# Cleaning bone. Er, human bone. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662 "2016-12-14T03:45:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/1 "2016-12-14T03:45:04Z")
This may not be a great question for the squeamish. You have been warned. My wife recently had a hip replacement. The surgeon asked if she’d like to keep the femoral head as a souvenir, and she said yes. It was dutifully handed over after the surgery (in a plastic cup inside multiple layers of plastic bags with “biohazard” markings). Afterward…I jokingly remarked that she should give it to a bone carver so she could get some kind of jewelry made - a ring, perhaps, or earrings, or whatever. Well, I thought it was a joke, but she’s actually quite keen on the idea. So, trying to look at this practically…how do I go about cleaning and drying the bone, first? It’s still fairly, er, damp. And has little bits of flesh attached, actually. I’ve rinsed it off under the tap, but now… Should I just put it out in the sun to dry? I’m a bit concerned about flies. But I’m not sure what else to do! The whole issue of finding a bone carver who’s prepared to handle human bone is another issue entirely, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/2 "2016-12-14T03:55:22Z")
Well, cleaning vertebrate bones for preservation is definitely not for the squeamish. Probably the two most standard method used by biologists are maceration and cleaning by dermestid beetles. I have used both, and both are pretty yucky. In [maceration,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maceration_(bone)) you use bacteria to do the work. Basically it’s controlled putrefaction. Museums tend to use cleaning by [dermestid beetles,](http://deepwater.org/bioteacher/11-Ecology/dermestids/colony-maintenance.htm) but this depends on having some of the little suckers available. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/3 "2016-12-14T04:19:09Z")
Either of those is going a fair way beyond my resources, alas. Or, at least, beyond the amount of trouble I’m prepared to put into this…! The Wiki article on maceration is a bit of an eye-opener, I must admit. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/4 "2016-12-14T04:30:16Z")
> [@MacSpon](#): > > Either of those is going a fair way beyond my resources, alas. Or, at least, beyond the amount of trouble I’m prepared to put into this…! Putting it in a plastic container with water is beyond your resources?:dubious: You can use hydrogen peroxide, easily purchased at any drugstore, too. From [here](http://www.jakes-bones.com/p/how-to-clean-animal-bones.html) > [@](#): > > Rinse the bones or skull with water to get out any dirt or bugs. Then put the bones or skull in a clear plastic box, then pour over the peroxide, and top it up with water. Cover the top so the peroxide can’t get out. Make sure all the bones are underneath with no air bubbles. Then leave for a few days, sometimes a week. … > > When you take out the bones, rinse them well in a bucket of cold water otherwise you will get white powder residue on the bones. … > > Peroxide will not dissolve soft tissue or flesh but it can soften the tissue to make it easier to remove. It also sterilises the bone. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/5 "2016-12-14T04:34:49Z")
> [@MacSpon](#): > > So, trying to look at this practically…how do I go about cleaning and drying the bone, first? It’s still fairly, er, damp. And has little bits of flesh attached, actually. I’ve rinsed it off under the tap, but now… Should I just put it out in the sun to dry? I’m a bit concerned about flies. But I’m not sure what else to do! If you just dry it, and leave the flesh attached, the flesh can still rot in the future if it gets wet again. So it’s better to get rid of the flesh by letting it rot now. Actually, letting flies lay eggs on it would be a good way to clean it, since the maggots would clean off any remaining flesh. ---
**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/6 "2016-12-14T04:50:38Z")
Many taxidermists around here (Montana USA) advertise that they use the beetles. Find a taxidermist who does English mounts this way and is willing to take on a human bone. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/7 "2016-12-14T04:56:26Z")
One of my more memorable experiences in my undergraduate days was volunteering to help macerate monkey skeletons in the Anthropology Department. It involved picking bones out of fetid pots of putrescent liquid using rubber gloves. 🙂 As a reward we got to attend a holiday party at the faculty members house, which was the first time I had cheese fondue. The texture was sort of like the stuff in the maceration pots. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/8 "2016-12-14T05:42:32Z")
I’ve known fishermen who threw shark jaws into fire ant piles. I think that they dug into the pile a bit and put something over the pile to keep predators from carrying the jaws away. I’m sure that the ants did a more coarse job than dermestid beetles, but the price was right. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/9 "2016-12-14T06:13:59Z")
I’ve had decent luck cleaning skulls by simply burying 'em for a while. They’re still yucky after a month, but they’re clean enough that soaking in water & bleach is all that is needed. (Did I mention these aren’t human skulls? Cattle, horse, dog, coyote, skunk.) (Gosh, that looks like I’m calling someone a bunch of rude names!) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/10 "2016-12-14T08:35:21Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > One of my more memorable experiences in my undergraduate days was volunteering to help macerate monkey skeletons in the Anthropology Department. It involved picking bones out of fetid pots of putrescent liquid using rubber gloves. 🙂 > > As a reward we got to attend a holiday party at the faculty members house, which was the first time I had cheese fondue. The texture was sort of like the stuff in the maceration pots. :eek: Yeah, the ‘cheese fondue’… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/11 "2016-12-14T12:09:31Z")
> [@MacSpon](#): > > …some kind of jewelry made - a ring, perhaps, or earrings, or whatever… Walking cane top, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/12 "2016-12-14T13:56:32Z")
Should you decide not to keep it, you could always donate it to your local Search and Rescue group as a training aid for cadaver dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/13 "2016-12-14T14:19:27Z")
> [@MacSpon](#): > > This may not be a great question for the squeamish. You have been warned. > > My wife recently had a hip replacement. The surgeon asked if she’d like to keep the femoral head as a souvenir, and she said yes. It was dutifully handed over after the surgery (in a plastic cup inside multiple layers of plastic bags with “biohazard” markings). This is interesting. Years ago when I had my wisdom teeth removed, I wanted to keep them as souvenirs, but my request was denied; they had a specific disposal policy for excised body tissues, and it didn’t make allowances for little, seemingly innocuous things like teeth. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/14 "2016-12-14T14:25:17Z")
Simmer it in a crock pot to remove the meat. Wash it in soapy water with a toothbrush to remove the grease. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/15 "2016-12-14T14:43:56Z")
I imagine a femoral head is not too far off from a skull. > **[How to Clean a Skull](https://web.archive.org/web/20091225172451/http://www.wildlifenews.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlife_news.view_article&articles_id=27&issue_id=11)** > > Alaska Wildlife News is an online magazine published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/16 "2016-12-14T17:25:00Z")
I once found a dead box turtle. I put the remains in a flower bed, covered it with mulch, and (literally) forgot about it. When I rediscovered the turtle everything was picked clean. I used the carapace as an ashtray. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/17 "2016-12-14T19:36:55Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > This is interesting. Years ago when I had my wisdom teeth removed, I wanted to keep them as souvenirs, but my request was denied; they had a specific disposal policy for excised body tissues, and it didn’t make allowances for little, seemingly innocuous things like teeth. ☹ Huh, the oral surgeon let me keep mine - I had them out about 27 years ago. They just handed me a small envelope with 4 gauze wrapped teeth in it right after the procedure. I’ve still got them. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/18 "2016-12-14T20:18:39Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > I’ve known fishermen who threw shark jaws into fire ant piles. I think that they dug into the pile a bit and put something over the pile to keep predators from carrying the jaws away. I’m sure that the ants did a more coarse job than dermestid beetles, but the price was right. Yeah, the right kind of ants will clean flesh from bones pretty thoroughly. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/19 "2016-12-15T05:10:12Z")
Put it in a pot of water and boil for a couple hours or so. Any flesh that hasn’t fallen off by then can be easily scraped off. Then let the bone dry off. As a bonus, the water remaining in the pot can be used as the basis for some good soup. Long pig & lentils, or femur with fettuccine noodles, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662/20 "2016-12-15T15:23:35Z")
Boiling will soften tissue on the outside of the head so it can be scraped off, but you won’t be able to scrape enough of it off to keep it from smelling later on. Besides, there are lots of holes in a femoral head (particularly in the case of a female old enough to require a hip replacement) and you won’t be able to scrape the tissue out from the inside. > [@bump](#): > > I imagine a femoral head is not too far off from a skull. > > [https://web.archive.org/web/20091225172451/http://www.wildlifenews.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlife\_news.view\_article&articles\_id=27&issue\_id=11](https://web.archive.org/web/20091225172451/http://www.wildlifenews.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlife_news.view_article&articles_id=27&issue_id=11) It’s actually quite different. The femoral head has a lot of heavily anchored connective tissue, not all of which will have been removed during an arthroplasty. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-bone-er-human-bone/774662.md?page=2)