Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum. We have a Native American craft and jewelry biz and we just received a shipment of coyote & mink heads and a big batch of turkey feathers (immitation eagle) today. It was packed in moth balls. I have never seen so many moth balls. The smell is is so strong. I have a headache and stort of sick to my stomach. They have aired out all day (9hrs) and you can't touch anything, not even the packaging, without the smell lingering on your hands. Is this the proper way to shipp pelts? Is there a better option? What can I do to get the smell out before I have to call poison control? Thanks in advance. Any help on this topic will be of great help. we are just starting out. I also have a large amount of rabbit pelts, various leather (cow, deer, elk, buffalo) and other feathers as well as objects made from them. How would I store them to prevent insects? I know insects can be a concern, but I have received many rabbit pelts and feathers that were not packed or stored in mothballs. I was just told not to store fur items in plastic bags or boxes.
Thanks again.
Lucy
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killed goat smell in about 30 seconds = amazing stuff!
On a warm sunny day, set them outside and the ammonia smell will dissipate very quickly, maybe even in a single day. As for storage of hides, remember how the fancy furriers do it? The store them in a freezer vault. That's about the only sure way, avoiding chemicals, that you can insure your hides don't become infested. I'm not sure why you were told plastic or boxes couldn't be use if these are tanned hides, but I'd still go with the proven method of freezing them.
That is a good idea, it keeps the leather from drying out, and also keeps the little critters from finding it, like demestid beetles.
As far as removing the smell of Moth balls, it will go away on it's own. YOu take the items out of the box with them in it, discard the box, or keep it to use with stuff you would liek to keep insects out of, and let them sit in fresh air.