# My euros are mouldy! How to fix? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 14, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320 "2008-03-14T02:50:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/1 "2008-03-14T02:50:24Z")
Since I’m planning a trip to Europe, I dug into my Box of Foreign Coins to get the euro coins I knew were there. The good news: I have E14.35 in change (even though I do not have a euro-sign on my keyboard). The bad news: some of the coins are spotted or discoloured. Do euro coins react with other coins or each other over time? They were jumbled among British, US, Chinese, Ukrainian, and European pre-euro coins. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/2 "2008-03-14T08:23:26Z")
They can react with other coins, yes, specially if you’re in a humid place. The coppery ones are the worst. Have you tried giving them a wash with regular hand soap or glycerin soap? In most cases this takes away the worst of the “attack” without rendering the coin unusable. Dry each with a soft cloth and leave them to finish drying on another. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/3 "2008-03-14T08:43:08Z")
It’s said you can clean pennies with Taco Bell “hot” sauce. I imagine it’s the vinegar that really does it… [consulting with Google] …Heh, seems someone [determined](http://cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/cleaningcopper.html) experimentally that it’s vinegar in combination with salt. So, you can raid your nearest Taco Bell (assuming you have them up there) for their crap sauce, buy a cheap bottle of hot sauce, or mix your own salt and vinegar solution. Now, this works with copper coins, I don’t know if it would work with other metals. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/4 "2008-03-14T09:43:08Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Since I’m planning a trip to Europe, I dug into my Box of Foreign Coins to get the euro coins I knew were there. The good news: I have E14.35 in change (even though I do not have a euro-sign on my keyboard). The bad news: some of the coins are spotted or discoloured. Do euro coins react with other coins or each other over time? They were jumbled among British, US, Chinese, Ukrainian, and European pre-euro coins. [/QUOTE] Discoloured coins, you say? Europe, you say? There’s only one man and one product for the job. [Hi, Barry Scott here…Look what it did to that penny!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGE7bO6Mg8) ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/5 "2008-03-14T14:03:49Z")
Don’t bother with cleaning. Just spend them when you’re in Europe. Sooner or later, they will end up in a bank, and the bank will take them out and replace them. That’s what they do with mouldy euro’s, and banknotes that are stained, torn, or ended up in the clothes wash cycle. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/6 "2008-03-14T14:12:58Z")
You could trade them in for dollars – you’ll get more of them now than ever before 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/7 "2008-03-14T14:19:29Z")
[QUOTE=Gary Kumquat] [Hi, Barry Scott here…Look what it did to that penny!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGE7bO6Mg8) [/QUOTE] Nice 🙂 Would a spot of coca-cola not do the job for you? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/8 "2008-03-14T14:59:16Z")
[QUOTE=Gary Kumquat] Discoloured coins, you say? Europe, you say? There’s only one man and one product for the job. [Hi, Barry Scott here…Look what it did to that penny!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGE7bO6Mg8) [/QUOTE] If that doesn’t work, [this](http://youtube.com/watch?v=9froOhQ6Vb8) might. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/9 "2008-03-14T19:05:09Z")
[QUOTE=Maastricht] Don’t bother with cleaning. Just spend them when you’re in Europe. Sooner or later, they will end up in a bank, and the bank will take them out and replace them. That’s what they do with mouldy euro’s, and banknotes that are stained, torn, or ended up in the clothes wash cycle. [/QUOTE] Yeah but sometimes people at stores don’t like getting coins in real bad shape. I’ve never seen them reject one, but it sure can hold up the line. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/10 "2008-03-14T20:07:07Z")
Thanks, everyone. I never thought I’d need to launder my change… ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/11 "2008-03-14T20:27:45Z")
[QUOTE=Maastricht] Don’t bother with cleaning. Just spend them when you’re in Europe. [/QUOTE] We’re not interested in spending them! Science will find an answer! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/12 "2008-03-14T20:41:08Z")
[QUOTE=Gary Kumquat] Discoloured coins, you say? Europe, you say? There’s only one man and one product for the job. [Hi, Barry Scott here…Look what it did to that penny!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGE7bO6Mg8) [/QUOTE] Yike. Should I be glad they don’t actually have commercials like that on our TV? Or do they? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/13 "2008-03-14T20:57:39Z")
[QUOTE=Gary Kumquat] [Hi, Barry Scott here…Look what it did to that penny!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGE7bO6Mg8) [/QUOTE] That has to be the most annoying commercial ever made. I couldn’t even stand it long enough to get to the part about the coin (assuming there is one). ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-euros-are-mouldy-how-to-fix/441320/14 "2008-03-14T23:12:47Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] That has to be the most annoying commercial ever made. I couldn’t even stand it long enough to get to the part about the coin (assuming there is one). [/QUOTE] I think it was a remix. (People are remixing their favourite commercials now?)