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?

4 comments

4 Comments

waderamirez20d ago

Ask dylancarr straight up: have you actually tried soaking a piece of quartz in pure vinegar for a full 24 hours or are you just guessing based on your kitchen counter? Ngl, there's a huge difference between a quick splash from a salad dressing and a bath in straight acid for a whole day. I learned that lesson the hard way with my calcite and it stung pretty bad. Quartz is way harder than calcite, sure, but I still wouldn't risk it unless you're okay with maybe dulling the surface over time. Honestly, the guy at the show told me even quartz can get micro pits if you leave it in vinegar long enough, especially if there's any tiny fractures. So yeah, test it on a junk piece first before you wreck something nice.

dylancarr1mo ago

What about using vinegar on quartz?

kevinw941mo 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_webb511mo ago

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

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