dig under decks and porches partly to reach grubs in the lawn. Reducing the grub population and cleaning up yard food sources — fallen fruit, pet food, open compost, accessible trash — makes the property far less attractive to the next skunk passing through. Pairing removal and barrier work with grub control is what keeps them from coming back.

What about the smell?

Lingering odor often comes from the den itself, so removing the animal and den material is the first step. Specialized enzymatic cleaners neutralize skunk odor far better than home remedies like tomato juice. If a pet is sprayed, those same enzymatic products are the effective treatment.