How to Clean Pennies With Salt, Baking Soda, Soap & Vinegar

Vinegar and Salt

• 1

  Pour 1 to 2 tsp. salt into a bowl and add 1 tsp. white vinegar. Stir the mixture around slightly to form a paste consistency.

• 2

  Place the penny into the bowl and completely cover it with the paste mixture. Allow the penny to sit in the mixture for approximately five minutes.

• 3

  Remove the penny from the bowl using your fingers and hold it under a stream of running water to remove all traces of salt and vinegar.

• 4

  Dry the penny off with a towel and you will see that all tarnish is gone and the penny is shiny again.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

• 5

  Place 1 tbsp. baking soda into a bowl and place the penny into the baking soda. Make sure that there is baking soda on the bottom of the penny as well as the top.

• 6

  Pour 1 to 2 tsp. white vinegar into the bowl directly on top of the baking soda. As you pour, you will see that the vinegar interacts with the baking soda to form bubbles.

• 7

  Allow the penny to sit in the foamy mixture for five minutes and remove it with your fingers.

• 8

  Rinse the penny in clean water and dry it off.

Soap

• 9

  Use a grater to shave off 1 to 2 tsp. of an abrasive bar soap. These soaps feel gritty to the touch rather than smooth. Place the shavings into a bowl.

• 10

  Add 1 tbsp. either white vinegar or lemon juice to the soap flakes and stir them with a spoon to begin dissolving them.

• 11

  Place the penny into the mixture and rub the penny between your fingers using the abrasive action of the soap to clean it.

• 12

  Remove the penny and rinse it in clean water.