How To Clean A Shell – Tips From a Seashell Collector
Collecting seashells is a fascinating hobby but it does not take long before you will be asking “How to clean a Sea Shell?”
Although they come from the sea as beautiful specimens an extremely strong smell will start to fill the air within a few days if there is still any trace of the mollusc inside! Sometimes even beach specimens can also start to smell as traces of dead animal may still be inside the shell.
As well as the need for cleaning the inside of the shell, there are often coral and lime encrustations and algae growth on the outside which needs to be removed.
In this article I would like to discuss the various methods that I have used for cleaning seashells and offer some tips and advice that may help make this task easier than you might think.
REMOVING THE ANIMAL
For Bivalves (the shells with two matched halves ( like a scallop or cockle) this is relatively easy. You can bring them almost to the boil in water and they will open and the animal can be easily removed with a small sharp knife. If you would rather not heat them, just leave them in a container of fresh water and change it every day. In two or three days they will open and the animal is easily removed.
For Gastropods (single shells which can be many shapes, often coiled or shaped in other ways (never a matched pair)), a variety of techniques can be used and by experimenting with these, you will find one that maybe suits you the best.
- Boiling in water works well for very solid shells, Cone shells and many types of gastropod. Simply bring the water to the boil and then remove the animal using a sharp needle or pin, attempting to get all of the meat and the associated mollusc parts out at the one time. Rinse in fresh water and allow to air in a shady spot. If there is no smell in a couple of days, you have been successful.
- Repeated Freezing and Unfreezing. This method is said to help the animal come free of its shell. I have to admit to not having a lot of success using this technique but it may be useful if you cannot attend to your shell for some time.
- Leave the shell in a sealed plastic bag for a few days (away from the light). The animal will start to sweat and then when you open the bag, the mollusc can almost fall out by itself. Rinse and you are done. This is one of my favourite cleaning techniques
- Microwaving: some shells can be microwaved for 20 to 40 seconds and the animal then taken out with a pin. This works differently for every species and you should always experiment before subjecting one of your prized specimens to this treatment
- Using a syringe. I was shown this by a Fishermen in the Philippines who specifically used it for cowries. Allow the shell to sit in clean water with some soap powder added for a day. Then, using a syringe(without the needle) blow a jet of water into the shell. The pressure of the water blows the animal out. Repeat this procedure a few times until the shell is clean.
- Using Alcohol. Some shells can be placed in alcohol until ready to clean (works well for Nerites). After a few days the animal is pickled and can be pulled out using a pin.
One thing to remember with all of these techniques – If the animal has an operculum (the piece that covers the mollusc when it hides inside its shell) make sure to save it with the related specimen. Once the shell is clean, cotton wool can be inserted into the opening and the operculum lightly glued with white glue to show the shell in its original state.
CLEANING THE OUTSIDE
Bleaching – Use a diluted bleach solution to remove algae coatings on the shell and help release the encrusted lime (Note: Experiment with each species and never put glossy shells such as Cowries into bleach as they will be ruined)
For strong lime encrustations use good metal tools such as a strong paring knife, dental tools etc to work on the shell. Gradually lever off the lime to reveal the shell underneath. This usually requires patience and never rush this job if you want to end up with the best specimen shell that is possible.
Beware of delicate spines and lips of the shell that you are working with. Damaging these can turn a very good shell into a second-rate specimen.
