Washing skunk pelt?

What's the best thing to wash them with? This is the first one I have caught in several years and want to tan it. All other animals I wash in dawn dish soap and pert plus shampoo before tanning.

I washed mine in dawn dish soap and alittle backing soda.
It came out with smelling.

I haven't tried it but a guy that has gotten a bunch of skunks told me that he stakes his skunks in a fast-moving cold-water stream for 24 hours and they come out with no smell.

The question I had is the reason for washing.....to remove smell or as prep for tanning. I know nothing about tanning but can destink them pretty well.

The destink process:

1 qt. Hydrogen Peroxide - the brown bottle drug store variety
1/4 cup Baking Soda (approx amount - I do not measure it)
1 squirt of Dawn Dishwash Liquid

Combine ingredients immediately before use, stir to dissolve the baking soda and give the critter or the pelt a bath in the solution. If the skunk has sprayed, I wash it in this solution prior to skinning. The peroxide will react with the skunk juice and other organic matter and bubble up quite a bit. Swish the critter or the pelt around good so it all gets wet. It does not hurt to let it soak a while.

Rinse with cold water and discard the leftover solution. Do not try to save it. The peroxide continues to break down and will cause a sealed container to burst and it will break down to just soapy water over time anyway.

I keep all these ingredients in the truck anytime I have foothold traps set along with a plastic bucket to mix it in when needed.

You can bathe dogs with this solution as well but you need to keep it out of their eyes.

YES, it works!

Thanks guys.

The reason for washing is the smell and to get all the dirt and blood out of the pelt for tanning. Any blood will break the hairs in the tanning process. I will try the peroxide, baking soda and dish soap mixture.

I will keep the cold stream idea in mind. If I'm near a running stream next time I catch one I will try it out.

The solution worked great! Thank you for the very well written instructions Quietbutdeadly.