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Homemade Coin Cleaning Solutions

If coin collecting is your hobby or passion, it is important to keep your collection looking its best. This means cleaning your coins and removing any dirt or other residue that may have collected on them and corroded the metal over the years. You will need a special cleaning solution that's gentle enough not to damage the coins, but strong enough to remove the gunk from your collection as well.

Preparing
- Purchase a box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda. This is different from the typical baking soda. This will be the main ingredient when cleaning your coins.
  Get a large glass bowl or dish and cover it with aluminum foil. Make sure the foil is flat and does not have any large creases in it, which may result in having dirty spots when the coins rest on the foil during the cleaning.
Cleaning
- Boil a pot of water. The hotter the water, the better. Once the water begins to boil, pour it into the glass bowl covered in tin foil. Drop in coins that you want to clean. If you plan on doing more than one at a time, make sure they do not touch. In addition, it is probably best if you do not mix metals while cleaning (so do not wash pennies and quarters at the same time). Once the coins settle, pour in 2 tsp. (more if the corrosion is heavy) of the Super Washing Soda into the hot water and stir until the powder is partially dissolved.
Process
- Allow the water to sit and cool to room temperature. As this occurs, you will see the buildup on the coins begin to dilute the color of the water. Once the water is at room temperature, remove the coins from their bath. They should be completely clean now. However, if they are not, repeat the process by pouring the water out and placing new aluminum foil onto the bottom of the glass bowl. Boil more water and repeat the process. Multiple washings will not damage the coins at all.

Coin Collecting