# How do you clean coins? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687 "2014-07-21T19:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687/21 "2014-07-22T05:40:15Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Did you guys realize that “cleaning coins” is a trigger phrase for **samclem**? > > 😃 Yes. Do not clean any coins that you think may be valuable to collectors. Leave them as is and the professionals can decide if they are better with patina, and if they aren’t, they know how to clean them. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687/22 "2014-07-22T05:52:10Z")
I once had to help clean coins from a fast food restaurant donation box on a regular basis. People would toss all kinds of crap in the boxes, and the one below the drive-through filled up with dead bugs at night. What we did was take a five-gallon pail full of coins, and put several handfulls at a time into dish soap and water in a colander (which we never used for anything else after that!). soak for a while, jingle and shake, run clean water through while stirring, rinse and repeat. spread over an old towel to dry, then do the next batch. That got rid of almost anything except chewing gum. Unless it was not a penny, we didn’t bother scraping that. If the gig was going to last much longer, we talked about getting a coin sorter or something, but after a while it was someone else’s problem. We also talked about setting the oven on very low and putting towels in on baking trays to speed drying. You do NOT want to leave pennies wet together for very long. Fortunately, Canada no longer uses pennies, so whoever has that job now no longer has to roll $200 worth of pennies. I assume the OP is not talking about that volume of coins. Yes, soft drinks tend to be acidic which helps in removing surface rust etc. The trick is to not let coins oxidize in the first place if you can. There’s also brushing with an old toothbrush for moderately valuable coins, but whitening toothpaste contains a mild abrasive, so what I recall you don’t want to use this on really valuable and especially soft, real silver coins. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687/23 "2014-07-22T07:14:48Z")
If its silver, Martha sez, [baking soda.](http://www.marthastewart.com/272676/removing-tarnish) ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687/24 "2014-07-22T14:43:41Z")
As **The Second Stone** says, you do NOT want to clean coins that may have collector value, that would include pretty much all real silver coins. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687/25 "2014-07-22T15:37:17Z")
Assuming some general pocket change, tie about 20-30 in an old sock and run it through the wash with some jeans or other heavy-materialed items. Towels work well too. Anything other than pocket change, don’t clean it. Like others said, you can turn a $8000 coin into a $800 coin real fast with nothing but a Q-tip and good intentions. If you aren’t sure if your coins are collectible, shoot either me or Samclem a PM or just start a thread. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687/26 "2014-07-22T15:48:23Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Put them in a mesh bag and into the washing machine with your laundry. In my experience, coins that go through the laundry come out very clean. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687/27 "2014-07-22T18:04:23Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I am certainly not a chemistry expert but various cites say that it does create at least some HCL. It can’t be a lot because the mixture won’t burn your hands or feel like anything in the short-term but it will clean coins quickly and well. I will let the chemistry experts explain the specific reaction in more detail but it does work. > > [Easy way to make hydrochloric acid - Inorganic Chemistry - Science Forums](http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/27716-easy-way-to-make-hydrochloric-acid/) It probably doesn’t really create any appreciable amount under normal conditions, otherwise pickles would be pretty much dissolved, considering that salt and vinegar are the main things in pickle brine. I’d bet that a soak in vinegar with a tiny amount of detergent would do a better job than salt and vinegar for the same time period. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687/28 "2014-07-23T01:05:37Z")
Salt and vinegar taste really good on fish and chips, I’m told. Brits aren’t missing their tongues. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clean-coins/693687.md?page=1)