A solution of triple phosphate Used as a wall cleaner and usually available in stores that sell house paint is good as a rehydration solution. It also disintegrates dried clay, especially in an ultrasonic vibrating solution. On Mon, 12 Jun 2000 06:45:42 -0400 Sue Garrison <[log in to unmask]> writes: > You said: > > > Dear Conch-Lers, Most of these things including kitty litter are > in the > > book "Clean your shells". I have to mention that leaving your > shells in > > alcohol will harden them and they will be very hard to remove > later > on........ > > > I had the same problem using kitty litter once (maybe I used the > wrong > brand??) I found a lot of larger shells on the beach after a storm > at > Atlantic City. They were still soft (with the animal in it) but I > had no way > to clean them & so I tried kitty litter. After I got home I found > they were > hard as a rock and I never did get all of the animal out of some of > the > shells. > Sue Garrison