Easy & Effective Ways to Clean Dirty Coins at Home

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Find the best cleaners to use on your pocket change and old collectible coins

Co-authored by Alicia Sokolowski and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: October 13, 2024 Fact Checked

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Removing Tarnish from Coins

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Basic Coin Cleaning

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Caring for Collectible Coins

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

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Do you want to make the dull and dirty coins in your collection shine like they’re brand new again? Over the years, they can get coated in dirt, grime, and tarnish, but you can easily clean most coins at home with products you already have. Before you start scrubbing all your coins, there are a few things you should know. Keep reading to find the best household hacks for cleaning coins, and what you should do differently if they’re antique collectibles.

Things You Should Know

Soak coins in warm water mixed with liquid dish detergent to clean off light dirt and grime. Wash each coin gently with a soft toothbrush before rinsing and drying it.
Scrub low-value coins with baking soda and vinegar, lemon juice and salt, or ketchup to break apart tarnish.
Remove tough tarnish on coins by soaking them in hydrogen peroxide or cola. Alternatively, dip each coin in a commercial cleaner.
Check with a professional coin grading service before cleaning collectible or antique coins since they may be more valuable in their current condition.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Removing Tarnish from Coins

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1
Scrub pocket change with baking soda and vinegar. Dip your coins in white distilled vinegar and let them soak for about 30 seconds. Take one coin out of the vinegar at a time and immediately sprinkle a pinch of baking soda on the surface. Rub the baking soda into the face of each coin with your fingers to scrub away the dirt and grime. Then, just rinse all your coins under clean water and pat them dry.^{[1]
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- Vinegar and baking soda create a bubbling reaction that helps loosen dirt and grime.
- Baking soda is an abrasive, so it may leave scratches on your coin. Only use vinegar and baking soda on coins that aren’t valuable or collectible.
2
Clean copper coins in a vinegar and salt solution. Dissolve 1 tsp (7 g) of table salt in a bowl with ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of white distilled vinegar. Drop your coins into the mixture and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Pull the coins out of the liquid and gently wipe them with a paper towel to break apart the tarnish and dark spots.^{[2]
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- Salt and vinegar create an acidic solution that helps quickly dissolve the copper oxide spots on your coins faster than if you soaked them in water.
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3
Brush off tough tarnish with lemon juice and salt. Sprinkle table salt onto the surface of each coin and add a few drops of lemon juice to make a thick paste. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently scrub each of the coin’s faces for 1–2 minutes. After that, just rinse all your coins with cool water and dry them off with a soft towel.^{[3]
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- Lemon juice has citric acid that reacts with the tarnish to remove it. The added salt abrasive helps scrub the tarnish away even better.
- Since salt is really abrasive, it could leave scratches on antique or collectible coins.
4
Dissolve tarnish with a hydrogen peroxide soak. Fill a small bowl with enough hydrogen peroxide to submerge your coins. Put a few of your coins into the solution at a time and let them soak for up to 24 hours so the tarnish has a chance to loosen up. Rinse your coins under cold running water when you’re finished and pat them dry with a soft towel.^{[4]
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- Hydrogen peroxide also helps sterilize and disinfect your coins.
5
Let coins soak in cola to dissolve the tarnish. Fill a small cup or bowl with any type of cola and submerge your coins. Let the coins sit for at least 5 minutes before taking them out and rinsing them off. Lightly rub the surface with a paper towel to help polish your coins and make them shine again.^{[5]
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- Cola contains phosphoric acid that helps tarnish break down quickly.
6
Try scrubbing your coins with ketchup. Squirt enough ketchup on each coin’s face to cover it. Work the ketchup into each coin with a soft-bristled toothbrush for about 1–2 minutes per side. When you finish scrubbing, hold your coins under running water to rinse them off.^{[6]
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- The acids in ketchup can help dissolve tarnish to help clean silver and copper coins.
7
Dip coins in a commercial cleaner solution for heavy tarnish. Wear latex gloves and safety glasses when you use a cleaner solution since it’s very acidic. Hold 1 coin at a time between your fingers and submerge it in the cleaning solution for about 5 seconds. Take the coin out of the solution and immediately rinse the residue off with clean water.^{[7]
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- The acidic cleaner strips the grime and tarnishes off the surface to make your coin look shiny.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Basic Coin Cleaning

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1
Hold the coin under cold water. Keep the coin under the running water for about 1 minute on each side. Gently rub the coin between your fingers to help loosen some of the dirt and grime on the surface. Set the coins on a soft towel when you’re finished rinsing them.^{[8]
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- Be sure to plug your sink before cleaning old coins in your sink so none of them slip down the drain.
- Running water helps break apart any loose dirt that’s on the surface of your coins.
2
Rub the coins with a soapy water solution. Fill a small bowl with warm water from your faucet and mix in a squirt of dish soap. Dip each coin in the soapy water one at a time and keep it submerged. Rub your thumb and index finger over the coin to help the soap break apart dirt or grit.^{[9]
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- If you don’t see any dirt or grime coming off of your coin, let it soak for about 5 minutes before trying to scrub it again.
- Soapy water is a great solution for removing surface dirt without damaging or scratching your coins.
3
Brush the coins with a soft-bristled toothbrush or a paper towel. Keep your coins submerged in the soapy water solution while you brush them. Gently scrub the face of the coin until it turns shiny again, which may take a couple of minutes. Rinse the coin off with clean water every 30 seconds to check for any spots you missed. When you’re finished, give the coin one final rinse.^{[10]
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- To scrape away buildup in tight areas, gently break it apart with the end of a toothpick.
- Avoid using a toothbrush on collectible or antique coins since it could leave behind small scratches. Just stick to rubbing soapy water onto each coin with your fingers.
4
Dry off the coins with a towel. Pat each coin gently with a lint-free towel to absorb all of the moisture. Make sure that each coin is completely dry so the metal doesn’t wear away over time.^{[11]
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- Patting the coins will allow you to avoid creating micro-scratches with the material you are wiping it with.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Caring for Collectible Coins

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1
Ask a professional coin grader to see if you should clean antique coins. Look for a coin dealer in your area and bring your coins in to have them evaluated. Since the discoloration and patina caused by exposure to air can actually add to the coin’s overall value, wait until you hear from an expert before doing anything.^{[12]
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- Even the smallest scratch from wiping the coin can reduce its value, so always get an expert opinion before you clean.
- Get your coin graded so you can properly determine its condition and value.
2
Wipe surface dirt off with a cotton swab soaked in acetone. Dip the end of your cotton swab in acetone so it’s damp. Carefully wipe the cotton swab over the face of the coin so you coat the entire surface. Go over the coin again with the dry end of the cotton swab to pick up any residual dirt or liquid on the surface.^{[13]
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- Avoid pressing hard on the coin’s surface so you don’t cause any damage.
3
Store your coins in hard plastic holders. Set your coin inside of the plastic holder and snap it closed so nothing can get on the surface. Avoid opening the container after putting your coin away so it doesn’t get exposed to the environment around it.^{[14]
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- Keep your coins in an album so you can easily look through them. If you have really valuable coins, keep them in a safe to protect them.

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Question

How do you clean coins that have oxidized?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Before you do anything, remember that you should never clean coins that you think may be collectible as this can greatly devalue them. If this isn't an issue, then for oxidized pennies, you can soak them in 1/4 cup vinegar mixed with 1-2 teaspoons of salt for a few minutes. Just be sure to rinse off the vinegar with water after you've soaked them, since any remaining vinegar residue could cause the coins to oxidize again.

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Question

Can Coca Cola clean a coin?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

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Yes, Coca Cola contains phosphoric acid, which can help remove oxidation or dirt from coins like pennies. But never clean a coin yourself if you think it may be valuable and there are many, much less sticky cleaners out there that will clean coins as well or better!

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Question

Can you clean coins with vinegar?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

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First, if you think your coins might be of any value, do not clean them at all, since you can possibly damage them by soaking in cleaners like vinegar. If you want to clean the coin for some other reason, vinegar should work fine. First, rinse your coins in some cold water to get rid of any dust or grime on the surface. You can also use a toothbrush to remove surface gunk if you wish. Then mix together 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1-2 teaspoons of salt in a bowl that can hold all your coins. Submerge your coins in the solution for a few minutes, rinse them in warm water to remove any vinegar (which could corrode the coins if left on them) and then polish them clean with a cloth or paper towel. If this isn't enough you can try repeating the process and soaking the coins for a little longer.

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