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How to Preserve a Fur With Just Borax

Borax or hydrated sodium borate is an ore derived from the mineral boron and used commonly as a natural acid to clean and bleach various surfaces and items around the home. A lesser known use for borax is as a preservative after cleaning animal fur, skins and feathers. The borax dries up the liquids in the skins and seals the pores around the fur cuticles, keeping them firmly in place requiring almost no work on your part. The best part is that you can rely solely on the borax for preservation properties without having to buy a lot of products to get the job done.

Things You'll Need

Plastic container
Granulated borax
Brush
Vacuum with hose attachment

Instructions

- 1
  Find a plastic container that is big enough to hold the entire clean animal hide with fur. You should be able to spread the fur out on the bottom of the container without being folded or rolled up.
- 2
  Pour out enough borax into the plastic container just to cover the bottom. Lay out the fur on top of the layer of borax with the skin side facing down and the fur facing up.
- 3
  Sprinkle more borax on top of the fur and use your finger to work the granules into the fur. You want to ensure this layer of borax makes contact with the actual skin of the fur. Cover the entire skin in an additional 1/4 inch of borax to provide extra coverage and ensure even preservation.
- 4
  Set the container uncovered in a cool place without a lot of humidity to preserve the fur. The skins will take about three days to dry completely but you will need to check it everyday to monitor the progress.
- 5
  Push off the top layer of borax from a small area on the fur and grasp a few of the fur hairs. If the hairs come out easily from the skin, the hide is not dry yet. Keep checking until the fur stays firmly in place on the skin even when you pull it.
- 6
  Lift the fur out of the container and remove as much of the borax as possible with a brush. Use the hose attachment on a vacuum to remove the remaining granules and use the fur for your desired purpose.

Animals & Science