page_title: Conservation and restoration of feathers
section_title: Solvents
hierarchical_section_title: Conservation and restoration of feathers / Interventive Conservation / Cleaning / Solvents
caption_attribution_description: Warkworth Museum - Kiwi feather basket
context_page_description: The conservation and restoration of feathers is the practice of maintaining and preserving feathers or featherwork objects, and requires knowledge of feather anatomy, properties, specialized care procedures, and environmental influences. This practice may be approached through preventive and/or interventive techniques.
context_section_description: Certain gentle soaps solvents are typically used to clean feathers and are mainly used for feathers that have not been dyed or painted in order to prevent color bleeding. One such solvent, isopropyl alcohol, is usually diluted to make it less caustic to the specimen. Isopropyl alcohol is also a fast-drying solution that will not cause the feathers to remain wet for an extended period of time. Diluting ethanol with water is an effective method for cleaning natural feathers that are free from dye. Gentle soaps and solvents will often also be used on living specimens when approved by a vet or zoologist.
caption: Feather Basket from the Warkworth Museum
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