How To Harden A Sand Dollar: 8 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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How to Harden and Preserve Sand Dollars Download Article Easy steps to clean, bleach, and preserve your seaside find Co-authored by Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: June 12, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Cleaning and Bleaching Sand Dollars
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• Hardening and Preserving Sand Dollars
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Sophie Burkholder, BA. Sophie Burkholder graduated from Boston University in 2020 with dual degrees in Spanish and Modern Foreign Language Education. For three years, Sophie worked as a classroom teacher and strived to foster a love of learning and self-empowerment in her students. With that same purpose but a new audience, she now writes for the content team at wikiHow. She's passionate about giving readers the tools they need for any goal, big or small. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 286,120 times. Learn more...

Sand dollars can be used to make beautiful decorations and crafts, but first, they need to be hardened so they don’t break. Hardening sand dollars is a fast and simple process that anyone can do with a few basic supplies. Preparing your sand dollars with bleach and water and using glue to harden them will ensure they turn out white and durable when you’re finished with them.

Things You Should Know

• Soak your sand dollars in water then clean them with a 1:1 mixture of bleach and water. Let the sand dollars dry completely.
• Mix together equal parts white glue and water. Use a clean sponge or paintbrush to thinly cover the entire surface of each one.
• Place the sand dollars on wax paper or a baking rack to dry until they’re no longer wet or sticky to the touch. Then, use them for displays or crafting.

Steps

Part 1 Part 1 of 2:

Cleaning and Bleaching Sand Dollars

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1. 1 Soak the sand dollars in fresh water for 2-3 hours or overnight. When the water looks discolored and dirty from the sand and grime leaving the sand dollars, dump it out and refill the container with fresh, cool water. Repeat this process until the water stays clear.[1]
   • Place the cleaned sand dollars on a tray and set them in the sun to fully dry.
2. 2 Submerge each sand dollar in equal parts bleach and water for 2 minutes. Prepare a mixture of equal parts bleach and water in a bucket or dish. Soak each sand dollar individually for 2 minutes.
   • Sand dollars get bleached naturally by the sun when they wash up on shore. Skip this step if you’re satisfied with the color of your sand dollars.
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3. 3 Scrub each sand dollar with a clean toothbrush to remove the bleach. Take the sand dollars out of the water and bleach solution and rinse them with fresh water. Gently scrub each sand dollar with a clean toothbrush.[2]
   • If you don’t successfully rinse off all the bleach, your sand dollars may end up with a yellowish tint.
   • If your sand dollars are still discolored or dirty, soak them in the bleach mixture again for 1 minute and repeat until you’re happy with how they look.
4. 4 Let the sand dollars air dry completely. Lay them out in a single layer on a wax sheet or a baking rack. Check back in an hour to see if they’re dry, or let them sit overnight.
   • Place the sand dollars outside in the sun to help them dry faster.[3]
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Part 2 Part 2 of 2:

Hardening Sand Dollars with Glue

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1. 1 Mix equal parts water and white school glue in a bowl. Mix the glue and water together until thoroughly blended. Stop mixing when you have a runny mixture with no clumps.
2. 2 Dip a clean brush in the water-glue mixture and brush it on the sand dollar. Thinly cover the entire surface of each sand dollar with the mixture. Make sure to cover the edges of the sand dollar, in addition to both sides.
3. 3 Place the sand dollars on a wax sheet to dry. Lay down chopsticks, toothpicks, pencils, or inverted thumbtacks on the wax sheet to slightly elevate the sand dollars so the bottoms dry faster.
   • Let the sand dollars sit until they are no longer shiny, tacky, or wet to the touch.
4. 4 Use the hardened sand dollars to make crafts and decorations. Fill up jars with the sand dollars or use them to make necklaces, earrings, or ornaments. You can also paint an ocean scene onto a preserved sand dollar and display it on a tiny easel.[4]
   • Before painting a sand dollar, apply a coat or two of white acrylic paint as a base.
   • String a ribbon through your sand dollars to make a sweet and beachy garland.
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Community Q&A

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• Question How do I bleach sand dollars? Community Answer Add a little bleach to the water when you wash the sand dollars, or you can set them out in the sun. Use a tiny bit of bleach in soapy water when you clean them to kill any bacteria so they don't smell. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 8 Helpful 19
• Question How do I dry them? Doesn't the wet glue adhere them to the drying surface? Community Answer Let them rest where there is sunshine for about a week. They will naturally dry out. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 20 Helpful 16
• Question What kind of glue do I need to use? Community Answer You can just use regular Elmer's glue. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 4 Helpful 17

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Tips

• Clean your workspace before starting so dirt and debris don’t become stuck to the sand dollars. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• The best place to find sand dollars is on the beach, near the edge of the surf. Wait for a wave to come in and then watch the sand as the wave retreats. You have to be quick! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

• Make sure you use wax paper for drying your sand dollars, not parchment paper or normal paper. The wax prevents the sand dollars from sticking.
• You can also use Modge Podge to preserve the sand dollars instead of white glue.

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Warnings

• Never collect live sand dollars from the beach. You can tell if a sand dollar is still alive by looking for moving tube feet on the bottom of it. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• Sand dollars are very fragile. Be careful when handling them or they might break apart. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1

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Things You'll Need

• Sand dollars
• Bleach
• Water
• A brush or sponge
• Wax paper
• White school glue
• Toothpicks, chopsticks, or pencils (optional)

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References

1. ↑ https://lovelyindeed.com/how-to-clean-sand-dollars/
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSLDBhDuFzY
3. ↑ https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/the-best-souvenirs-of-your-beach-vacation-how-to-preserve-sand-dollars
4. ↑ https://seasyourday.com/13-sand-dollar-art-craft-ideas/

About This Article

Co-authored by: Sophie Burkholder, BA wikiHow Staff Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Sophie Burkholder, BA. Sophie Burkholder graduated from Boston University in 2020 with dual degrees in Spanish and Modern Foreign Language Education. For three years, Sophie worked as a classroom teacher and strived to foster a love of learning and self-empowerment in her students. With that same purpose but a new audience, she now writes for the content team at wikiHow. She's passionate about giving readers the tools they need for any goal, big or small. This article has been viewed 286,120 times. 10 votes - 98% Co-authors: 11 Updated: June 12, 2024 Views: 286,120 Categories: Craft for Kids Article SummaryX

To clean sand dollars, start by cleaning the sand dollars with freshwater and bleach. Once the sand dollars are clean and dry, make a mixture of equal parts water and white school glue. Then, use a paintbrush to paint the glue mixture onto the sand dollars, coating the surface of the front and back of the shell. Place the coated sand dollars on a sheet of wax paper to dry, and then use them to make crafts or display them in your home. For tips on cleaning and bleaching the sand dollars, scroll down! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Co-authored by: Sophie Burkholder, BA wikiHow Staff Writer Co-authors: 11 Updated: June 12, 2024 Views: 286,120 98% of readers found this article helpful. 10 votes - 98% Click a star to add your vote

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"I have sand dollars that are fragile and this worked for me. Thanks." Rated this article:

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