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All Forums >> [Bottle Forums] >> Cleaning and Repairing >> Old Dirt in old bottles

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Old Dirt in old bottles - 10/30/2004 6:30:00 PM    johnnyd620   Posts: 2 Joined: 10/30/2004 Status: offline I have found a lot of old bottles from my great great grand parents land and I am having trouble cleaning them. I have washed, boiled, and left them in water for days. Still I have dirt left in them. Im sure that these med. bottles are very old. Im just not getting interested in knowing about them, but I want to get them cleaned before I take a picture of them. Post #: 1

RE: Old Dirt in old bottles - 10/30/2004 9:46:41 PM    lobeycat Posts: 3776 Joined: 9/8/2003 From: RED SOX Nation Status: online OK Johnny whatever you do stop boiling things. It has been my experience they get no more tender no matter how long you boil them. Besides you'll break them from the temperature change. Remember the dirt's been in there a long time and has no intention of giving up it's home without a struggle. The first thing to do is remove any loose dirt from the outside. I do this outside if it's warm in a plastic tub filled with tepid soapy water and a good stiff brush. Next let 'em soak. A day or two usually turns the dirt into sludge. Rinse them out, fill 'em half way with water and shake like hell. If you hear a rattling stop shaking or the stone might pop right through the glass and shoot your eye out . Next get yourself a couple different sized bottle brushes. You can get them at the grocery store in the baby bottle section, hardware stores or online. http://www.bottlebooks.com/brushes.htm <these will do, and there cheap enough. Work the brushes with a little soapy water. You'll probably still have staining, haze, iridescence, chips, cracks, bruises, slivers of glass embedded in your palm, lots of fun stuff. At this point I soak them in a deadly brew of CloroxPlus (thick gooey bleach)and a few other ingredients I wont mention for your own safety I've left them in this soup for weeks and have had great luck, it will peel your skin back and the fumes will send you staggering out into the street with nothing but your socks on. So don't go mixing things until you have brain damage like me. Anything after that will need professional cleaning. Hope this helped, and forgive the spelling. I've been cleaning. Good luck, Rich. (in reply to johnnyd620) Post #: 2

RE: Old Dirt in old bottles - 10/30/2004 11:41:44 PM    TheDiggerBoy91   Posts: 609 Joined: 10/11/2004 Status: offline I use a bottle brush on my bottles and an old toothbrush for the smaller ones. (in reply to johnnyd620) Post #: 3

RE: Old Dirt in old bottles - 1/17/2005 10:28:37 AM    WhiteLighting Posts: 485 Joined: 1/21/2004 From: The Electric City,Upstate NY Status: offline Never boil the bottles,they will crack and somtimes explode... If you just have dirt and no brushes,just use Hydro Peroxide,...or CLR/Limeaway, or an old toothbrush and soap and water.......... _____________________________ It's time for another TEA PARTY!!!! (in reply to johnnyd620) Post #: 4

RE: Old Dirt in old bottles - 1/17/2005 4:42:43 PM    bigkitty53   Posts: 286 Joined: 3/28/2004 From: Bermuda Status: offline quote: OK Johnny whatever you do stop boiling things. It has been my experience they get no more tender no matter how long you boil them. Nice one Lobey! _____________________________ "...Just don't let me mistake you for a mouse." (in reply to lobeycat) Post #: 5

RE: Old Dirt in old bottles - 1/22/2005 11:51:10 AM    WhiteLighting Posts: 485 Joined: 1/21/2004 From: The Electric City,Upstate NY Status: offline These is this cleaner named "Zyme here in the US,it might need a permit in other states to get but in NY you can get it at a Janatorial supply store".... I used this stuff and plastic beads to clean befroe a tumbler,It worked as good as clorax,degreasers,mur acid "watch out with that stuff" or soap and water..... but never mix and match chemicals either or youll end up brain dead....like me...lol _____________________________ It's time for another TEA PARTY!!!! (in reply to johnnyd620) Post #: 6

RE: Old Dirt in old bottles - 1/22/2005 1:48:37 PM    S.C. Warner   Posts: 126 Joined: 1/2/2005 From: it happens out in Vegas, and it happens in Moline. Status: offline Great suggestions! I believe Idid use Zyme out on West Coast job once. Good stuff, if it's what i'm thinking. Somethings I find work well and pretty inexpensive is the end of coat hanger wire wrapped around a piece of old tee-shirt. It gets down thru narrow openings and then you can give it the slight bend to reach stubborn stuff on sides. Good lighting and keeping a good grip is important. Also, B.B.'s for a BB gun work very well for really gunky stuff. Pour then into the bottle add moderately hot soapy water and shake the heck out of it. I used to open up the old man's shotgun shell's which he wasn't to happy about. But steel BB's are better anyway. Thanks for the tips, I'm giving the peroxide a try today. (in reply to johnnyd620) Post #: 7

RE: Old Dirt in old bottles - 1/23/2005 9:09:38 AM    CanadianBoy   Posts: 657 Joined: 7/25/2004 Status: offline I've had really good luck with Household Amonia & Water.I let them soak for about 3 days,then use a bottle brush and wire hanger like SC was saying. I wrap either a piece of metal pot sbrubber or SOS pad around it.I also use SOS for the outside which works well. And I don't need gloves for this stuff. I've tried all kinds of chemical mixes,some of them probably near lethal,but if I have to go it might as well be cleaning bottles. Unless your slightly Brain Dead...................................... DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME _____________________________ So many Dumps,so little time. So get DIGGING. I've been "DOWN IN THE DUMPS" since 1970. Never dug a dump, I didn't like. "May you all Dig well and Prosper" http://www.nexicom.net/~djackson/ Dave J. Ontario,Canada. (in reply to johnnyd620) Post #: 8

RE: Old Dirt in old bottles - 1/24/2005 11:12:16 AM    Jules   Posts: 191 Joined: 9/16/2003 From: NE Pennsylvania Status: offline I've had good luck cleaning milk bottles with one of those fizzy denture-cleaning tablets and warm water. Drop one in and let 'er do it's job. Sometimes takes two tries. Make sure the bottle is room temp before you add warm water. Luck to you, ~Julie (in reply to johnnyd620) Post #: 9

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