I would advocate the use of an ultrasone cleaner in combination with distilled water. That will work much better, especially deep in the shell (and, for instance, in the microscopic holes made by boring sponges, often present but not quite visible in any marine shell), and much faster (think of seconds to minutes, in shells between 1-25 mm). Refresh the water regularly, be careful with fragile shells, especially if they once have been preserved in formalin.

Marien

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Van: Conchologists List <[log in to unmask]> namens Susan J. Hewitt and/or Ed Subitzky <[log in to unmask]>
Verzonden: woensdag 1 juni 2016 13:53
Aan: [log in to unmask]
Onderwerp: [CONCH-L] Washing seashells

Can I ask the professionals (for example Paul Callomon), what they consider to be a suitable length of time to wash or soak beach-collected empty marine mollusk shells with freshwater, in order to remove the salt?

Thanks.
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