Q&A for How to Clean and Preserve Sand Dollars

Morro Bay is good, just north of Morro Rock. Stroll up and down the beach, they are there for miles on end.

Yes. We get sand dollars when we vacation in Sarasota - especially at Siesta Key.

A few is typically around 3-5, but the term can also be used in a relative sense, meaning a small fraction of the total amount (e.g., if there's a million of something, you might consider a thousand 'a few'). If you're asking why the phrase is in quotation marks, it's just to draw attention to the fact that while it may seem like an insignificant amount to you, it can still have an impact, especially if many people do the same thing, which will add up.

Wash the brush gently and thoroughly with warm soapy water.

I drill holes with a very fine tip bit, it works great! Clean and prep your sand dollars first, then drill the hole and string. The smallest sand dollars, a quarter-size or smaller, will use an even finer, smaller bit, but it still works. You can tie them on packages, make ornaments out of them or even jewelry.

If the sand dollars are dead, then baking soda shouldn't hurt them.

It takes a good four or five fresh water baths to get them clean.

In the piles of shells along the top of the sand by the ocean. They will be embedded in all of the other shells, so you have to look closely. Most of the time they won't be full, though.

Yes, there is a clear lacquer spray you could use, but it can make them shiny. Spray it after the glue has dried, though, as the glue seals all the cracks and holds it together.

No, the edges are too fragile and will break/chip off if strung in multiples. A pendant of one may last a while, but unless the thin edges are somehow reinforced, they will break.

No. After applying chemicals such as bleach and glue to your sand dollar, putting it in a fish tank is not a good idea, as the chemicals will dissolve into the water. If you can get a new sand dollar and clean it with only water, it should not harm the fish. If you chose to do this, make sure to disinfect the sand dollar with a non-chemical treatment first.

Get white fabric, then cut out wings, a halo and a dress, then glue them to the sand dollar and draw a face on it.

Soak it again four or five times, then use a toothbrush or toothpick to gently brush the sand out. Remember to be very careful, so you don’t break the sand dollar.

If you examine it closely and it is rust, use a diluted rust remover to clean them. I had a similar situation and it worked wonders.