how to clean my base rock

[reeferindc]

I have 3 5 gallon buckets of base rock just sitting in my basement. I have seen pics of people taking old rock and cleaning it up to make it bright white again. Whats a good way to bring this rock back to its glory days? Any good recipes for cooking it or bleaching? I have never done this and want to give it a try.

[Origami]

Some people etch the rock with muriatic acid. The etching process (described below) removes a layer off the rock which, in some cases, has adsorbed phosphates. It can also open up pores in the rock again that may have become clogged with organic debris. The rock comes out of this process as bright white again. 

 

Do this outside in a well-ventilated area. Start with about 15-25 gallons of water in a large tub. Place your rock in the tub and then pour a gallon of muriatic acid (you can get it from the paint department in Lowe's) into the water. This is powerful stuff, so wear gloves and try not to breathe the fumes. The rock will start to bubble as the acid reacts with the rock. Leave this to go for several hours. After everything has stopped, you can drain the tub and rinse the rock under a strong stream of clear water to remove any gunk that remains. Then, cook the rock again as normal because you've basically just killed anything that was living on it.

[AlanM]

I have done 1 gallon of muriatic acid to 10 gallons of water until it stops fizzing, then dump it out and do 1 gallon of bleach to 10 gallons of water, then dump it out and soak in tap water a couple times before removing to let it dry. Comes out pretty white.

[reeferindc]

THanks for the replies, would the cold weather have any ill effects on this process?

[AlanM]

It will make your fingers cold when you dump the trashcan out in the yard and stuff and are handling wet rocks. 8)

 

Seriously, I don't think it affects it too much.  I don't know if the acid dissolving aragonite is exothermic, but that would be interesting to see if the temp stayed above outdoor temp.