Summer is upon us and that means its VACATION time! Many of us go to the beach for vacation and with that comes collecting shells. Shell collecting is a favorite pastime for beachgoers. It’s a lot of fun finding those special treasures left on the sand, but if you want that fun to last longer than a few days, you need to know how to clean your seashells properly.
Early morning beach walkers scan the water’s edge looking for the perfect or imperfect shells to add to their collections. If you are like me, anytime is a great time to look for shells and I almost always want to keep all of them! Shells are great for crafting, and decorating and who doesn’t just love free crafting materials? It didn’t take me long to figure out that I needed to learn how to clean my seashells!
Inspect Shells Carefully for Living Sea Life
The first and most important thing to remember is that shells are houses for living sea life and it is imperative that we only keep empty houses. In almost all beach communities, it is illegal to keep live specimens. Please check carefully for live snails, crabs and other sea life in all shells. Look inside, rinse in the ocean, tap gently, and really inspect them. When you are satisfied that your treasure is void of all life, then put it in your bag for cleaning.
Knowing How to Clean Your Seashells Properly Will Improve Them
Knowing how to properly clean your seashells will get rid of that odor and will most probably improve the look of them.
There are 4 popular methods you can use to clean your seashells. The method you choose may depend on your circumstances, time and the type of shells.
1) Soaking In Bleach Method:
The first method I usually try is the Soaking In Bleach Method. The bleach helps get rid of the fishy ocean life smell. Make sure you do this bleach soak in a well-ventilated area or outdoors. Do not leave your shells in the bleach water for more than a few hours as the bleach will dull your shells. Bleach is caustic and can dissolve your shells when left for long periods of time. If shells are left in the bleach for too long, they will absorb the bleach and your shells will always have a bleachy smell. The soaking method is always my first choice.
supplies
- 2 tbsp bleach
- 1-gallon water
- plastic bucket
- tweezers
- toothbrush
- rubber gloves
method
- soak in bleach water for a couple of hours
- rinse with clean water
- use tweezers to remove any debris left inside the shell
- scrub remaining debris with a toothbrush
- spread out on newspapers or paper towels to dry
2)Boiling Method:
This method is very simple to do, but may not remove the ocean life smell completely, but it is less damaging to the surface of the shell than other methods.
Fill a large pot about a third of the way full with shells. Cover shells with room temp water and bring to a boil. It is important to add room temp water to shells because a sudden heat may crack shells.
supplies
- deep pot
- tongs
- rubber gloves
- tweezers
- dental pick
- toothbrush
method
- place shells in a deep pot
- cover with water
- boil several minutes
- remove shells from the water with tongs and gloves
- inspect shells for debris and dead animal tissue
- use tweezers to pull out icky stuff deep inside the shells.
3)Muriatic Acid Wash
This method must be carried out very carefully. Do not use this method near children or pets. All safety precautions should be used and safety apparel should be put on before starting this process.
Muriatic acid is corrosive and should be treated as a dangerous chemical. Muriatic acid will dull or even deteriorate your shells if left in the acid for more than a few seconds. Shells that have a naturally polished finish will be dulled using this method, and only shells with heavy calcium build up should be cleaned with this method.
I have used this method with great results and it is my favorite method because of the shells I like to collect.
Supplies
- safety goggles
- rubber gloves
- respiratory mask
- baking soda for neutralizing the muriatic acid
- 2 glass bowls
- glass measuring cup
- plastic bucket
- water
- muriatic acid
- tongs
- paper towels or newspapers
Safety precautions
- be aware that muriatic acid is corrosive and dangerous
- use safety precautions, goggles, mask, gloves
- use only in ventilated areas outdoors
- do NOT use with children present
- do not use near stainless steel it will discolor it
- spread newspapers over the working area
Method
- open large box of baking soda for emergency neutralizing
- fill one glass bowl with 3/4 water
- add 1/4 cup of muriatic acid to glass bowl of 3/4 cup water
- fill another glass bowl with water for rinsing
- with tongs, dip shell into water/acid solution for 3-5 seconds
- the solution will fizz as the acid dissolves calcium build up on the shell
- using tongs, remove the shell from acid solution and place into a bowl with water for rinsing
- place shells on newspaper or paper towels to dry
- after all, shells have been cleaned add water and baking soda to the plastic bucket.
- slowly add used muriatic acid to water/baking soda solution
- acid is neutralized when the fizzing stops and it can be flushed.
4)Burial Method:
Burying your shells is another method used to clean them. This method is used by people with lots of patience as it takes several months for the process. Shells must be left in the ground long enough for ants and other insects to “clean” any debris from inside shells.
I have not tried this method but have read where others did and it worked for them. These days, I do not have nearly enough patience for any shell cleaning method that takes months to complete. This girl has trouble soaking them for more than a few minutes!
- dig a hole at least 18 inches deep
- place shells in the hole and cover up with dirt
- leave shells buried for several months
- dig up shells
- rinse shells
After Cleaning Your Shells Polish Them
The cleaning methods used above can dull the shells but there are several ways to restore shine and color to your shells.
Polishing your shells with toothpaste will make dull shells shiny again. Do not use the gel type, instead use the old-fashioned white toothpaste. I have used the original Colgate. Spread a layer of toothpaste over the shells and allow to dry hard. You can leave toothpaste on shells for several hours or overnight. With a toothbrush and warm water, scrub shells. Rinse toothpaste from shells and enjoy their new shine.
Wiping down your shells with mineral oil will give them a nice shine. Allowed 24 hours to dry.
I have also used spray acrylic, both satin and gloss finishes, with great results.
Collecting seashells are perfect for decorating your beach themed spaces, and for crafting. Hopefully, some of these methods will help your treasure shine!
If you are interested in making some amazing seashell crafts from your sea treasures you can get some ideas here!
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