A buddy at the rock show called my cleaning method 'aggressive'

I was at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show last month, showing off a nice piece of calcite I'd just cleaned. I told him I'd soaked it in straight vinegar for a full day to get the dirt off. He just winced and said, 'Man, that's way too aggressive for calcite, you're gonna etch the crystal faces and ruin the luster.' I argued that it got things clean, but he pulled out a loupe and showed me the surface under 10x magnification. Sure enough, it was all pitted and dull, not shiny like it should be. I felt pretty dumb. Now I only use a soft brush and plain water for calcite and other soft minerals, maybe a tiny bit of dish soap if it's really bad. It takes more elbow grease, but the pieces look way better. Has anyone else had a mineral get messed up from cleaning it too hard?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylancarr27d ago

What about using vinegar on quartz?

kevinw9426d ago

I've seen this warning a lot, but my own quartz counters have gotten a splash of vinegar from salad dressing for years with no issues. The advice is about avoiding strong, repeated acid exposure that etches the surface. A quick wipe with a mild cleaner like dish soap and water is fine for daily use, but I wouldn't soak the thing in vinegar. The risk seems a bit overblown for normal kitchen accidents.

nora_webb5126d ago

Wait, you've been splashing vinegar on quartz for YEARS? I mean, that just seems like asking for trouble.

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