I used to clean pottery shards with a toothbrush for hours, now I just use a soak in diluted vinegar

A few months back I was working on a dig in New Mexico and I was spending like 45 minutes per piece scrubbing off clay and caliche with an old toothbrush. It was killing my hands and taking forever. Then one of the field techs said I should try a 10% vinegar soak for maybe 15 minutes first. I thought it might damage the surface, but I tested it on a broken piece of plainware we already had catalogued. The caliche just crumbled off after, and I only had to do a light rinse under water. Now I do that for any sherd with heavy buildup, and I cut my cleaning time by over half. Has anyone else tried using mild acid for cleaning finds, or do you stick to mechanical methods?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorlewis1d agoMost Upvoted

Noticed this same thing with coffee makers actually, a little vinegar soak saves way more elbow grease than scrubbing.

tylermurray1d ago

Honestly vinegar fixes like half of life's little annoyances.