09/09/2026
"I will just clean the skull myself."
You sure can, but lets talk about what's involved, and why you should send it to a bone cleaner, like me 😉
1. Storage.
Depending on the time of year. You may not have freezer storage for a skull, and may need to leave it outside where it will attract bugs and maybe even dogs and bears! Your wife may complain of the smell too...
Here at Feather & Field, your skull will be immediately dealt with and put in a proper container for cleaning or frozen for a short period of time to kill any bugs - this is so the bugs dont kill my beetle colony.
2. Set up and Time.
There's many ways to clean a skull - have you thought about how you will clean it? Boiling and pressure washing can take hours, and due to that and many skulls are half boiled (and meat still left on) or over boiled and fall apart. Boiling = babysitting.
Here at Feather & Field, I don't boil! Each skull is cleaned via Maceration OR Beetles - The 2 best ways to clean skulls without damaging bone! This leaves the turbinates in place - those cool nasal structures! Skulls are kept in a safe and temperature controlled space. Beetles have their own set up, and so does the maceration station. I have the set up and dedicate many hours to each skull. Heaters, chemicals, mesh bags, containers, and more. I properly dispose of the nasty smelling maceration goop as well. It's literally a biohazard.
3. Degreasing. Do you have the patience to tend to a skull every week for several weeks?
Just because your animal didnt have 3" of fat on its hind end, does not mean that their bones are not greasy. Every skull and every species requires proper degreasing. Degreasing can take weeks or even months. Example bears take approx 6 months to fully degrease.
Here at Feather & Field, I fully degrease every skull that comes into my shop. I use a phenomenal bone degreaser from a Canadian company. I change the soapy (and stinky) water weekly and throughly inspect each skull, some may even go through a drying period to check for grease before whitening. And IF by chance your skull yellows, it can always come back for a 2nd round of degreasing, for free.
4. The final touches. Do you have proper glue? Do you have a safe space to store it while it dries? Does it have antlers that need restaining, or horns that need finishing? And Do you have a place to whiten it? These are all the things you have to think about. It's a little overwhelming isn't it?
Here at Feather & Field. Everything is stored away from dogs, and wildlife. I carefully glue in the teeth and glue the jaws together, and secure the jaw while it dries. And when I whiten the skull, I carefully take a paint brush dipped in my whitening solution and spread it all over the skull, making sure no spot is missed. Horns and antlers are also gently taken care of.
5. And later down the road, what if you had boiled it, and it still has flesh inside thee nasal cavity, and starts to smell inside your home?
Well that wont happen with Feather & Field, as my processes leave no meat or fat. So it wont smell. Simple as that. And each skull is gently covered in a UV protection spray to prevent sun damage.
What you pay for - Electricity, the chemicals, the equipment, proper disposal, my supplies, the care i put into each skull, my time, and my experience ✨️
What you get - A nice clean white skull that lasts a lifetime! ✨️
Everyone deserves to have nice skulls!
DM today for pricing ✨️
🥰 I was inspired to make this post based off a taxidermist/bone cleaner in Ontario that I follow on Instagram. She made an extremely smart, witty, and educational post. I love being transparent with folk and love sharing my bone cleaning passion! I hope you enjoy this post, and may consider me for any future skull cleaning you may need.
