\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. The only downside to using cola to clean pennies is that this process takes a little longer than using vinegar or lemon juice and salt. In about a minute, your penny will turn from dull brown into bright copper color. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 69,924 times. Wait about five minutes and check your pennies. Combining these two common household substances can produce incredible results in the kitchen, but it's important to not combine them in equal amounts because you need to keep the mixture in either the acidic or basic side of the neutral value. Gently swirl the cup so the penny is completely covered with ketchup. Sprinkle the cleaner over the pennies and let them sit for a few minutes. To make pennies shiny again, fill a small glass bowl with cup (60 mL) of white vinegar If you dont have any vinegar, you can use lemon juice instead. Tips for Using Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Mix a fresh batch each time you need it and . Remove hard water stains by placing a vinegar-soaked towel over the affected area. bottle of Goo Gone brand adhesive remover, Easily removes glue, tape residue, and adhesives, May have to let the coin soak for a while. 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. Coins:We help you identify U.S. coins worth money! Do You Have A Rare 1989 Penny Worth $3,000? And, the beauty of cleaning a coin this way is that it really isnt even considered cleaning at all, by most standards. So, what ways shouldnt you clean your coins? This recipe uses the mild acidic power of the vinegar along with salt to create a chemical reaction with the coins to remove copper oxide. Pour cola over the top of the coins until they are covered. For this method, you will use a commercially available cleanser called Bon Ami. Baking soda has a pH of 9, while vinegar has a pH of 2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. You can get Lincoln penniesby the roll at your local bank, or check with your parents or grandparents if they have a big-old-jar full of pennies and spare change sitting on top of their dresser. Real Experiences. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This video is for demonstration purposes only on coins that are only worth face value. This method is the best way to clean your pennies, and it will produce a very bright orangey-copper color on your pennies. Rinse the penny under warm water and dry with a soft towel. Follow the same procedure and your copper pot will look like new again. A clear, shallow bowl (not metal) 2 clean steel nails. If your coins have glue, adhesive, tape residue or any unidentified gooey substance on the surface, this is your best bet to remove it. "When you are cleaning using baking soda or vinegar, you are actually doing very complicated manipulations of molecules," said May Nyman, a professor in the department of chemistry at Oregon State University. Soak your gross grill grate in a bucket of hot, soapy water for at least 30 minutes. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Wait about five minutes and check your pennies. Consider adding salt to your vinegar/citric acid/soda. After the front side is clean, flip the coin over and rub the eraser on the backside. Rub the baking soda into the face of each coin with your fingers to scrub away the dirt and grime. If the coins are clean and shiny, rinse them thoroughly with warm water and buff them dry with a soft cloth. Stir the salt until it dissolves into the vinegar. Who doesnt love a little ketchup with their French fries? Add a half a cup of baking soda with the laundry detergent to supercharge the cleaning process. Use your fingers to work the cleaning paste into the surface of each coin and then rinse them under warm water to wash all residue away. Finally, the coin is placed in a solution of baking soda and water to neutralize the pH before removing, rinsing, drying, and polishing. Should Coin Collectors Clean Their Coins? First, mix a small amount of dishwashing liquid and water together. If you dont have any of this product, make a paste from baking soda and vinegar and apply the same way. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. Flip the coin over, and let it soak for a few more moments. Dip a corner of the paper towel into the liquid. Then try rubbing the foreign matter off the surface again. As time passes, the copper reacts with the different impurities in the air. This makes them harder to distinguish from other coins and may make you reluctant to handle them. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Squeeze enough ketchup or Tabasco sauce into a small container or bowl to cover your pennies and place the coins into the sauce, making sure they do not overlap. This article comes with a significant warning from coin collectors and appraisers worldwide. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Agitate the water with your hands to create sudsy water and place the dirty pennies into the tub. The highly acidic nature of ketchup helps lift away dirt and debris when gently rubbed onto coins. If you buy thru these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Using the old, soft toothbrush scrub the face of the coin softly. If you don't wash them off, a blue-green sheen will develop on your pennies. Therefore, before you clean any coin, be sure to determine if it is a valuable coin. In a suitably sized cup, bowl or basin, stir salt - approximately 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of vinegar - into white vinegar until it's dissolved. Kill mildew in laundry using baking soda and vinegar. Give the pennies a good rinse, dry them in a towel, and they should be shining like new. Here's how to clean a penny with ketchup: Put a generous squeeze of ketchup into a small container, ideally ceramic, glass or plastic. Hold your coin under gently running tepid water for a few moments not too hot, and not too cold. Specific elements are required to clean copper properly and turn dirty pennies into shiny pennies. I enjoy sharing my favorite coin collecting tips and coin collecting basics with those who are just getting started in this exciting coin collecting hobby! American Numismatic Association (ANA) - member Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) - member and Coin Journalist award winner Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine) - editor Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (book) - authorLet's CONNECT:Pinterest: https://bit.ly/FunWithCoinsTwitter: https://twitter.com/FunCoins#coincleaning #coincollecting #coins ============================Related QUESTIONS I'm often asked: Can you clean old coins with vinegar?Does baking soda damage silver coins?Will vinegar damage coins?Can you use baking soda to clean coins?How do you clean coins without damaging them?See the ANSWERS to those questions here:https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/cleaning_coins/ wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Our coin collecting videos and articles will help you get your questions about coins answered quickly and accurately. This article has been viewed 1,414,495 times. Using copper cleaning methods on a zinc coin turns the penny black. Soak them in a bucket of warm water and vinegar for about 15 minutes. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/3a\/Clean-Pennies-with-Vinegar-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-Pennies-with-Vinegar-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/3a\/Clean-Pennies-with-Vinegar-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid8789167-v4-728px-Clean-Pennies-with-Vinegar-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"