Help Cleaning Pennies, I'm running out of time...

[Alesia]

How much does those pressed penny machines cost? Is it 50cents and penny?

Thanks,

Yep!

 

[karen624]

I haven't read through all the posts. I bought copper pot cleaner at the grocery store. Worked like a charm in just a few minutes.

 

[tinkbutt]

I didn't read all the post so sorry if this is already out there but Arby's sauce works really well and quick! I think it might be the vinegar??? I'm not sure how much ya need but it really does work quick!!

 

[Sillybowtie]

How much does those pressed penny machines cost? Is it 50cents and penny?

Thanks,

Over in Europe (France and Germany) it cost 1 euro and 5 euro cent!

These are the souvenirs I get at Disney for myself, they are inexpensive and easy to carry home.

 

[veraletta]

We used lemon juice over night.

 

[CanadianPaco]

I tried a bunch of home remedies like vinegar/salt, lemon juice/salt, baking soda, ketchup. They all worked somewhat, but for some reason the next day (I didn't leave them in the solution overnight - I just left them out after drying them) they looked awful again. Some just looked old and tarnished again, some were spotty, some had reddish marks, and a few had turned greenish.
Then I tried Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish (use a small amount and brush lightly with a toothbrush, then wipe off residue with a clean cloth) and the pennies look amazing. Still do 2 days later. I got it from AutoZone, but I'm sure you can find it, or a similar metal polish, from any auto parts store.
For the record, I used all pre-1982 pennies so I don't get the zinc striations after pressing, so I don't know what the polish would do to a new penny, but I highly suggest using it on pre-1982 pennies. It's amazing how shiny and clean they are.

Have other people who have used the ketchup and other combos also find they turned out awful a few days latter?

 

[wickedsmith259]

A little Brasso will work perfect. I'm using it now to clean my pennies. Just scrub them with your spouses tooth brush.

 

[princessmom29]

There are 2 reasons the pennies cleaned with the acid based remedies tarnish quickly:
1. Acid left on the penny reacts with air
2. wet pennies oxidize very quickly wen left out in air to dry.

I suggest doing the acid treatment, rinsibg with baking soda in water then clean water, and drying them on a towel with a hairdryer.

 

[hthrbells]

This would be a good project to help the 86 days pass!!!

 

[hthrbells]

84 even better!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sleepymel]

There are 2 reasons the pennies cleaned with the acid based remedies tarnish quickly:
1. Acid left on the penny reacts with air
2. wet pennies oxidize very quickly wen left out in air to dry.

I suggest doing the acid treatment, rinsibg with baking soda in water then clean water, and drying them on a towel with a hairdryer.

Ok, I understand that this is a cheaper option which is certainly valid if you're trying to save a few bucks, but it's 3 steps (acid treatment, baking soda treatment, drying). Why not just use the one step metal cleaner? The pennies I cleaned with all of the other types of cleaning (ketchup or lemon juice + salt or vinegar + salt followed by baking soda in water) came out mostly clean and certainly better than they'd started out, but when I used the metal polish, they looked noticeably better than the ones cleaned by homemade remedies (and this is all before the re-tarnishing I saw with the homemade remedies). The metal polish made them look brand new and really shiny. No comparison in my opinion.

 

[chabs]

I picked up Brasso metal cleaner (in the cleaning supplies aisle) at Walmart for under $3. So far it seems to work well.