I purchased a big abalone shell last weekend and it seems to have calcium deposits on it. I looked up ways to clean it but I don’t want to use harsh chemicals. Maybe baking soda and vinegar? I don’t know but the dust is supposed to be poison to people and animals.
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I found this post that shows both the acid and bleach methods to clean it, but below it also suggests soaking it in liquid soap and hot water, and then brushing it.
If you have an N95 mask you should wear it so you won’t inhale the dust.
That’s a great find of a shell. I hope it will look even better after it’s washed
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Thanks @Francisco. I think I’m am going to try Lime Away on it. I will definitely wear a mask and gloves and clean it outside. I will let you know how it came out.
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Great looking shell! I wish I could find 1 like that around here! I have a necklace & earrings made from an Abalone Shell. I love them.
@Francisco shared a great post about this topic too!
Maybe CLR with an N95 or KN95 mask on would help too. I think first I would use a toothbrush & Dawn dish soap before the LimeAway, CLR, bleach, or other chemical methods. Let it soak in warm water with the Dawn & then use a little Dawn on the toothbrush or cloth to wipe away any surface dust or calcifications before then going with the grain of the shell for further cleaning.
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Thanks @Susurrus I will try that first. I bought it at a shop in Houston for $4 and it’s big. I tried a magic eraser on it and it took a little off but it wasn’t tough enough.
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There is no easy way to clean an abolone shell. This is as good as it is going to get. Hot water with Dawn then scrubbing it with CLR and a toothbrush!
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Can I just say that shell is gorgeous since you cleaned it up? It was pretty before, but now, what a difference! Great job!
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It looks awesome to me, Linda- beautiful work on your gorgeous abalone shell! That’s a real treasure, enjoy it! 
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