Skull Preparation for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide 💀

One of my favourite parts of my natural history and creative practice is preparing and cleaning animal skulls. It’s a careful, meditative process that combines patience, respect, and curiosity. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to refine your method, I wanted to share my personal process for cleaning bones — from discovery to display.

🪶 Step 1: Ethical Sourcing and Preparation

Every specimen I work with is ethically sourced — either found naturally while out walking or gifted by friends who know about my interest in natural history. I never harm or collect living creatures, and always ensure I’m following local wildlife and collection laws. Once a specimen is found, I take photos of its discovery for reference and note its location and condition. This record-keeping helps me stay organised and is great practice for future museum or archive work.

🫧 Step 2: Initial Cleaning

I begin by gently removing any debris or soil using a soft brush or wooden stick. For smaller or delicate skulls, I sometimes use a toothbrush to loosen dirt. I never use metal tools, as they can easily damage bone surfaces. If there’s tissue remaining, I let nature help — leaving the specimen outdoors in a safe, enclosed area (such as a mesh box) for a few weeks to allow natural decomposition by insects.

🌿 Step 3: Degreasing

Once the bones are clean and dry, I soak them in warm water mixed with a small amount of non-scented soap. This helps remove oils and stains. I check the progress every few days, replacing the water if it becomes cloudy. Patience is key here — rushing can lead to cracking or discolouration.

☀️ Step 4: Whitening and Final Clean

After degreasing, I use a gentle solution of rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide (not bleach!) to whiten the skulls. This lifts any remaining residue and brightens the bone naturally. I leave them to soak for a day or two and sometimes repeat this process. Depending on the specimen’s size and condition, before rinsing, they thoroughly rinsed and let them dry in the sunlight.

🦴 Step 5: Display and Preservation

When completely dry, I inspect the skulls for any loose teeth or fragments and carefully reattach them using a small amount of clear, archival-safe glue. Then comes the fun part — display! I like arranging cleaned skulls alongside natural materials like dried flowers, feathers, moss, or stones, to highlight their form and texture.

Skull preparation takes time, care, and consistency, but it’s an incredibly rewarding process. Every piece tells a story — not just of the animal’s life, but of the landscape it came from and the hands that preserved it.

🧰 Materials and Equipment You’ll Need

• 💀 Animal skull

• 🧼 Hot water and soap solutions for degreasing

• 🪥 Toothbrush and plastic reptile feeding tweezers

• 🍶 70% alcohol-water solution for whitening or hydrogen peroxide – I was too young to buy it when I first started cleaning specimens, and I’ve not needed to replace the bottle yet!

• 🫙 Soaking containers and cleaning tools

• 🧤 Rubber gloves and safety equipment – I recommend wearing a face mask for particularly grubby skulls that need deeper cleaning or harsher treatments.

⚠️ Safety and Care

Always handle animal remains with respect, and work in a well-ventilated area. Wear gloves when using cleaning products, and never mix chemicals. Dispose of waste responsibly I use an outdoor drain or the toilet, then bleach where it's been disposed of. If you’re under 18, always ask for guidance before using any strong cleaning agents.

Clean Crow Skull with no jaw

Clean Ewe Sheep Skull

Clean Crow Skull with jaw

💀 Check out my other skull cleaning blog posts: 1^st Crow Skull – Ewe Sheep Skull – 2^nd Crow Skull 💀

🗂️ Linking Practice to Collections Care

My bone cleaning practice has shaped how I approach museum collections care today. The same patience, attention to detail, and respect for materials that go into preparing a skull apply directly to my work with natural history collections at the Yorkshire Natural History Museum. Each step — from cleaning and cataloguing to safe handling and display — builds an understanding of how care and interpretation work together to preserve stories from the past.

💀 See more on my Instagram: @BonesByShannon 🪲

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✨ Learn more about my work and aspirations here: My Portfolio