How to Clean a Penny using Different Methods

Updated on 10 Jun 2009, Published on 10 Jun 2009

Money, be it a penny, a dime or half a dime, whatever it is, they are always money. They can be accumulated to raise a dollar to buy something worth. Earlier a penny used to be very useful. During a time they were worth 3 candies but today a very few things could be bought by a penny so probably you keep tossing in a jar. Sometimes you would find these pennies with some residue on them. This happens due to some chemical reactions which lead to the formation of residue on the coins. So, learn how to clean a penny using different methods. However there are a number of ways through which you can clean your coins and make them shine as before.

But before doing so make sure you want to clean your pennies properly because in most of the cases, cleaning the coins could damage them. The main reason behind this, the use of zinc instead of copper, as it was getting costlier. There are basically three methods of cleaning pennies namely, the ketchup method, eraser method and the vinegar method.

The Ketchup method is one of the oldest methods of cleaning pennies. Instead of ketchup you can even you Tabasco sauce. Grab the ketchup bottle from your fridge and pour it in a cup. Now put in the pennies in the cup. The ketchup must cover the whole of the pennies. Let it sit for a while and then take it out of the cup. You will see the coin go duller. Next take some baking powder, make a paste of it and scrub the coin with it. You will see the coin shining as new.

The Eraser method is also a way of cleaning pennies to make it sparkle. All that you have to do is to rub the eraser on the coin and you will see the gunk going away and the natural chine of the coin returning. This works though it is a little time consuming.

The vinegar-salt method is another tried and tested method of cleaning pennies. Instead of vinegar you can even use lemon juice. Make a concoction of either vinegar or lemon juice with salt. Stir till the salt has dissolved and put in the coins and let it sit for a while. Now take a toothbrush and lightly scrub the surface of the coins. Once done, take it out of the solution and rinse it in clean water and let it dry.

Avoid the vinegar salt method for the coins newer than the year 1982, as the coin is made with zinc and this solution tends to eat through zinc. Lest you wish to be left with a hollow coin, so avoid the vinegar salt solution. There are also a number of commercial products that would help you in removing the tarnish from the coin. However, it is always better to stick to the homemade cleaning agents if you are aware of the metals being used to make the coin.

Also you might be interested in knowing how to clean DVDs that has some light scratch and is not working properly. There is a bad news and a good news about cleaning DVDs. The good news is that disc with minor scratches can be polished and repaired. The bad news is that DVDs can scratch beyond repair.