\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Allow the coins to soak for a while to loosen up years of gunk. Vinegar alone is not strong enough to remove the worst buildup from old pennies. There are many reasons to clean copper pennies, whether you have a coin collection that requires shining or you have children looking to turn a jar full of old pennies into a treasure. Dip your coins in white distilled vinegar and let them soak for about 30 seconds. Rinse with warm water, then dry. You could see the penny change before your eyes. A dirty penny is usually the result of years of accumulated dirt. Useful Tips To Make Your Everyday Life Just A Bit Better. As the coins circulate they encounter oils and acids from people's hands. Place the pennies into the solution, making sure that they do not rest on top of each other. Stir the salt until it dissolves into the vinegar. After all, there really is only one way to clean your coins safely. Next, mix baking soda and water into a thick paste and rub this paste over the penny using your fingers. Mix 1 teaspoon (5.69 g) of salt with the vinegar. Both kitchen ingredients are effective cleaning agents because they are found on opposite sides of the pH scale. Place your pennies at the bottom of the cup or glass so that they are not stacked on top of each other. Bringing luster back to copper pennies is easy once you know which ingredients get the job done. These two methods are the ONLY safe ways to clean your coins at home yourself without damaging your coins and lowering their value! Interested in coin collecting on a budget? . This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. If you're a novice coin collector wondering the right way to clean old coins, you might want to rethink it. To create this article, 129 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. More and more people are tossing out the harsh chemicals from their daily cleaning routine and instead turning to natural products, such as baking soda and vinegar, to remove grime, disinfect surfaces and leave spaces shiny and clean, according to Reader's Digest. Mix 1 2/3 cups baking soda and 1/2 cup liquid soap in a bowl. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Lincoln Memorial Penny (1959 to Today) Values and Prices. Let them sit for three minutes and then use an old toothbrush to scrub the penny surface gently. But common pantry essentials that are often used for cleaning like baking soda and vinegar shouldn't be mixed either. Reapply vinegar and soda as needed to continue scrubbing. Shake the pennies at the bottom of the dish as they soak to release even more buildup. That's what happens when the copper, oxygen, and chlorine (from the salt) combine (called malachite). While there was little purpose in cleaning the coins that I was about to hand over to the bank teller, the dramatic transformation of watching dingy, grime-covered coins come out sparkling clean was oddly satisfying. Flip the coin over, and let it soak for a few more moments. Heres The Scoop On 1989 Pennies & Their Value. Dry your pennies with a soft cloth. Wet the affected coin with clean tap or distilled water, roll in baking soda, then gently scrub with a soft toothbrush. Keep your pennies and other coins clean reduces the amount of bacteria on their outer surface, which makes you less likely to become ill after handling them. Some people love ketchup so much they even put it on their coins well, maybe not because ketchup makes coins taste any better, but because the shiny, red condiment can help remove grime, grease, and other surface adherents from coins. Then try rubbing the foreign matter off the surface again. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Rinse the pennies thoroughly under running water to remove all residue. For this method, you will use a commercially available cleanser called Bon Ami. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Im a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. If your coins have glue, adhesive, tape residue or any unidentified gooey substance on the surface, this is your best bet to remove it. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Tips for Using Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Mix a fresh batch each time you need it and . Vinegar and Salt Make a solution of vinegar and salt and let the pennies soak. The copper that is dissolved in the vinegar will be attracted to the steel nuts and bolts. This mixture unlocks an effervescent fizz of carbon dioxide that cleans and freshen drains. wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. The wikiHow Video Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. Freshen your sink by mixing one part of baking soda with two parts of vinegar. As time passes, the copper reacts with the different impurities in the air. If the coins are clean and shiny, rinse them thoroughly with warm water and buff them dry with a soft cloth. This procedure gives your pennies a nice DIY copper polish that you can also use for copper items throughout your home. wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Dip a corner of the paper towel into the liquid. Chalk it up to the excitement of having my own money for the first time, but when I was a kid, I loved cleaning dirty pennies collected in my piggy bank before cashing them in at the real bank. If you're thinking of cleaning coins with Baking Soda and Vinegar you'll want to watch this video FIRST and THEN read our helpful tips for cleaning coins safely at home yourself:All of our tips for CLEANING COINS SAFELY are here: https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/cleaning_coins/These are the REASONS YOU SHOULD NOT CLEAN COINS (and what you should do instead):https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/how-to-clean-coins/Here's a list of ALL THE WAYS people are cleaning coins today:https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/how_to_clean_coins/This is HOW YOU CAN TELL if a coin has been cleaned:https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/cleaned-coins/============================SUBSCRIBE to get more COIN TIPS: https://bit.ly/COINSyoutube Hit the BELL next to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a video!============================ABOUT The Fun Times Guide To U.S. The goal of cleaning coins is simply to prevent future damage by removing whatever contamination is already on the coins surface that could further discolor or devalue the coin itself. The highly acidic nature of ketchup helps lift away dirt and debris when gently rubbed onto coins. 0:00 / 7:01 Cleaning Coins With Baking Soda & Vinegar See How Well This Method Works TheFunTimesGuide 1.74K subscribers Subscribe 169K views 3 years ago #coins #coincollecting. Consider using anything acidic: lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and even sodas have been said to help clean rust off of old coins. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is, on a scale from 1 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic), with a neutral value at 7. If you want to learn how to use a commercial metal cleaner, keep reading the article! Rinse the coin again. This article has been viewed 1,414,495 times. Old pencils with erasers that are rock-hard will be difficult to use and may leave deep scratches in the penny. First, the water bath method, followed by the acetone bath method:How To Clean A Coin Without Damaging ItWatch this video on YouTube. I hope that it helps others as well. Now pour some baking soda into a small dish and add some water to make a thick paste. Allow them to sit in the liquid for about two hours and then flip them over. According to coin experts, cleaning any potentially collectible coins might cause them to lose value. If your pennies are scratched and newer than 1982, they may end hollowed out. Coin collecting is a fun hobby for children and people of all ages. If they remain dirty, place them back into the oil and repeat the process. If the residue is difficult to remove, some rubbing alcohol purchased from a drugstore can be used to remove stubborn residue. The powder acts as a gentle abrasive to help loosen stuck-on grime without damaging surfaces. Soak your gross grill grate in a bucket of hot, soapy water for at least 30 minutes. Vinegar and salt Vinegar and salt are the best methods of cleaning your pennies. Note: For pennies minted after 1982, refer to method 5. Combine the white vinegar and table salt in a small container or bowl. 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