Hey there! I have been reading about washing feathers with woolite but all the instructions I’ve read are quite nonspecific. I was wondering - is there any particular recipe for how much woolite per how much water in order to clean the feathers but stay far short of damaging them?
Thanks!
Karli-Rae
I use Ivory dish soap.
You are not going to hurt the feathers with the Woolite. The damage would come from vigorous agitation. I wash feathers all the time in the sink. Small squirt of Ivory Liquid, gentle agitation for a bit, then gently agitate in fresh water and lay out on paper towels to air dry.
Nuke the feathers in the microwave for no more than 15 seconds at a shot 3 or 4 times once they are dry to kill bugs & eggs. Then store in plastic bags with a few moth flakes or a mothball in it.
if straight Woolite was used it’d not damage feathers but they’d be real hard to rinse. really takes very little to clean then rinse thoroughly. also consider a mild hair conditioner after washing.
I clean my feathers the way Kevin does, but I use whichever dish soap is sitting on the sink. Never saw a need for Woolite. Dishwashing liquid works just fine.
I do ‘preen’ the feathers to shape after rinsing, and then just let them dry.
Buddy
There are many ways to wash feathers.
Here is how we handle it:
Use water as hot as your hands can handle in the sink. Put in a couple squirts of Dawn dish soap.
Lightly agitate with your hands. Use a hand brush if you have a heavily soiled feather.
Lightly squeeze as much of the soapy water out.
Rinse in hot water (again as hot as your hands can comfortably handle) and add about a cup of apple or white vinegar. This cuts the soap out and will not damage your feathers.
Lay out on a paper towel or piece of cardboard. We like to pin them to cardboard and hang up to air dry. Do not place in direct sun light. Never place in a microwave. That will damage the stems. This method can be used on loose feathers or a full cape or saddle.
We do not like to use any conditioners. The possibility of altering the inner make up of the stem and or barbs is possible.
I have used this method for many years and it works for us.
My choice for keeping hackle bug free is to use “No Best Strips” as per the article by Al Campbell found here on FAOL. They both rid bugs and repel.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/alcampbell/ac020204.php
I use a capful of dish soap in a bucket of lukewarm water to clean capes that smelling a little funky. I then place layers of newspapers on the counter and then lay a clean (and dry) bath towel on the newspapers, and the the hackle, with a portable fan oscolating across the cape (frome a distance on low) I then replace the newspapers and towel with replacements when I turn the cape over to air dry the other side.
If the hackle seems a little dried out, I remoisterize them, with a little dab of “Oil of Olay” when dressing the hook with the hackle. I apply the “Oil of Olay” to my hands when dressing patterns to mask the scent of my hands (I also use “Oil of Olay” when fishing). Got that tip from an article "Smell Track written by Marv Taylor on FAOL in the “Features” secion of “Lakes and Streams”. Where Mrav talks about A chemical called L-serine.
Thank you for all of the detailed and helpful information! I really appreciate it!