How to clean bottles.

[ryaan21]

I found a bottle that I was told is rare and I want to clean it up. It was not buried but was out in the woods so it has some debris in it. Thanks Gang.

 

[BryanM362]

Would be curious to hear techniques for this too!

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Would be curious to hear techniques for this too!

Ditto what he said!
I'm looking at those pristine bottles on gleaner1's thread, thnking, how they get them that clean?

"Genesee Valley Antique Bottle Collectors Association 45th annual show pics
Started by gleaner1"

I've tried cleaning with alcohol and Epsom salts. Got that resonator stuff from the head shop. Tried that blue coffee pot cleaner stuffs.
Got a dryer lint brush that's been turned in to a bottle brush and still....... stains.
Please help!

 

[Harry Pristis]

Some stains are really surface etching caused by decomposition of the glass.

Check out this thread:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/bottles-glass/294974-best-way-cleaning-out-old-bottles.html

 

[gleaner1]

Glass is glass. Clean it with some glass cleaner spray and some paper towels. Inside? Fill with some sand and gravel and water and shake around, it'll come out shiny clean. Old bottles that come out of dumps are often chemically etched by acids in the ground water. This etching is called glass sickness, the bottles are "sick", and wont clean up shiny. This is fixed by glass polishing, done with special equipment. Google bottle tumbling or professional bottle cleaning.