Starfish can be the perfect souvenir after a beach vacation. The starfish is a marine animal with more than 2,000 species in oceans around the world. Because these sea stars were once living creatures, cleaning and preserving them for your own collection requires proper preparation. The starfish must be cleaned first to remove any living or dead matter attached to the body. Rubbing alcohol is a sterilizer that an be used to clean and preserve a starfish.
Pour rubbing alcohol into a bowl.
Place the starfish in the bowl of rubbing alcohol for 48 hours. The starfish should be completely submerged in the alcohol.
Weigh down each arm of the starfish by placing a cup or other object on top of the fish to prevent the arms from curling up.
Remove the starfish after 48 hours and allow it to dry in direct sunlight. The alcohol odor dissipates over time.