Cleaning of soot-soiled white feathers was assessed using the Nd:YAG laser (1064 and 532 nm, with or without added water; 355 nm, no added water) and various traditional (vacuum, solvent and detergent) methods. Physical damage occurred at 355 nm starting at 0.12 J/cm². Soiled areas were often yellower after cleaning at most laser parameters tested, but not using traditional methods. The best laser result was using 532 nm at 0.39 J/cm². XPS analysis found that the 164 eV binding energy for sulphur, corresponding to the disulphide bond, disappeared upon laser-cleaning soiled areas in dry conditions (no added water) at all wavelengths, suggesting chemical damage or masking by a residue.