#feather cleaning

Some places are telling me I need to use moth balls (which I've never seen for sale in UK) and then rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide

Some places are saying to just chuck it in a bucket and freeze it

Some places say to was with dish soap, other places say under no circumstances to wash a feather with soap.

What do I do? I've never kept a feather I've found and I've grown up with being told not to touch them so I want to make sure I clean it properly, but I also don't want to damage it.

It’s a good idea to stick them in a bag and freeze them for a few days to kill off any mites or other critters that might be present. Best way to do this actually is to freeze them for a week or so, then take them out and set them in the sun for a couple of days, then stick them back in the freezer for a few more days so incase there are any mite eggs present you’ll kill those too. 

I also give them a bath in warm, soapy water and then dry them off. Big wing and tail feathers have to air dry but downy body feathers can be put in a pillow case, tied up, and tossed into a dryer set on low heat/delicates to dry and fluff them back up. 

I just washed a few hundred of my chickens’ molted feathers the other day as a matter of fact! A bath tub full, haha. Pardon the cruddy shot.