No. This method doesn’t exist. NEVER USE CHLORINE BLEACH ON BONES. “Why not?”, you might ask, well here’s why:
Chlorine Bleach eats bone. It is not stoppable, and is not reversible. Once a skull has been soaked in bleach, it will continue to deteriorate until it crumbles/flakes away. This may happen in as soon as a few days, or it may take decades. Most amateur processors will bleach bones at least once, as whitening is often wrongly called “bleaching”. I myself bleached my first skull, but it was highly highly diluted (cap full to around 2 gallons of water), and it was only in there for a few hours before I researched and found out that that was NOT the correct way to whiten bones. Still, eventually my skull will likely start showing signs or deterioration.
How to tell if a skull has been bleached:
Tiny white pieces of bone will begin flaking off when you handle the skull
It’ll be very fragile. Any thin section is much more likely to break and crumble than on a properly processed skull
It’ll be very porous. This is from the top layer of bone being eaten away, exposing the more porous layer underneath.
How to Prevent Bleach Damage:
Don’t use chlorine bleach on bones. Very simple.
Very helpful article! I was just wondering if in place of using hydrogen peroxide or the creme method- could you potentially sun-bleach the bones?
What are some chemicals/household liquids or cleaning agents u wouldn’t recommend using to clean or bleach a skull? Would salt or sugar hurt or damage it?
Chlorine bleach or anything containing chlorine bleach is a big no. Vinegar will turn bones to rubber. Salt will not harm bones, and neither should sugar
Thank you ! Appreciate the time you took to learn and then Share your techniques.
With your techniques Note I have not read them all, but what I wanted to know is once your done. How to you go about disposing of the Peroxide, Cleaning and Degreasing Solutions when your done ?
Once again Thank you !
Cj
Not the Author, but I dump maceration & degreasing liquids outside, since decomposed meat & Dawn are biodegradable.
For whitening liquids, these can all go down a drain, as they are all common cleaning liquids.
If using a very high, borderline illegal concentrated formulas, you will need to dilute them and possibly find another place to dispose of them. Do not pour down any drains or sewers, because they will hurt the environment and kill the cleaning bacteria in septic tanks.
I am extremely allergic to hair developer. What is another option for whitening bones?
Absolutely love your articles! I’ve learned a lot by reading them. Great information!
Thanks for the tips and techniques. Does it matter the material of the container that holds the peroxide and bones?
Peroxide is an oxidizer, so it’s probably best if you don’t have it in a metal container, as it can and will rust many metals. Any plastic or glass will be fine. Hope this helps!
-Dalton from OddArticulations, LLC
Someone has suggested using a poly spray finish on the skull I’m working on. What are your thought about that? I appreciate your articles. Very helpful.
Its a personal preference. If you want the bone shiny and looking like plastic, go for it! A better option if they’re looking to protect it is a polymer called Paraloid-B72. Dissolve it in acetone and dip the skull. You can thin it out and do multiple dips to get the look you’re going for. Hope this helps!
-Dalton from OddArticulations, LLC
Many thanks! I was hesitant for that reason. Plastic is NOT the look I want. It’s a beautiful skull with really pretty horns that my dogs drug up to my yard!
Do you cover the container with a lid while the bones are soaking in peroxide? Anything in particular you should or shouldn’t do in order to save peroxide for future use?
You can cover it, but try not to keep it air tight. As the peroxide works it’ll throw off that extra oxygen and convert to water. To make it last as long as possible keep it in a cool dark place and keep it clean and away from any pieces of metal.
Scrubbing soil stained skulls with a brillo pad during the hot water rinsing after hydrogen peroxide bath, does a great job of removing the dirt stains. I tried it this morning on a hog skull that was tainted with Alabama red clay.
Thanks for the helpful articles!