Everything Under the Moon

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This info is for marble, other smooth stone and ceramic tools. If you like to whip up your own incense blends like I do, plant resins in your mortar and pestle can really make a mess.
Especially very sticky resins. Ugh, how do you get all that goop off?

If the mortar has copious junk adhered to the bottom pour a small amount of 91% rubbing alcohol into the vessel and let it soak a bit.
If there is lots of build up on the pestle scrape the excess off with a knife and with a pure cotton ball (no synthetic) soaked in the alcohol, rub the tool until it is clean.
Then with mortar, after a soaking, swish a cotton ball around to get the bulk off. Then use a new cotton ball with fresh alcohol to further polish it off.
Depending on how mucked up these tools are, the processes may need repeating. Sometimes two, three or four more times. Cutting the resin with the alcohol will make globed on resin very sticky, and this is why it may need repeating. Use a fresh cotton ball each time.

(Side note:
A fun thing to do is burn the cotton balls after use for a brief scrying session. Be sure to use fire safe container and only burn one at a time or you may have a bonfire! )

Light oils and 91% Alcohol After your tools are clean you may need to season them some with oil, the alcohol can dry out the stone a bit. Use a very small amount of a non sticky oil like jojoba, avocado, or apricot kernel on soft cloth or paper towel and rub into the stone. Then wipe off any excess. It shouldn't be slippery.

Blessings, Firebird

Interesting you clean them at all.I was taught to leave as is as to carry a link to past rituals and spells for continuing energy.

If you have ever ground balm of Gilead for instance, yuck...I wouldn't want that to be all over the next blend.
As for continuity there are other tools for that. But I get your drift.
Bb, FF

For those occasions I grind them in sand but yeah,some things just make an awful mess.