Other coins are molded from different metals, so the solution may not work as well on them. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Do not clean these valuable pennies on your own, and if you do, only use distilled water. Copper is a soft metal, so copper coins are prone to degrading over time. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Method 1 Using Simple Washing Download Article 1 Sort your coins. Gently scrub them with either a soft toothbrush or your fingers. tb1234. If they look clean enough, use a soft cloth to dry them. Cleaning these will absolutely devalue them if they are not cleaned properlyso just be mindful of this. "Knowing how to safely clean copper is big time helpful. 2. Anyone can use this simple technique. They include: Fresh lemon juice Salt White vinegar A toothbrush Baking soda A small container A paper towel. Apmex is a well-known auction site for coins. The Nokta Makro CF77 Coin Finder is another great detector for coin shooting. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". If you dont have vinegar, lemon juice should work just fine. But if you simply want to clean the coins for non-commercial reasons (for example, you just want a bunch of cleaned pennies youve found to become part of your coin collection), the vinegar/lemon juice method will be good enough. Let them air dry the rest of the way. There are a variety of suggested ways when it comes to cleaning coins, and cleaning . Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part vinegar. This service does not come with a grading protection guarantee. You can clean as many pennies you want with a single pencil eraser. Subscribe To Me: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TheBoxUnboxed https://twitter.com/TheBoxUnboxed Use Promo Code TBU for 10% off GFUEL http://www.gammalabs.net Use Promo Code TBU For 5% off Custom Pc's at http://lostlegionpcs.webs.com/ Use Promo Code tbu for NoScope Gaming Glasses or use the link below https://www.noscopeglasses.com/demon-glasses?tracking=tbu Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Next, soak the coins in the solution for 5 minutes, making sure theyre spread out so theyre all submerged. Have them professionally cleaned or sell them as is. You can also opt for durable plastic holders, which can be square or round. This way, you should not have to worry about cleaning them on a regular basis. This website uses cookies to improve your experience, but you may opt out if you wish. You just cant see them because they are microscopicbut your intended buyer will see them. If you are keeping them for sentimental value or for your own personal collection, you may certainly clean them. With your paper towel, clean the pennies carefully and watch how they start getting clean and shiny. Brighten old, dark pennies in seconds! They can eliminate or reduce the effects of outside contaminates that have caused issues with your coins. Coins made of nickel and silver will be easily cleaned; however, coins made out of copper will be harder to clean as copper reacts to more materials than other metals. Its important to note that cleaning tarnish off valuable or rare coins can greatly affect their value. Make a bath using a cup of isopropyl alcohol combined with two tablespoons of salt. Looking to achieve that bright, orange-copper color? Basically, it all depends on why you are getting your pennies cleaned in the first place. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Soak coins in warm water mixed with liquid dish detergent to clean off light dirt and grime. Exposure to air leads to the formation of copper oxide. Pennies get dull and dirty because the copper in the pennies reacts with oxygen in the air to form copper oxide. Some other options to use in place of vinegar include orange or lemon juice. This detector works very well in areas with high soil mineralization. It only requires rubbing the penny with a pencil eraser. For tips on how to shine your coins with baking soda, read on! If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 438,144 times. Simply run the water over the coin, or let it soak in the water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUbe88W78I0&feature=youtu.be&t=13, https://sciencebob.com/clean-pennies-with-vinegar/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMp2OYpCq8&feature=youtu.be&t=27, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHZSYR463uw&feature=youtu.be&t=41, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS9-A1TO67c&feature=youtu.be&t=45, https://www.pennycollector.com/cleaning.html, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/shine-bright-like-a-penny/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7cfVkadI_A&feature=youtu.be&t=174, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7cfVkadI_A&feature=youtu.be&t=928, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUPuRLcm7WY&feature=youtu.be&t=516, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUPuRLcm7WY&feature=youtu.be&t=542. Start with two tablespoons of baking soda, mixing it with water into a bowl. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Mouthwash not only helps with dental health but can help you clean up dirty coins. In fact, 99% of coins do not increase in value after you clean them. Something like a penny for example. Steel pennies were abandoned the following year, and brass pennies were introduced. Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen peroxide can prove effective in removing various materials, including organic material. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Like vinegar, ammonia has a strong chemical odor, so you may want to wear gloves when cleaning with this method. If you are planning to sell your cleaned pennies, using chemicals or scrubbing methods for cleaning could leave marks on the coins and an appraiser could easily discover this, which will greatly reduce the market value of your pennies. Just make sure that you gently apply the olive oil and you can help prevent tarnish over time. Its found naturally in wine, and it works by breaking down the copper oxide coating on your pennies. Use distilled water because chemicals in tap water may cause discoloration. You can also clean pennies with a combination of salt and lemon juice or salt and orange juice. "What stood out was that very common household ingredients were used.". You like wouldnt need the professional cleaning. Repeat this process as many times as necessary before allowing the coins to air dry. Soak your pennies for five minutes in vinegar to dissolve any copper oxide left on them from handling before you start scrubbing them with toothpaste or soap. You want something a bit more gentle for silver coins but you will need a heavier abrasive for your copper pennies. Even if they appear corroded and lacking shine or have a tarnish on them. Use your soft cloth to dry them off gently in order to prevent any scratching. There are also various commercial cleaners available in the market to clean your pennies, but they may prove a bit expensive if you have lots of pennies to clean. Water is one of the best and safest ways to clean your wheat pennies. I hope you enjoyed this article and have learned more about how to clean wheat pennies! Plain tap water is a good options, if you know your water is not corrosive or hard. For older, condition-sensitive coins, a gentle bath of water and mild hand soap will suffice. Kids Metal Detectors Cleaning them can go wrong very quicklyand who wants to devalue their newly found treasure? Submerge the coins in a shallow bath of vinegar and let them soak for at least an hour. An alternative is to use vinyl erasers, but they do not contain abrasive, which is typically found in pencil erasers. Continue to slowly add water to the baking soda until it takes on the consistency of paste. If you have a penny that has been cleaned with another method but still looks dull or dirty, try using the baking soda and salt method to bring back its shine. If you feel that it needs longer, you can soak it for up to 15 minutes. Dissolve 1 tsp (7 g) of table salt in a bowl with of white distilled vinegar. It might even be a good idea to stay away from even hiring a professional service to clean them for you. One not so common cleaning method I found is using ketchup. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Use a soft cloth to rub the paste on the surface of the copper. The advantage is it will not cause any decrease in numismatic value, but there are better options for cleaning materials. Since all alcohol is neutral (having neither acidic or alkaline charges) it will only remove ceraint oil base soils. Its best to wear rubber gloves when handling the ketchup and penny because they can both leave your hands stained red if you arent careful! Beach Metal Detectors Dont leave them in a bowl of water, since the vinegar solution and copper oxide will end up in the bowl and on other coins. Mix equal parts distilled water and lemon juice into a container. Just make sure you keep the rubbing to a minimum. Clean pennies with Vinegar and Salt NurdRage 664K views 10 years ago How to CLEAN coins HardCoreCopper 43K views 1 year ago Coin Collecting : How Do I Clean Dirty Coins?. Dab some yellow mustard onto a cotton ball or soft cloth and rub firmly over the entire surface of the coin until it starts turning darker than usualthis means that its working! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Some wheat pennies found can be worth a small fortune. Other Ways To Clean Copper Coins Without Damaging Them 1. There are coins worth thousands upon thousands of dollars, all contingent on the condition of the coin. Try not to rub the coin too much with your fingers or the dirt, silt, and other residue on the surface can damage the coin. This detector features multiple search frequencies and has 2 different coin modes: one for foreign coins and one for U.S. coins. Retrieve the coins from the vinegar and apply a few teaspoons of baking soda to each coin. Seatown Cleaners offers standard, deep, and move-in/out cleaning services using green products and cleaning techniques. If necessary, a little bit of gentle soap can be used, with Ivory soap being the preferred brand. They were initially made of bronze, a 95 percent copper alloy. Soak your quarters in lemon juice. With this simple technique, anyone can get their penny as clean as it once was. Use sparing amounts of oil to avoid damaging coins. If you don't have any vinegar on hand, a 1:1 ratio of water to acetone will produce the same effect. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". We hope you enjoy these tips and find the one that works best for you! Some other options include you can at least look into are: There are many rust removers you can use to clean your coins, and some of them can be very fast and effective, but that is just part of what you need. The best way to clean pennies is to never ever clean them. Dry them off with paper towels. It is very gentle and can help reveal details on the coin surface you may not be able to see. For this reason, only clean coins that have little value, such as standard pennies. In terms of valuable wheat pennies, while it can range vastly depending on the pennys condition, here are some best case scenarios in terms of value for a select few: If you happen to have one of these in your wheat penny collection, consider yourself incredibly lucky! Patience is key: The best way to clean a copper coin is by using patience and not being afraid to try new methods until one works well enough for you without scratching up your penny too much while doing so. As for what is best to add and enhance the cleaning action, I'm not sure. This means distilled water. But, when you combine vinegar with other ingredients, it will become a cleaning agent, not a tarnishing agent. The Garrett Ace Apex is one of my favorite metal detectors for coin shooting.