It isn’t enough to polish your precious silver coins as one can totally destroy its beauty at one go. What is required is how to clean silver coins safely so that they maintain their grandeur and appeal on one hand, but get rid of the grime and nagging dirt that accumulate over the years. However, such a thing is not easy. There are some cleaning methods which eat away a chunk of the surface layer on the coins. So, if you have a valuable coin made of silver, gold, or copper, a good part of the material corrodes off when cleaning.
Moreover, don’t think that the shine or grading quality will return. According to standards used by the coin experts, the quality does not increase with cleaning. But, it is not always for the face value does one clean coins. It may be invaluable piece passed on from one generation to another. Or, it can be a precious memento which a grandfather may have gifted to his grandson. In any case, coins, especially silver ones lose their shiny silvery color very soon. Many may wonder how to clean silver coins without chemicals so that the silver does not change its properties in any way.
Lemon – A Hassle-Free Cleanse with No Side Effects
Lemon is a common fruit that one can find in any household. The lemon fruit juice can be used to clean off the tarnishing crust that covers any silver coins. It is not only economical but also effective in cleaning the smudge that appears on silver. The silver in the silver coin on the other hand, does not lose its grandeur. But, do you know how to clean silver coins, lemon juice dipped, in a successful way? For instance, many numismatists don’t even know how to deal with a heavily tarnished silver coin.
The best way to clean the rigid grime without hurting the silvery shine of the coin is to make a paste of lemon juice along with baking soda and keep the coin laced-up with this paste. You may scrub gently to remove the crust.
For a silver coin that is few years old, a dull look appears as a natural process of exposure. There may not be any stain or taint on such coins. If you are wondering how to clean silver coins which have slightly become dull, the answer is simply to use lemon juice. However, you must use the juice properly to remove the crust and allow the natural shine to come up. Here’re the steps you need to do in this method:
• Take the lemon juice in a bowl
• Place the silver coins on the bowl – without one touching the other
• Soak the silver coins totally for about 24 hours
• Pick the coins one-by-one
• Pat them dry
And, the coins sparkle after wiping them with a dry cloth.
Silver Dimes and Intricate Silver Jewelry
Although gold rules the roost in jewelry section, silver too does not lag behind. There are utensils, dimes, and cute looking jewelry made out of sparkling silver. With the passing years, such delicate silverware also loses its luster even after being kept in lockers. However, don’t worry on how to clean silver dimes if you have lemon juice with you. After a day’s soaking in the juice, you just need to polish it off with a dry and clean cloth. If there are dark stains, black or brown patches in them, you can use 4 parts of lemon juice with 1 part of baking soda and polish the dimes.
Easy and Effective Cleansing of Silver Coins and Articles
Numismatists often wonder how to clean silver coins easily – for a bag full of them. Although lemon juice can be a good way of cleaning, it can take time. For hassle-free and quick cleaning of the coins, the best way is to use home-made remedies – sans acids and chemicals. Although acid cleaning of silver coins works wonders, it can immensely damage the life of your coins. No wonder, numismatists look for ways to find out how to clean silver coins without giving too much time to it. Experts suggest the following steps:
• Washing with water – In this step, you need to wash the coins with pressurized cold running water without rubbing the surface of the coins.
• Soaking in vinegar or distilled water – In this step; you need to soak the coins that have ugly stain marks in white vinegar or distilled water – sans minerals.
• Washing with water again – In this step, you need to wash the coins with warm, running water.
• Putting malt vinegar – In this step, you need to place malt vinegar and wash it off with water and a soft brush. This would give the shine and luster to the silver coins
• Scrubbing gently – In this step, you need to scrub off the coins gently with soft brush
• Drying coins – in this step, you need to pat the coins dry
It is essential to keep the luster of the silver coins by staying away from too hard scrub. Care must also be taken to give a final finish to the coins. Easily and effectively the coins can be preserved well. So, next time someone seeks a solution on how to clean silver coins, you know the right answer.