We just got back from Spring Break in sunny Florida, and the Gas kids (7 & 10) predictably picked up any sea shell that look remotely interesting. And boy do they smell. I boiled the lot of them, then baked them for 30 minutes at 325[sup]o[/sup]F to dry them out but they still smell like Neptune’s locker room.
Any ideas?
This looks useful.
I independently developed the bleach method and it has worked on the very rare occassions I have cleaned and deodorized seashells.
Hydrogen peroxide is good at removing lots of smells from lots of things. I don’t know if it will remove ocean funk from sea shells, but it’s worth a shot.
Baking soda to the rescue! Bury the shells in a dish of baking soda, stir the stuff around every day, and give the shells a sniff test every couple of days.
If there’s no more flesh on them, bury them in a shitload of coffee powder for a while. The sea funk wil be gone, replaced by the pleasant aroma of coffee.
Will you then hear the sound of a percolator when the shells are held to your ear?