How to Get Rust Off a Penny

Use ketchup to brighten up your pennies.

Getting pennies from a collection to shine may seem impossible. Although cleaning pennies is laborious, it is definitely worth it after seeing the fine detail on each coin. Collectors will find that cleaning a penny is simple with the use of household and food products.

Things You'll Need

• Ketchup
• 2 mixing bowls
• 2 paper towels
• Baking soda
• Water

Instructions

1. Place 1 tsp. of ketchup into a small mixing bowl. Set up to three pennies into the mixing bowl at one time, and allow them to sit in the ketchup for three minutes. Remove the pennies and place them on a dry paper towel.

2. Pick up each penny, and using an old toothbrush, gently scrub the surface on both sides. The ketchup's acidic properties remove the tarnish on the penny. Run each penny under warm running water after scrubbing and rinse the toothbrush.

3. Create a baking soda paste by adding 1 tsp. of baking soda into another small mixing bowl along with 1 tbsp. of water. Mix the water and baking soda together until smooth.

4. Dip the toothbrush into the baking soda and water paste, then place it over the surface of each penny. Gently scrub the surface of each penny with the toothbrush, then rinse the pennies and toothbrush under warm water. Dry the pennies with a dry paper towel.

References

• Penny Collector: How to Clean Coins
• Think Quest: Penny Cleaning Experiment

Resources

• The Fun Times Guide: How to Clean Coins