How to Clean Coins to Shine

We all use money, and, of course, it's much nicer to take them in hand when they are clean. The question of how to clear coins to shine often arises also among those who purchase valuable collectible money not for everyday use, but as a profitable investment. How to do it correctly, you will learn from this article.

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How to clear coins?

Various means are suitable for cleaning money. It can be:

• toothpaste;
• liquid ammonia;
• vinegar;
• lemon or citric acid powder;
• Coke;
• baby or household soap;
• special tools.

In addition, you will need:

• soft rag;
• brush with soft or medium-stiff bristles;
• thin needle.

Important! Please note that the technology cleaning old coins and for everyday use will be very different. The former require a more careful and careful approach with less aggressive means.

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How to wash coins at home?

You can clear common metal money in several simple ways.

Option 1

1. Wipe the coins beforehand with a solution of vinegar - 3-5%.
2. Gently treat the surface with a brush with a small amount of toothpaste.
3. Remove residues with a damp cloth.
4. gently polish to a shine with a dry cloth.

Option 2

1. Put money in the water.
2. Wipe the surface of the coin with soda directly in water.
3. Treat with cotton wool soaked in ammonia.
4. Re-treat with soda, rubbing it into the surface.
5. Wash with water and polish.

Option 3

1. Pour into the bowl of Coke.
2. Drop the coins and leave it overnight.
3. In the morning, take out money from Coca-Cola.
4. Rinse with running water to ensure that they are not sticky.
5. Polish with a soft duster.

Option 4

1. Wipe the coins with a solution of hydrochloric acid - not very concentrated.
2. Dry the product gently.

Important! Take into account, all these methods are quite aggressive and there may be small scratches on the coin. Therefore, to apply such methods cleaning for antique coins is unacceptable.

A more gentle way of cleaning - baby or household soap:

1. Take ⅛ part of the bar per 1 liter of water.
2. Wipe the soap on a grater or dissolve in a whole piece in water - in the second case the procedure will be longer. Soak the coins in the prepared solution.
3. Keep them for 3-10 hours, depending on the degree of contamination.
4. Lightly rub with a soft brush - the old tooth will do.
5. As soon as the coins light up again, rinse with running water and polish with a dry rag.

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How to clean old coins?

Before you start cleaning the old expensive coins, be sure to determine the alloy from which they are made. This is what will become the determining criterion in the choice of a suitable means and technology for rubbing dirt.

Gold

To clear money from this metal, do the following:

1. Prepare a soapy solution from children's or household soap with water in proportion of 1/8 of the bar per 1 liter of water. Soak for a short while and gently rub with your fingers.
2. Put the pan on a fire and heat it - the effect will be much better. But in any case, do not boil!
3. Repeat the procedure if necessary.
4. Dry by placing a coin between soft tissues.

Important! Do not use brushes and rub the coin even after washing. Please note that the whole process can take up to 10 days.

Silver

Method for cleaning silver coins, select, taking into account 2 factors:

• how much metal has oxidized;
• alloy test.

To wipe off dirt from high-grade money with signs of strong oxidation:

1. Pour ammonia into the bowl.
2. Put precious products in it.
3. Hold for 1 hour.
4. Place between soft, well-absorbent fabric until the surface dries completely.

Base products should be cleaned with a special tool - Trilon B.How to use it, indicated in the instructions.

Copper and bronze

Bronze and copper are original metals. The distinctive properties of these alloys is the formation over time of a natural touch of dark brown, and even almost black shade, patina. It is she who will point to the true age of the coin, to serve as a determining factor in the evaluation of the product. In addition, the more equal and more homogeneous this deposit, the more beautiful the coin itself looks.

Important! Do not try to clean the patina - this will not only reduce the cost of the coin, but you can damage the metal itself.

On the surface of such products, dust and dirt accumulate and green spots may appear - they require removal. To do this, follow these instructions:

1. Wash the coin under running water.
2. Gently wipe with a solution of 9% vinegar or citric acid.
3. Rinse again with a warm water product.
4. Dry by wrapping in a soft cloth, but do not rub it.

Iron

The main problem of this metal is corrosion and whitish coating. You can get rid of them like this:

1. Wipe the money from iron with a weak solution of hydrochloric acid.
2. Gently clean the severely damaged areas with a brass wire brush or a thin needle.
3. Wash with running water as soon as all oxides and rust have melted and easily removed.
4. Dry by wrapping the product in a soft cloth.
5. Wipe with felt to return the shine to the coin.

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Than you can not clean the coins?

Before cleaning coins at home, also note that such tools and substances are not suitable for this purpose:

• highly concentrated solutions of nitric, acetic, sulfuric and hydrochloric acid - they can melt the coining on the product and the whole drawing;
• sandpaper - it completely removes the patina from bronze and copper and changes the hammered topography of the surface;
• heating to maximum heat - this can lead to the destruction of metal, and accordingly after the procedure, the coin will simply crumble;
• brushes with metal pile - they are much stiffer than brass or with artificial and natural hair, therefore also lead to a change in the relief of the surface of valuable coins.

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Useful tips

1. To keep the integrity of coins made of copper and bronze longer, cover them with a thin layer of furniture lacquer, for example, НЦ-222.
2. If the product is badly damaged, crumbles in your hands, or you are not sure that you can clean the old coin yourself, take it to a specialist restorer immediately.

Using our tips, you can easily return the shine and shine to the expensive coins from your collection, if you follow these rules.