topic 12848

Science Fair Info: What cleans a penny best

Why do acids clean better than bases, and what cleans a penny better, baking soda [linked by editor to product info at Amazon] with water, Tide laundry detergent, lemon juice, coke, or dishwashing liquid?

Alyssa R. [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Chaska, Minnesota, USA

Hi Alyssa,

There are different types of cleaners for different types of jobs. Acids don't always clean better than bases, because it depends on what you're cleaning. I know you wouldn't want to replace your laundry detergent with an acid cleaner. ;-)

Think about what needs to be cleaned and then you can try to figure how to clean it. For example, the detergents in dishwashing liquid are there to remove oily, greasy material from your frying pan. Taking the oxidation off of a penny, however, requires a completely different solution because it's a completely different type of soil.

George Gorecki
- Naperville, Illinois

I wouldn't say that acids clean better than bases. Which one works better depends more on the type of dirt. As to which liquid will clean a penny best, I recommend getting some liquids and some dirty pennies and find out.

James Totter, CEF
- Tallahassee, Florida

I have a question for my research which household liquids cleans a penny best? So I'm trying to find out on research about this and I need information about this experiment. I used 7 types of liquids which are Acetone [linked by editor to product info at Amazon], hot water, cold water, clorox, vinegar, lemon lime, baking soda. Please help me.

Aileen E.
- Miami, Florida

You said you used these 7 liquids. What did you find out from having used them? Which appeared to clean pennies well and which appeared ineffective? How can we help you interpret your results if you don't tell us your results?

Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Pine Beach, New Jersey

Ed. note: Please see our F.A.Q. on cleaning pennies.

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