Preserving sea life and other treasures

There are many creatures that can be found along the beach besides seashells.  The following pages will help to show you how to clean and preserve these. 

• Starfish
  The best way to preserve a starfish is to soak it in 70% isopropyl alcohol overnight. After doing this let it dry out real well on a paper towel, out in the sun if at all possible. You might also want to weigh down the legs so that it does not curl up as it dries.
   

• Sanddollars
  One of the keys to cleaning a live sandollar is also very often the least known. In order to get a sanddollar to bleach white it is important to soak it in fresh water first. Here are the steps you should follow in order to preserve live sanddollars
  
  1- Gather the sanddollars and as soon as possible after gathering soak them in fresh water. The water will turn a brownish color and after awhile they might begin to smell so change the water frequently. If you are pressed for time you may just continually flush them in water. Continue to due this until the water stays fairly clear.
  
  2- The next step is to soak them in a solution of Bleach and water. Depending on the strength of the bleach you use, let them sit for 5-10 minutes.
  
  3- Remove from Bleach, rinse thoroughly in fresh water and let dry.
  
  4- Repeat step 2 and 3 if necessary.
  
  Do not soak them for too long in the Bleach because if left too long they can crumble. Each soaking in bleach weakens the sanddollar a little more so it is not recommended you do this more then a couple times.
  
  If this does not whiten your sanddollars enough it is best to let the sun bleach them the rest of the way, or spray them with a white paint.
  
   

• Seafans
  These are a tough one to get the odor out of. Your best bet if you want to keep one of these found on the beach is to thoroughly rinse them with fresh water and let the sun dry them out. Make sure as they are drying that they do not get caught in the rain, or the morning dew allowed to accumulate on them. If this happens, as with most sealife the odor will probably return.
   

• Sea Urchins
  These are extremely delicate so you must be careful when cleaning. If you have time (and are somewhere upwind from them) you can let them sit out in the sun for a few days and then brush off the spines. After this you flip them over and with a dental pick or some other similar instrument pick out tissue that will be in middle. If odor will be a problem you can dip them in bleach and rub off the spines (wear some gloves). After the spines are removed take a dental pick to the bottom center of the urchin and remove tissue. Dip in the bleach again then rinse well in fresh water and dry.
   

• Sponge
  This is a tough one to preserve. Really about the only thing you can do to these is run them under water while squeezing for as long as you can and then dry them out. The sponge is so porous that it soaks up sand and organic matter and this is what makes it so difficult to preserve, although so good for painting
   

• Seahorse
  These are preserved in a manner very similar to starfish. You want to soak the seahorse in 70% isopropyl alcohol overnight. After doing this let it dry out real well on a paper towel, out in the sun if at all possible.
   

• Seashells
  Many people pick up a seashell or two while on vacation at the beach. It makes a nice inexpensive momento of their vacation. The problems do not occur until they realize that if not cleaned properly, seashells can have a devastating effect. From glares of other travelers wondering why you have not showered, to airport authorities searching through your bags for the unknown odor emitting from them. Properly cleaned seashells, on the other hand, will show no such effects. Many times seashells actually look considerably nicer without any algae and barnacles covering them. The natural color of seashells are often quite different from what you find at the beach. A good cleaning is all that is needed to bring this out and destroy any odors the seashells might have.