How to Bleach Deer Skulls

How to Bleach Deer Skulls
Written By
Faith Chandler
Faith Chandler
Published: Aug 6, 2011
Updated: Jan 10, 2019
2 minute read

When you get back from hunting, show off your prize multipoint buck by hanging the cleaned skull and antlers. Give the skull a bleaching to brighten it before it goes on display. Since true bleach dissolves and weakens the bones, use a concentrated solution of hydrogen peroxide.

Prep your work area. Pour out about 1/2 cup of 40 percent hydrogen peroxide. Put on your rubber gloves. Set the deer skull into the plastic tub.

Apply the hydrogen peroxide to the deer skull. Start by filling the turkey baster with hydrogen peroxide. Squeeze small amounts of it onto the skull and inside the skull. Excess hydrogen peroxide will drain into the bottom of the tub. Make sure to cover all surfaces, except the antlers and the teeth. Use the paintbrush to apply hydrogen peroxide to crevices and more difficult-to-reach spots.

Cover the head in hydrogen peroxide-coated paper towels. Soak up some of the excess hydrogen peroxide from the bottom of the tub to reduce waste. Completely cover all parts of the skull you want bleached with the paper towels. This helps keep the skull from drying out and provides a surface for the dish soap.

Mix up the dish soap solution. Hydrogen peroxide works better in an alkaline environment, which the soap creates. Pour about 1/8 cup of dish soap out. Add about the same amount of the hydrogen peroxide to the dish soap. Add little water to dilute. Stir well.

Paint the dish soap solution onto the paper towels. Make sure that all of the paper towels are coated.

Allow the deer skull to sit overnight while the bleaching process works.

Advertisement

Remove the paper towels. Rinse off the skull with plenty of clean water. When you dry the skull, it is ready to display.

Things You'll Need:

Things You Will Need

  • Plastic tub
  • Hydrogen peroxide, 40 percent solution
  • Paint brush, small
  • Turkey baster
  • Paper towels
  • Dish soap
  • Disposable cups
  • Rubber gloves
  • Warnings:

    • Always wear gloves when working with a highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide. It will burn the skin and eyes. Wash hands thoroughly after applying the hydrogen peroxide.

    Tips

    You can use less concentrated hydrogen peroxide -- even a 3- to 4-percent solution peroxide bottle will work. Just leave it on longer and make repeated applications until the skull is the desired color.

    Warnings

    Always wear gloves when working with a highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide. It will burn the skin and eyes.

    Wash hands thoroughly after applying the hydrogen peroxide.

    Faith Chandler

    Faith Chandler learned to sew at her mother's knee from an early age. After she started writing professionally in 2005, Chandler used her skill to write about the arts, crafting and sewing. She also worked for Realestateinvestor.com for a…

    Sponsored
    Our Pastimes Logo

    A destination for the avid collector and weekend hobbyist alike, Our Pastimes features articles and tips about your favorite cards and games, hobbies and more.

    Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

    Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.