By comparing the decomposition rates of FeOCl and the chloride extraction rates it was shown that, under most conditions, the chloride removal process is diffusion controlled. It was established that the treatment times depend on a number of factors which can vary greatly, both between artifacts from different shipwrecks and also those from the same wreck. A method for evaluating relative efficiencies of different washing techniques was devised and used to compare different standard treatment procedures. The best chloride extraction was found to occur in those treatments which involved chemical reduction of the corrosion product.