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What Can You Use to Clean Silver Coins?

If some coins in your silver coin collection look tarnished and are lessening the look of all your other silver coins, luckily, there are several different ways to clean them to make them shine again.

If you want to know how to clean your silver coins, you can first try to clean your silver coins with running water, distilled water, and a soft cloth. First, soak the silver coins in water to loosen up any dirt. Then, flush the coins into running water.

Cleaning a silver coin in a bowl of baking soda solution

Now, rinse them in distilled water. Then, pat the coins dry with the soft cloth.

Can You Use Vinegar to Clean Silver Coins?

A jar of vinegar and cleaning supplies

Vinegar can be used to clean silver coins without difficulty.

If you want to know how to clean silver coins with vinegar, put the coins in a container with vinegar. Be sure that all the silver coins are fully submerged. Keep the silver coins in the vinegar bath for from twenty to thirty minutes.

Can You Use Baking Soda to Clean Silver Coins?

Glass bowl of baking soda

Baking soda does not damage silver coins and can be used to easily clean them.

If you want to know how to clean silver coins with baking soda, mix the baking soda with a small amount of water. Now, dip the silver coin into the baking soda mixture for a couple of minutes. Take one silver coin at a time out of the bowl and then clean it with a new, soft toothbrush.

Can You Use Gin to Clean Silver Coins?

Two glasses of gin

Because of the high alcoholic content of gin, it can be used to efficiently clean silver coins.

If you want to know how to clean silver coins with gin, put one or two drops of gin on a cotton pad and rub the pad over the coins. Then, soak the coins in gin for approximately 20 minutes and then wash the coins off with mild dish soap.

Can You Use Coke to Clean Silver Coins?

A glass bottle of cola

Yes, Coke can be used to clean silver coins since it contains a significant amount of acid.

If you want to know how to clean silver coins with Coke, first, go ahead and pour the Coke into the cleaning bowl. Then, submerge the silver coins in the coke and you will see the acid of the Coke cleaning away the tarnish on the silver coins.

Now, rinse the coins off with warm water and dry them with a soft cloth.

[This article and its contents are owned by Wabi Sabi Group and was first published on 05/06/2022.]

Can You Use Toothpaste to Clean Silver Coins?

Toothpaste oozing out of container

Toothpaste can be used to clean old or tarnished silver coins and is similar in consistency to some silver polishes but much less expensive.

If you want to know how to clean silver coins with toothpaste, squeeze a small amount of the toothpaste onto the surface of the silver coin. Now, use your finger to rub the toothpaste onto the surface of the silver coin and then continue to rub it.

This will remove the dirt and take off the remaining tarnish.

Can You Use Acetone to Clean Silver Coins?

Nail polish remover

Even though Acetone is a harsh chemical and is highly flammable, it can be used to clean your silver coins.

If you want to know how to use acetone to clean your silver coins, be sure to always wear sturdy rubber gloves and a gas mask. Wash your silver coins first in mild soap and water to take off any large dirt particles. Then, go ahead and soak your silver coins in a bowl of acetone.

Only soak them for a period of no more than five seconds. Soaking silver coins in pure acetone for more than fifteen seconds could cause severe and permanent damage to the silver coins. Feel free to rub the surface of your silver coins while they are soaking in the acetone bath.

 Finally, rinse the silver coins off with distilled water and either use a soft cloth to pat the coins dry or use a hairdryer to dry them off. As another option, you can use a cotton swab dipped in acetone to clean the silver coins.

Can You Use Jewelry Cleaner to Clean Silver Coins?

Jewelry Cleaner can certainly be used to clean silver coins by taking off sulfides from the surface of the coins. However, this can lead to toning of the coins since they are exposed to the air after cleaning.

If you want to know how to clean silver coins with a Jewelry Cleaner, make sure to have tweezers and rubber gloves available. As a preliminary step, go ahead and wash your silver coins with mild soap and water.

Then, using your tweezers, place a silver coin inside the jewelry cleaner for approximately five seconds.

Now, rinse the silver coin with distilled water to take off all the jewelry cleaner residue. If any of the jewelry cleaner is left on the surface of the silver coin, it could cause discoloration of the coin. Pat the silver coin dry with a clean and dry cloth.

[This article and its contents are owned by Wabi Sabi Group and was first published on 05/06/2022.]

Can You Use Lemon Juice to Clean Silver Coins?

Two glasses of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Since Lemon Juice is acidic, it can be used to clean silver coins. This method of cleaning your silver coins should be used judiciously though if you are cleaning any of your collector silver coins.

If you want to know how to clean your silver coins with lemon juice, you will need to have distilled water, lemon juice, one- and one-half cups of olive oil and a heat-safe container available. Now, mix the same amounts of lemon juice and olive oil into a heat-safe container.

Then, put the silver coins into the cleaning solution for a period of up to one hour. Take the silver coins out of the cleaning solution and pour out the lemon juice.

Then, pour the olive oil along with a teaspoon of lemon juice back into the container and put the silver coins back into the heat-safe container.

Now, place the heat-safe container into a bath of water that is at the near boiling point.

Take the silver coins out of the container and wash them carefully with soapy water and then air dry them.  

Can You Use Aluminum Foil to Clean Silver Coins?

A roll of aluminum foil

Aluminum foil can be easily used to clean silver coins along with using baking soda and warm water. This occurs using electrolytic action to take off the tarnish from the surface of the silver coins without causing abrasions to the surface of the silver coins.

If you want to know how to use aluminum foil to clean silver coins, use a container that can accommodate all the silver coins you wish to clean. You will also need to have some baking soda available along with hot water.

Now, go ahead and wrap your silver coins in aluminum foil. Add the baking soda to the container of hot water. Now, put the silver coins covered in the tin foil into the hot water in the container.

 If your silver coins are heavily tarnished, feel free to add in several more tablespoons of baking soda to the cleaning solution. Leave the aluminum foil covered silver coins in the cleaning solution for enough time for the cleaning process to complete.

This may take a significant amount of additional time if your silver coins are heavily tarnished. If you find that the hot water has cooled a lot, you can add in some additional hot water to the cleaning solution.

Be sure to check from time to time to see if the tarnish on your silver coins has dissipated significantly. If your silver coins remain tarnished, simply wrap them back up in the aluminum foil and place it back in the baking soda and hot water cleaning mixture.

Now, unwrap the aluminum foil from the silver coins and you should see that the tarnish from your silver coins has now transferred to the aluminum foil and that the silver coins now appear untarnished.

Go ahead and wash and then rinse the silver coins and then dry them with a clean, soft cloth. At this point, if desired, you can try to use a silver polish that is not acid based to shine up the silver coins and remove any residual black sulfide tarnish.

Once you have used a silver polish product, be sure to check if it is acid based, and if it is, after putting on your rubber gloves, be sure to wash your silver coins in a baking soda water solution to remove all of the residual acid that may remain.

In addition, after your silver coins look finely polished as you wish, try to wash off any remaining silver polish that is still adherent to the surface of the silver coins with a few drops of mild dish soap. Then, dry your silver coins with a clean, soft cloth.

After this, as a final step to clean your silver coins, you can use a silver protection product to maintain the shine of your newly polished valuable silver coins.  

How to Clean Silver Coins Properly

A bag overflowing of silver coins

It is very important to follow proper protocols when cleaning your silver coins to avoid scratching or further damaging them, which will, of course, decrease their value.

If you want to know how to clean silver coins properly, make sure to use the softest brush that you have available and be sure to use the least amount of force possible when brushing them. Also, do not use any type of abrasive material when cleaning your silver coins, as this will also scratch them.

Make sure to only use distilled water when cleaning your silver coins. Regular tap water has chlorine in it which can damage your coins.

Also, make sure to use gloves whenever handling your silver coins to avoid leaving fingerprints on the coins that are often hard to take off without scratching your coins.

In addition, before cleaning any one of your valuable silver coins, make sure to try out whatever cleaning process you are attempting to use on a lower value coin before using it on one of your more valuable silver coins.

Before cleaning any of your silver coins, you should first remove any dirt that is adherent to them by using running tap water, distilled water and you will also need a soft cloth.

[This article and its contents are owned by Wabi Sabi Group and was first published on 05/06/2022.]

You can also use a hairdryer to dry the silver coins off after cleaning.

To begin the coin cleaning process, start by soaking your silver coins in water for several minutes to dislodge any hard particles of dirt that may be adherent to them.

Then, put the coins under running tap water to flush out any resistant dirt particles.

Now, rinse the silver coins in distilled water.

This content is owned by Wabi Sabi Group and was first published on May 6, 2022..

Use either a cotton or microfiber cloth now to pat the coins dry.

You can also try to dry them with a blow-dryer.

If the silver coins still have any sort of greasy residue that is remaining, the US Mint has approved the use of a mild dish detergent to clean the grease off the surface of the silver coins.

To do this, put some of the dish detergent into a bowl and then add some warm water to it.

Leave the coins to soak in the warm water for about 60 minutes.

This article was first published on May 6, 2022 by Wabi Sabi Group..

If there is a lot of grease on the coins, you can safely leave them soaking in the warm water overnight.

In addition, you can also add a small amount of salt to the warm water to speed up the dirt disintegration process.

Be sure to continuously agitate the coins in the warm water solution and then you can gently rub the surface of the silver coin, being careful to always wear gloves.

Now, take the coins out of the cleaning solution and rinse them off with distilled water.

Then, rinse the silver coins off to remove any remaining detergent.

Also, make sure that none of the silver coins are lying on top of each other in the cleaning solution and that all the edges of the coins are fully submerged in the cleaning solution.

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WabiSabi Group is the owner of this article and was published on May 6, 2022 and last modified on .

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