To clean your pressed pennies, use a simple mix of 14 14 cup white vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Submerge the pennies for 10–30 seconds until they brighten, scrub any stubborn grime gently with a soft toothbrush, and rinse them thoroughly in clean water to prevent green corrosion.
Vinegar & Salt
Mix up a concoction of vinegar and salt. Stir it around to dissolve the salt and then dump in your dirty pennies. Mix it up a bit and let it sit for several minutes. You will be able to see the cleaning process in action.
Yes, you can use a small amount of Dawn dish soap mixed with warm distilled water to safely remove loose dirt, oils, or stubborn grime from circulated, face-value pocket change. However, cleaning removes a coin's natural patina, which can permanently scratch the surface and drastically reduce its value.
Yes, you can safely clean pennies using hydrogen peroxide. It is highly effective at lifting away caked-on dirt, oils, and green verdigris without damaging the coin's surface or destroying its original patina.
It's easy to clean your smashed pennies (or any copper, for that matter) with a paste made of vinegar, salt and flour. Mix one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of flour together. Add vinegar until a thick paste forms. Dip in the pennies and let them sit until dry.
The oil-base makes WD-40 reasonably effective at removing it without a lot of work. There is of course some sacrifice when this stuff is removed but fortunately the metal underneath is in pretty good condition and the coin, in hand, is much more presentable.
Dawn dish soap will clean everyday dirt, grease, and grime off copper without damaging the metal. However, it will not remove the natural dark oxidation (tarnish) or restore a mirror-like shine. For polishing, you will need to add an acidic ingredient, like vinegar or lemon juice.
Yes, vinegar cleans pennies beautifully, but it works best when you mix it with salt. The mild acid in the vinegar (acetic acid) combines with salt to quickly dissolve the dull, dark copper oxide layer on the coins.
Yes, hydrogen peroxide is corrosive to copper. Because it is a strong oxidizer, hydrogen peroxide rapidly reacts with metallic copper to strip its surface, causing it to tarnish. If the peroxide is acidic or if chloride ions (like salt) are present, it will actively dissolve and etch the metal.
Copper oxide dissolves in a mixture of weak acid and table salt-and vinegar is an acid. You could also clean your pennies with salt and lemon juice or orange juice, because those juices are acids, too.
You should avoid using Dawn dish soap on unsealed, varnished, or waxed wood, fine leather, porous stone (like granite or marble), and cast iron. Because Dawn is a heavy-duty degreaser, it will strip protective oils and finishes, leading to drying, cracking, and dullness over time.
Coin dealers generally avoid "cleaning" coins because harsh methods strip the original luster, scratch the metal, and drastically reduce a coin's numismatic value. However, when dealing with sticky residue, heavy gunk, or PVC damage, dealers and professional conservationists use very specific, non-abrasive methods to stabilize the coin.
To make a dull, tarnished penny shiny again, soak it in a mixture of 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. The acid in the vinegar and the sodium in the salt dissolve the outer layer of copper oxide. Rinse the penny thoroughly in water afterward, or it will turn a blue-green color.
Collectors hate cleaned coins because the process strips away a coin's natural "patina" and often leaves microscopic, irreparable scratches (known as "hairlines"). Cleaning destroys the coin's historical integrity and original mint luster, which causes its numismatic value to drop significantly.
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Because hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizer, it should never be used on leather, unsealed wood, delicate fabrics, certain metals (like copper and brass), natural stone, and electronics. Using it on these items can cause permanent damage, including stripping, cracking, rusting, and discoloration.
A: Yes it can be used on copper.
There are several ways to clean copper. Experts recommend using a good-quality, non-abrasive commercial copper polish. I've been using Wright's metal creams for years. Wright's Copper Cream is a gentle formula that cleans and shines – it's also great for brass.
Yes, you can use a small amount of Dawn dish soap mixed with warm distilled water to safely remove loose dirt, oils, or stubborn grime from circulated, face-value pocket change. However, cleaning removes a coin's natural patina, which can permanently scratch the surface and drastically reduce its value.
Yes, Coca-Cola cleans copper! Because it contains phosphoric acid, Coke breaks down the copper oxide (tarnish) that dulls the metal.
Yes, baking soda does an excellent job cleaning and shining pennies. It works as a mild abrasive to remove grime and can also be used with acids like vinegar or ketchup to dissolve stubborn tarnish.
To make copper shiny again, you can use simple household ingredients like lemon and salt, or vinegar and salt. These act as a natural acid and abrasive to quickly dissolve tarnish and restore a brilliant, mirror-like finish.
Mixing vinegar, dish soap, and baking soda causes a rapid, neutralizing reaction that generates carbon dioxide gas. This produces a thick, bubbly foam because the dish soap traps the escaping gas. While the fizzing looks powerful, it neutralizes both ingredients and effectively leaves behind salt water.
Ketchup cleans copper because it contains vinegar (acetic acid) and tomatoes (citric and oxalic acids). These mild acids break down and dissolve the dull, dark layer of copper oxide (tarnish) on the metal's surface, while natural salt in the ketchup acts as an abrasive to gently scrub it away.