How-To: De-Stinkify and Polish Sea Shells

While in Belize, we collected an enormous amount of shells.

Well, maybe not a ton of shells, but plenty of pretty ones. They made me happy – both searching for them and bringing them back to remember our wonderful island experience.

There was just one problem: Some of the shells had a musty odor and all of them needed a bit of clean-up.

Here’s how I took my shells from stinky and dingy to fresh and shiny.

One: Soak shells for 2-24 hours in a 3:1 mixture of water and bleach (3 parts water to 1 part bleach). If your shells are very stinky, make the mixture a 1:1 ratio and soak for 24-48 hours.

Two: Use an old toothbrush to thoroughly scrub the shells after soaking.

Three: Allow the shells to completely dry. I let mine sit for 24 hours.

Four: Lightly rub shells with a mineral oil-soaked paper towel.

 Five: Enjoy your lovely mementos!

1 Comment

  1. Great, Thanks. I love to bring back shells from my holidays, but often keep them outside

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