How To Restore Color To Your Seashells Tutorial
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Example of a Kings Crown dipped in muriatic solution and a Kings Crown not dipped.
I am so excited to show you how to bring that rich color back to your seashells that have dulled from a white calcium film. I thought I had ruined these KINGS CROWN shells for good after soaking them too long in a bleach solution (1/8 bleach to 7/8 water) to try to clean them up last year. I am so tickled I can save them since I learned a new trick on Monday. I stopped by to see my friend Mary at the Sanibel Community House during a session of the Sanibel Shell Crafters who meet every Monday from 10am to 3pm. She was kind enough to give us tips on using muriatic acid solution to take that white scum off our shells. She did, however, warn us that it doesn’t work on all shells….. don’t use it on OLIVE shells or other shells that already have a shine to them. It will do the opposite…. dull them. So I took her advice, bought some muriatic acid then headed home to mix my brew to make my shells just as luscious in color as when they come fresh out of the water. It works wonders! You won’t believe the changes I’ll show you in the video. Since using Mary’s tips on a few of my own shells, I want to go through every box, bag, jar, bowl and dish of shells I have and dip those crusty old white ones in my brew. I can’t believe I never knew this before but please be aware of the dangers that can be associated with using this or having any type of acid in your house…. it can be DANGEROUS! So read all instructions, wear protective eye glasses, gloves and please dispose of properly.
PS- If you are a serious shell collector, muriatic acid is not the solution you should use on your shells as it is said to damage the shell. If you are a shell crafter, casual beachcomber or someone who just wants to have your beautiful shell displayed in your home that isn’t quite up to snuff …. use your own judgement.
IMPORTANT: Please see all comments by clicking the title of this post.
Beautiful! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing.
~ Maria
WOW Pam! Fantastic video and great information! Thanks so much!
Baby oil, and a toothbrush works for me.
How awesome is that? WOW! Where does one buy muriatic acid? Can’t wait to try it. Thanks, Pam!
Awesome, I learned something new today! And I can’t wait to give it a try on some of my oldies but goodies! Thanks Mary, Thanks Pam!!
Oops! Thanks Christine- I forgot to add where to get muriatic acid in my post….. hardware stores carry it. Mine came in a gallon plastic jug from Home Depot.
Hunter, that’s what I used to do too…. baby oil or even a bit of olive oil but it can spoil over time and the dust clings to the oil so they don’t dust easily. Yep, I have lots of dust… breezy days with the windows open…. and my furry kitties. One of my pretty kitties is even named “Dustie” but Clark calls her “Dust Ball”.
mineral oil works much better than any other oil and doesn’t get smelly after a while like the others do
Traduction (français > anglais)
I use this product long ago. Fan shell Sanibel shared their recipe. I buy at the store muriaticacide the maintenance pool, located next to the campground Periwinkle Park. I just want to stress the importance of the identified solution on the jar with a sticky, you never know who will get close and keep children. As for me, I put in a plastic pot of coffee foldger, muriaticacide identified with a closed canopy and attached.
Pam, I watched your “shell cleaning” video and cringed. Muriatic acid is an ACID. As such, it “cleans” the calcium carbonate shell by actually dissolving/removing the shell surface. The bubbles coming up from the shell in the muriatic acid show that the shell surface is being dissolved. Although this removal of the shell surface may seem to bring out the underlying color, it is actually partially destroying the shell and its surface micro architecture. Bleach, dental picks and mineral oil can usually restore the surface color of the shell without actually hurting the shell.
These comments are not intended to be a criticism, but I do want you and your many readers to know that the use of muriatic acid or any other acid to clean seashells is controversial, at best. If the seashells are to be used only for shell craft, then maybe the use of the “acid wash” is not too bad, but it is also unnecessary, since the shells can be cleaned without hurting their surface. If you ask at the BMSM about the use of acid to clean shells, I’m sure that you will hear even more negative comments. Using acid to clean shells is considered “going over to the dark side” by most serious shell collectors. ;~)
Thanks as always MK for letting us know this fantastic information and what it can do to a shell. I have written an update to the post and given a “disclaimer”. I rewrote it a few times and then got a little tickled because I felt like one of those drug commercials that tells you how great the drug is then right at the end gives a disclaimer of how the drug can cause all sorts of terrible things to happen to you.
Just as I’m a seashell common name kind of girl, I love to see my shells in their “prettiest” state (call me shallow- heehee) and I’m a shell crafter at heart. I will never use muriatic acid on a shell like the ROSE MUREX again thanks to you MK, but for me and those drab APPLE MUREXES and totally white KINGS CROWNS, bring on the muriatic acid…… don’t hate me.
thank you!!! I use muriatic to etch pool plaster and would never think of using on my shells.Hope noone tries to acid bath their gem cypraea leucodon…lol..or sinistral Junonia!
This has been bothering me all week and I finally came back to put in my two cents only to find that MK already did. I would like to add that if you do choose to use this as a way to bring out the color in shells, you should be wearing protective eyewear, acid-resistant gloves and clothing to cover all exposed skin.
Let’s not forget to mention the health hazards: It can burn your eyes or skin. It can irritate your respiratory tract and it needs to be disposed of at a hazardous waste facility — not down a drain, in the trash or down a storm drain. This stuff is very bad for the environment.
Okay, I’m climbing off my soapbox and back into my shell. Thanks for listening.
You gave the ratio for the muriatic acid solution, but what’s the ratio for the bleach solution?
I use a little stronger solution of 1/4 bleach to 3/4 water for my worm shells…since they are white shells already. For most other shells, I use about 1/8 bleach to 7/8 water. I probably put my kings crowns in my worm shell solution so that’s why I thought I ruined them.
OMG!!! Thank you so much for this tip. I have to try it as many of my shells are dull now. I will post about and link back to you! Thanks much!
I have to agree with you Pam! I now have renewed hope for my King’s crowns….we got several a few years ago out on a sandbar….unknowingly I soaked them in the bleach and they lost their color…I was hear sick….I’m going to try this! Sorry MK….just on a few….don’t hate me too!! ; )
Pam Thanks so much (AGAIN) for keeping us informed!!
….That’s supposed to be HEART sick….(oops)
Very interesting! I would be afraid to dump that acid down my sink, with my old pipes. You got guts, girl, putting that nice big tulip in first! Nowadays, when I use bleach, it’s very diluted (just a splash of bleach) compared to what other people use. The exception is when a shell is crusty with barnacles– then I increase the bleach concentration.
I use plain ol’ mineral oil on my shells, as Ken mentioned, and I use a toothbrush to apply it to the textured shells. I let the oiled shells dry before putting them in a container. Mineral oil is easily found in a drugstore, and cheap. I wouldn’t use any type of cooking oil because they go rancid over time. I have heard that the scent in baby oil can also go bad over time, but I have not tested that.
About that DUST: When I first started shelling, I made the mistake of putting my shells in glass bowls that had no lids. Dust everywhere. So I have a little trick for glass bowls. Wet the rim of the bowl by running a wet finger around it. Then stretch a sheet of clear plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap) over the opening, so that it is taught and smooth, and seal the edges over the rim. Then trim around the edges so there is just a bit of plastic wrap overhang . It’s not the most attractive thing in the world, but it’s fairly inconspicuous and most importantly, it keeps the dust out!
Cheri, do whatever you want with your shells. I just want people to know the pros and cons of using the “acid wash.” BTW, a 50% solution of lighter fluid and mineral oil applied with a small paint brush to your King’s crowns will also bring back the color and not hurt the shells. I get my shells looking as nice as the ones that Pam shows, but do not use the “destructive” acid. For a picture of some of our King’s crowns (Crown conchs), click on the highlighted MurexKen name, which will get you to our condo website, then click on Sanibel Shells on the left column, then click on Crown Conchs. Many of these shells looked like Pam’s “before” shells, prior to the bleaching and mineral oil treatment. You might consider trying this less expensive method, prior to using the more expensive, destructive acid.
Pam, thanks for your always gracious response. We can discuss this topic further whenever we next get together. Please do not do anything rash with your shells, until then. MK
I clicked on the MurexKen name and have spent the last hour browsing through the most fascinating information concerning the history of shelling on Sanibel, the Calusa people and so, so much more! Thank you,MurexKen, for giving us this “window” into dozens of shell related topics. I will be clicking on your name over and over again for the pure enjoyment of learning all I can about this wonderful world of shelling!
Thank you,MurexKen! I have spent the last hour lost in the history of shelling and so much more! Fascinating!!!!
I encourage everyone to try drastically reducing the amount of bleach used in routine cleaning baths, as well as the soak time. Bleach is powerful, and you really don’t need much for most shells.
I am learning much by reading everyone’s posts here. So – I hate to admit this for fear of serious backlash… but here goes. I soaked my shells in a 50/50 solutions of bleach and water overnight because the smell was so bad. I thought it worked, until the next day, the stink was still very prominently there! So, I did it again. Only this time, I left them like that for like 3 days. Thought it worked again until the stink was STILL there! So, at this point, we were home from our fabulous Sanibel vacation. I was not appreciating the smell that was permeating my bathroom where I had my shells. So, in my desperation, I poured straight bleach on them! Then I added like a cup of water. We’re talking like a 95/5 solution. Okay, okay, I know there are cringes, I accept I probably made a big mistake! Problem… they still stink! So I’m being brave by admitting to all of this so that someone can tell me, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!!
Like Bird told me “you got guts, girl!” LOL No I’m not cringing because we try to problem solve and we try different things and learn by the school of hard knocks.
Okay back to the problem…. there is still something in there. Kim had a great idea the other day. She told us in post http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/2011/01/30/beach-treasures-and-willet-birds/ that you should put it in the garden with an upside down flower pot over top of it and let the ants have at it. Problem now is they will probably be scared off from the bleach smell…woops! 
. So try this… just hold the opening of the shell (aperture) under your fast running faucet and shake it around pretty hard then dump the water out. Do this quite a few times until you see something dislodge and come out.
The garden works! I had a mysteriously stinky lace murex. Bleach didn’t work, so I tried boiling it, but that didn’t work either. There was probably some rotten bit of snail meat stuck way up in the shell. So I put it in one of my flower beds and let it sit there all summer. (It was just laying on top of the dirt.) The bugs took care of it. No more stink!
After collecting some shells that smelled bad, i soaked them in rubbing alchoal overnite and it seemed to do the trick by removing the stench and not damaging the shells. I tried this on figs and whelks and it worked great.
Hi Pam, Thanks for the tip. I might try it sometime on some of my “surf tired” shells. How does one safely dispose of used muriatic acid? I have successfully returned color to my shells by using clear acrylic spray (matte finish) . New varieties will not turn yellow after awhile . This does a great job on scallop shells. I’ve finished two shell mirrors and a small valentine since I returned home mid January. I’ll send a photo soon. Sue Bunkin
Double WOW!!!! They came out so beautiful. I can’t get over it. Thanks for the tip,off to the hardware store tomorrow
I have to admit,your website is the site to go to for anything related to shelling.
kelli, my experience with the ‘stink’ was not good either considering i was cautious to not take anything with a ‘resident’. after numerous bleaching attempts, i still had that awful smell everytime i opened the jar to add shells. i finally emptied the jar and found the ‘stinky’ one!! (had to so the smell test but i found her!) and it was a mini. i took a tooth flooser pic and dug up in it and low and behold a tiny, tiny piece of something came out….i still can’t believe that a tiny piece of ‘whatever’ caused such a smell. i now do the same thing to anything that is suspicious after my beach trips!! haven’t had it happen again! it seems that we need to take a bit more care of them when we get them home in addition to taking care of them at the beach… aka ‘their home’. happy shelling!
I tried this with a few of my shells, what a difference! I let one soak too long and it disintegrated, oops! Of course I tried it on ones that didn’t really matter.
So much going on here today, I just gotta put in my two cents worth—(good job on the controversy, Pam)
first- I have some crowns that are so white no amount of oil or scrubbing has helped, rather than relegate them to a bucket in the garage, I’m going to give the acid a try (I might try a very dull, white shark’s eye too).
second- as was asked earlier, does anyone know a safe way to dispose of the acid?
third- I ‘smell out’ my stinky shells and first try boiling them to loosen up the debris but if that doesn’t work I put them in a ziplock out in the garage till spring, not many ants around here right now.
fourth- MurexKen, I will never use acid on ‘good shells’, thanks for the input, please keep it coming, we appreciate you.
Since I just learned all this about the same time you guys did, I really didn’t know how to dispose of it either. I just looked up how to dispose of muriatic acid and it says “Don’t put it down your drain!” Read this whole article! http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infmur.html
Well Pam, I said that the use of muriatic acid was controversial. Actually, this entire discussion has been worthwhile. Chapters in books have been written on cleaning/preserving seashells. Perhaps some of you know that my family (O.K., mainly me) calls the noxious scent associated with decaying mollusks “the sweet smell of success”. If you think about it, you never smell that odor unless you have been successful at collecting shells, and that is so sweet! ;~)
As for clicking on the highlighted “MurexKen”, I’m pleased that you like some of the other information on my “Sanibel Shells” page (still a work in progress), but my main point was to show you a picture of some of the crown conchs that did not look very good when I found them, but cleaned up pretty well with just bleach, dental picks, wire brushes and my 50:50 solution of lighter fluid and mineral oil. You do not have to resort to using that horrible acid that hurts/ruins the shells!
MK, why do you use a solution of mineral oil AND lighter fluid? I’ve always used only mineral oil and my shells seem to come out nicely, but if there is some advantage to adding lighter fluid, I’d like to give it a try.
Lisa, I just saw your post. Most seashells are fairly porous and contain microscopic pores or holes in the shell. Mineral oil is fairly viscous and has trouble penetrating these microscopic holes. Adding the lighter fluid makes the mineral oil less viscous and permits it to more easily penetrate a short distance into the shell. Since the lighter fluid also has a much lower vapor point, it helps the mineral oil penetrate the shell and then evaporates so that the shell surface is dry and does not feel sticky with any residual mineral oil. Hope this is helpful.
Thanks, I’m going to give it a try. Too afraid of the acid for safety reasons – for the shells AND me!
I have really appreciated this post too! Thanks Pam, Bird and Judie! It sounds like I might have one or two in my “treasure box” that just has a yucky piece stuck up inside – and yikes! I put all my shells at risk with that bleach! Lesson learned. Now – to search out the one or two stinkies… I was soooo careful to throw any shell with a resident in it back in the water – so it must just be a little smelly surprise hiding and waiting for me to find it while it taunts me with it’s aroma.
I guess I could look at it the way MurexKen does, “sweet smell of success”. I’m eager to go read what information is in clicking MurexKen’s name!
I, too, spray the seashells I want to display and have look amazing, or the shells I give to friends, with clear spray paint. It makes them look like they just came out of the water….shiny with beautiful color. I’m afraid I’ll be told that’s not good to do, but they look awesome. To see if it will revive the colors in your shells, run them under water and see what happens. That is the look you’ll get after spraying them!
Awesome video and enjoyed all the comments. Thanks for all the great information.
Thanx so much for another way to ‘beautify’ our shells. I too have LOTS of dust and baby oil is just not an option. As always Pam, you are the top sheller and I love your blog!
Pam, thanks so much for the link that explains how to properly handle and dispose of muriatic acid. I have so many shells that have not responded to the bleach/mineral oil/pick treatment. Since my shells are personal collections and not destined for museums, I am anxious to try the acid. I feel much more equipped to handle the acid now that you have shared this information. This is a “last resort” attempt at salvaging shells that could end up in the flower bed.
Since I am a visual learner, it enjoyed seeing the video, too.
Will the muriatic acid work on shark’s eyes, too?
I’m not sure.. I haven’t tried it on a shark’s eye.
When my husband and I came home from Sanibel this year I had two shells that we had done everything to get rid of the smell. We boiled, we rinsed, boiled again, soaked in bleach water, soaked in more bleach water and still a smell. So finally after the two shells dried completely I put them in a zip lock bag with baking soda and left them for about five days and they are now displayed in my bathroom with no smell….
After leaving Sanibel and heading towards the next destination on our vacation (not home) my supplies were somewhat limited as far as making my shells look ‘pretty.’ We wanted to give our ‘hosts’ a special gift of a glass jar filled with Sanibel sand and seashells. After (secretly) searching their bathroom cabinets for baby oil and coming up empty handed I decided to use the Skin-So-Soft that I had purchased in Sanibel to ward off the no-see-ums. IT WORKED-PERFECTLY!!!! The shells were super shiny and more importantly(I think) they smelt fantastic!!!! For those who don’t know Skin So Soft is an Avon product used to soften skin but for some reason wards off biting inspects.
Hi, was thrilled to find your site and imformation. Although a lifelong craft artist, I just started making valentines after classes with Sandy Moran, on Cape Cod, starting in ’09. Valentines have now taken over my life,( I am not complaining!). March of ’12 I am taking a condo for a week to attend everything and to go shelling on Sanibel for the first time. Your videos, and multi pages of information are just wonderful. Now I have info on where to shell etc. It would be very helpful if your pages were numbered since there is information I want to bring with me and I don’t want tp print your many pages. Since the shells seem to be piled high- What is the best footwear and should I bring a rubber gardener’s kneeling pad? What kind of scoops, tools, are best?–available in stores there? MOST important, what are the laws in Florida and Sanibel about taking shells?Thank you for all the time you spend making this site for us. Barbara
Hi Barbara…I also am a craft artist and shell hunter but I am not as knowledgeable as Pam or many others. I would like to share what I have learned from my many times shelling on the islands. I had the same types of questions before my first visit. A good pair of water shoes are sufficient.I prefer the type that cover my whole foot versus some that are more like sandals. Getting in the water to shell is a “must” and the type of water shoes with open backs and sides just fill with sand to easily. There are stores to buy water shoes and I bought them when I got there. I take a thick beach towel and a chair with me along with a netted bag, a small garden hand rake, a small plastic shovel and a med. sized bucket. You can get all items on the island but I purchased my netted bag beforehand. I love a netted bag for a few reasons but the main reason is that sand will fall out as you fill the bag and if I get home and I’m too tired to soak or wash my “finds” right away I just rinse them while they are still in the bag and hang the bag to drain until I get to clean them properly. Be sure to bring water to the beach – even if you don’t plan on being out for long, you will find that time gets away from you if you start finding what the mermaids push ashore! A chair to take a break is good too….all that stooping and walking can tire you out and if you want to take advantage of a “good findin’ ” day, sitting and resting is a good thing to do. You can not take any shells that have residents and believe me there are many. Even mini shells have residents so take a good look before putting what you find in your bag or bucket. You don’t want to get home and have something smelly with you! DON’T forget a camera…..there are sights to behold that you will want to share and be able to look back on; don’t miss the sunsets…they are spectacular. Shells do pile up especially on the Captiva side of Blind Pass beach and I have had a lot of luck when they pile up under the bridge on the Sanibel side of the pass. But even if there are no piles I have found that there is always something to be found and I have NEVER been disappointed when shelling on the islands. The Lighthouse beach has never disappointed me and has always sent me home with mini shells – look at the wrack line and any “wash up” areas on that beach. If there is any seaweed, etc. that has washed up, move it around and look under it….I have found treasures there also. Have fun! Good luck! You will fall in love with the area just like many before you!
Hello!
I have been shelling @ Sanabel/Captive and Cayo Costa for about 15 yrs. This year I worked on collecting hundreds of small shells to put into ornaments for Christmas and on small wreaths, etc. For the first time, I tried getting the smell out of some, and barnacles off larger shells by using rubbing alcohol. When that didn’t work I added white distilled vinegar. Put ALL my smaller shells in this solution and (fortunately) only a few large shells. All my beautiful shells turned white! Then I soaked several days in salt water/dried/white again! Then brushed on clear varnish. Color immediately returned but by next day most of color had dulled again. Found this website today and anxious to try out clear paint spray on some, skin-so-soft on others. Decided not to use the acid. Will let you know how it turned out!
Wow this is awesome I have to try this! This is so great I have a great collection of wonderful sea shells myself, however they never look the same as when their wet! This must do the trick! Thanks for sharing
I am a Living Historian, as well as avid shell collector, thanks for a caveat about the acid, we use it, but we do not collect specimens, just shells to show pre contact uses of shells by Native Peoples.
I have a great way to restore a shells shine that is food safe. I use the acid treatment often, but afterwards I rub with Almond Oil. I have restored several historic instruments, (wood flutes and clarinets), and it is what is recommended by the experts for renewing and restoring a finish. It is a miracle oil!
I have never known fine quality almond oil to go rancid and it works wonderfully to rehydrate dried out shell specimens, (especially after an acid rinse). It is also the best way to make your shells child safe. The finish does not seems to pool on the surface and collect dust if you buff them after soaking in the sun.
I usually wait for a sunny day, wash with bleach or acid, then let dry, rub with almond oil and let set in the sun. You usually find the oil needs to be applied twice as it is a fine grade oil and really soaks in. This works wonders.
For stinky shells, I just set them on a fire ant nest and they are clean within the day, (this being the only suitable saving grace for fire ants).
Just returned from Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas. We brought home a beautiful King Helmet shell. We wrapped it securely in 2 ziplock bags and it still leaked in our luggage. Smell is atrocious, even coming through customs the dogs stopped and sniffed the bag pretty intensely. Anyway, we look forward to trying the fire ant method for cleaning out the shell. Thank you so much!
After reading all of the above posts about cleaning and restoring color to shells, I am going to try a 1/8 bleach to 7/8 bleach solution to clean them, and then use almond oil to restore shine to them. We are on our way home from Sanibel today, and I am already planning our next trip back!
I want to add that I appreciate the comment about the almond oil being child safe as I have 4 young daughters and I am concerned about the safety of meterials used. Thank you to all those who have taken the time to add their thoughts, knowledge, and experience!
After reading my posts, I realized I meant to say, “1/8 bleach to 7/8 water solution”. Also, I spelled “materials” wrong. Sorry about that!
I did it and it was exciting to see the changes right before your eyes. Can anyone tell me how to keep the shine on your shells. I was using a non yellowing clear coat spray, but a lady scared me and said they will all turn yellow in three years. She said to use mineral oil, so i quickly went out and bought some and coated some new shells, well it was a long process and i can’t seem to get them to dry enough that when i put them in my table top (which has sand in it) they don’t get stuck with sand. Help anyone!!!!
Hi
Thank you soooo much. I cannot wait to try this! My dream to go to sanibel to get shells. We did and the info we got was to leave in 50 bleach and water overnight. We did and they are white, have tried everything else and has not worked. Although the shells we collected are not as unique as all the others they are special to me and want to display them. Had my husband take us from treasure island to sanibel in the middle of the night to go shelling with low tide. While our son and 83 year old mom slept in the room. Yes, also took our son the next morning and he LOVED it as well.Unfortunately the most beautiful shells were alive. we did get some though and can’t wait to try this or go back and try again someday. Live in southern ca I’m hooked on shelling!!!
It’s me again. Just did the acid on my shells!! Some did not change and the rest well, all i can say is WOW!!! Just beautiful, right before our eyes. I was so excited,almost like how i felt while i was shelling for them. Can really appreciate and display differently now
THANK YOU!!!
ps hubby was even awed by the transformation!!
Wow! I just read more of the above comments! I was wondering what people who have been doing this for eons did, so am thrilled to learn about the almond oil! Should I asume one of my lical natural food stores carry a fine quality brand?
Help, We just collected several olive shells and other shells with live creatures on our vacation this week. I kept them in plastic bottles as we were camping and had no way to deal with cleaning the shells. We are home and these shells stink worse than rotten eggs. They are all very beautiful and I would like to keep them. I began to soak them in a bleach solution but didn’t want to destroy their shine or color so I removed them from the bleach. The smell is so bad, I’m afraid my neighbors will soon complain. Any suggestions.
FYI Gwen, it’s against the law to take live shells from our beaches in Sanibel and Captiva (Lee County). Sorry to be harsh, but I never encourage anyone to purposely kill a live mollusk for their shell- not only for the millions of reasons I could write- but as you have found…they have way of getting back.
We were at St. Pete’s beach; I didn’t realize this forum was for a specific beach. For the record, we had no idea those shells were alive until the next morning when the car smelled funky. They went straight into the baggie among other shells. I had to investigate to figure out why the smell was so strong and contain the smell in bottles. I am still not sure which shells stink on their own and which have absorbed the odor. We live on the other coast and have never landed at home with smelly (live)shells. We found a huge horse conch that we promptly returned to the ocean when we saw it was obviously very much alive. These smaller snail shells weren’t so obvious. After researching, I know that the larger shells are referred to as olives and the smaller shells are various types of snails. I’m guessing something washed these guys ashore in the shell bed. Maybe the rough surf this week. But at any rate, we ended up with a stinky assortment of shells. I saw the post to put them in baking soda or an ant bed. Just wondering if anyone had any luck with snail shells. Thanks!
Whew Gwen! Oh thank you for commenting back. I felt bad for sounding like the shell cop but when you wrote the first comment, it sounded like you purposefully took them alive. Whew!
No, I don’t just write about Lee County shelling so thats why I specifically aded that as a FYI. Good luck on your baking soda or whatever else you try- there are some good ideas from others on this post too.
Pam, i have a 130mm Junonia with a large rush spot on it. Do you have any ideas of how to get it off? I defenitly dont want to end up ruining my shell.
Seashellsv, I had some rust (I’m assuming you meant “rust”) on some sand dollars and a few other shells that weren’t specimen shells so I just used the rust remover “Wink” ( I think that’s the name) and it worked great. I squirted it right on the rust spot and it came off.
Pam and others, Hi. I’ve got a large collection of mostly cowries and cone shells for jewelry and I want to try the acid on the stubborn to clean ones. You said that it would take the shine off of already shiny shells, well some of the shells look like they’d be shiny under all the white gunk. Will it dull these shells, or just clean them? Thanks a lot.
Selina, I really dont think its a good idea to use the acid on any cowrie or cone… or olive or any other shiny shell either. Did you try any of the other methods like mineral oil and lighter fluid as MurexKen suggested? I would exhaust all other method before the acid. Good luck!
Sometimes what looks like “white gunk” on what was once a shiny shell like a cowrie is actually the eroded surface of the shell itself. If so, then nothing will restore the shine to it.
can you bleach sea shells that are white and still have them come out white or will they turn yellow? please and thank you for the answer.
Most white shells come out whiter when you bleach them (like angel wings!) but I have bleached some sand dollars that have yellowed after bleaching so be careful not to use too much on sand dollars.
I find it relaxing cleaning shells, and for me bleach is a better solution to use because using acid just takes away the natural beauty of the shell. After I clean my shell especially conch I use mineral oil also to polish it. I really love this site. Thank you!
I just wanted to let everybody know, I have tried all of your advices on my shells, and the only one that seems to really make a huge difference is the acid. I had seached the web, and many books on how to clean and restore the colors of my shells. I worked in a lab, and I strongly dislike miriatic acid, but in the end when EVERYTHING FAILS, I went out and bought the acid. It made the biggest and prettiest difference I had ever seen. I live in Tampa, and in this area I don’t get as many different types if shells that you guys in in Sanibel, but the once that I can get I loved it like it is my own. Anyways, make sure you wear a mask when using the acid, the smell reminded me of when I was in the Army and I had to go in the gas chamber. Please used it outside, and make sure when you dispose it, you do it according to your local waste management. They will be happy to tell you where and how to dispose of an acid this strong.
Glad it worked for you and thanks for the extra advice on precautions.
Hi Pam,
I love your blog! I have a quick question though. I was wondering as you said it can damage the shell, what would it do to it? How would that happen. Thanks! Please reply ASAP!:)
Well, it’s month past the last comment, but I’m just now reading this – I can answer the one above by supersheller: If you are using straight muratic acid, and you leave the shell in too long, you will have little holes in it, until ultimately it would totally dissolve away. You want to dip it with tongs or tweasers, count to a slow three, and lift it out and into clear water. And it is true – don’t dip your shiny shells (olives, cowries, etc). A sharks eye you might do a quick in and out and rinse. The acid is GREAT for tulips, apple murex, fighting conchs, whelks, etc, And it does help getting rid of the smell. But the ant pile will finish it for you otherwise. There is a lighter, safer solution now called ACID MAGIC that you get at ACE as well – and it works well with the shells (full strength) without quite so much worry about handling. I’ve used either of these for years, and wouldn’t be without it. It doesn’t do much good to oil a shell that is coated with white stuff. You’ve got to get that off first – then use the oil if you wish.Have fun!
I am a chimer.I have been collecting shell for 30 years and now I make small hanging mobils with shells. I want then to shine their true colors but the minerial oil I got gives them color but makes them dull. Has anyone tried acrylic?Won’t the acid make them brittle? I want them to make the sound but not sure what works please advise. thanks you, I love shells in Pa.