Cleaning copper coins at home

If you are worried that your collection has darkened or items have become dirty, first of all, consider the fact that some precious coins are more valuable with a touch. It is he who is a sign of antiquity. If dust or fat simply accumulated on them, the question arises of how and how to clean coins from different metals and in general, whether it is possible to clean copper coins at home. Of course, you can do this, but you need to know several features of such a procedure and apply the right technology and tools.

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What metals are coins made of?

Depending on what historical period the banknote belongs to, which you have available, in which country it was made, a coin can be made of:

• silver;
• gold;
• copper;
• zinc;
• bronzes;
• cupronickel;
• platinum;
• aluminum;
• gland;
• tin;
• chromium.

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How to clear coins?

Cleaning copper or any other coins at home can be done using the following tools:

• soap solution;
• ammonia;
• lemon acid;
• Toothpaste;
• Coca Cola;
• special chemistry for cleaning jewelry.

You will apply funds and remove dirt with the help of improvised tools:

• soft rags;
• soft or medium hard brushes;
• thin needles.

Important! Be sure to keep in mind that everyday use of the coin can be cleaned with more complex and aggressive substances, without fear of damaging them. Cleaning old and valuable coins requires a mandatory delicate approach, otherwise the procedure may destroy them or reduce the cost of the product.

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Universal cleaning methods for copper coins

Before cleaning a coin from any metal with suitable complex or aggressive solutions, in your opinion, try using the most simple, universal methods.

Option 1

1. Prepare a warm soapy solution.
2. Dip the stained items into it.
3. Leave for a while.
4. Rub lightly with a rag or sponge to remove dirt.
5. Put the coin in a soft, clean cloth so that it dries.

Option 2

1. Rub the soap on a fine grater - any children's or household.
2. Add a little water to the mixture to make slurry.
3. Put all the coins in it.
4. Leave for 1-2 days, very dirty - for a week.
5. Remove, rinse with water, rub lightly with a soft brush and dry properly.
6. Make sure cash items are clean.

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How to clean daily coins?

If you just don’t like to use dirty money, and such money fell into your hands and you decided to independently cope with the task of how to clear coins, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

1. Mix vinegar with a little water.
2. Dampen a cotton pad in it and rub the surface of the product.
3. Apply a small amount of toothpaste to an unnecessary brush and process the metal.
4. Clean with a damp sponge or rag.
5. Polish with a dry rag to a shine.

Method 2

1. Put all items in a bowl of warm water.
2. Sprinkle soda on top.
3. Leave for half an hour.
4. Brush with soda.
5. Rinse under running water and dry the coins.

Method 3

1. Pour cola into any convenient container.
2. Put dirty money in it for the night.
3. Take out in the morning and rinse under running water.

Method 4

1. Take a not very concentrated hydrochloric acid solution.
2. Dip a cotton pad in it.
3. Rub the surface of the coins.
4. Dry properly by placing between a soft cloth.

Important! Using this method, to solve the problem of how to clean copper coins at home, be sure to work with gloves so as not to damage the skin of your hands.

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How to clean old or precious coins?

As mentioned above, precious coins require a special approach. Therefore, before cleaning old coins, find out which metal or alloy they are made of. After that, use the methods below that are suitable for a specific type of coin.

Gold

This metal can safely be washed from dirt in this way:

1. Take ⅛ of the bar of soap, grate it and dilute the chips in 1 liter of warm water.
2. Soak the coins in the solution for a while.
3. Rub them with your fingers.
4. Place a pot of coins in soapy water on a fire and heat slightly, but do not bring to a boil.
5. Remove and rinse all items with clean water.
6. Lay on the fabric to dry.

Silver

If you decide how and how to clean silver coins, be sure to consider the sample of metal and how much it has oxidized. The most gentle, but quite effective way of cleaning looks like this:

1. Pour ammonia into a plate.
2. Put all the coins in it.
3. Leave for 1 hour.
4. Lightly wipe and leave on a moisture-absorbing cloth to dry.

Important! To clean low-grade silver, you can also use a product called “Trilon B”. Detailed instructions for its use are indicated on the package.

Iron

To cope with traces of rust and whitish stains on iron coins, this solution will help:

1. Take a weak solution of hydrochloric acid, dip a cotton pad into it.
2. Wipe all iron products carefully.
3. Rub a very dirty place with a brush with brass bristles or remove with a needle.
4. Rinse under running water.
5. Dry and grate with a felt cloth to return the product to its former shine.

Copper

To solve the problem of how and how to clean copper, vinegar or even Cilit cleaning agent, which perfectly removes rust, is suitable. Both options are suitable not only for processing household items, but also in order to cope with such a problem as cleaning copper coins at home.

To apply the first remedy, proceed as follows:

1. Pour vinegar into any container.
2. Dip copper coins into it.
3. Leave for some time - determine the processing time based on how dirty the product is.
4. Take out and dry.

In the second case:

1. Apply the paste on the metal surface.
2. Rub lightly with a sponge or soft brush.
3. Rinse with running warm water.
4. Dry on a soft cloth.

Coins of the USSR

In Soviet times, money was minted mainly from copper, as well as from an alloy of aluminum, nickel or zinc with copper. Therefore, before you clean the coins of the USSR, specify which alloy was used for your products.

Please note that during the procedure, the following recommendations:

1. Aluminum does not tolerate aggressive chemicals, so the use of soap and brush is more suitable for such coin cleaning.
2. Those products that include zinc in the alloy, a weakly concentrated solution of hydrochloric acid is quite suitable. To do this, lower the coin into it, but not for long, and then clean the coating with brass wire.
3. For nickel, a special solvent like WD-40 or vinegar is suitable.

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How can you not clean coins?

Before cleaning coins from any metal at home, please note that it is categorically not recommended for this purpose to use:

• Any abrasive powders and tools - for example, sandpaper, a metal brush or modern household chemicals - will quickly remove not only dirt, but also patina on expensive products, because of which their price will drop sharply.
• Concentrates of acetic, hydrochloric, nitric or sulfuric acids - their effect can completely melt the embossing pattern.
• Heat treatment at high temperatures - it can simply melt the metal or cause it to crumble after cooling.

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Now you know how to clean coins of various types and we hope that after using our useful tips in practice, you have managed to return the appeal to your collection.