How Do You Bleach Old MOP Buttons?
Mother of pearl or nacre is a processed shell product. It produces a lovely, high quality button with a pleasant luster. It can be quite light colored, or much more richly toned with a transparent, luminescent quality. Old mother of pearl buttons may be somewhat discolored; however, you can clean and care for these buttons as you would other shell materials, depending upon their value and condition. Bleaching mother of pearl buttons requires peroxide as a bleaching agent, rather than chlorine. Wipe the mother of pearl buttons with a soft cloth dampened with mineral oil to clean the MOP buttons before bleaching. Remove all visible dirt and residue to achieve even color lightening in the peroxide based MOP bleaching solution. Check the color of the MOP buttons and look for staining or discoloration that may be improved by bleaching. Make a solution of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to bleach mother of pearl buttons in a small, non-reactive dish. Place the MOP buttons into the solution. Allo
