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Q&As since 1989


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Five year old creates Chernobyl experiment

2002

I've read here that you can clean pennies with vinegar [in bulk on eBay or Amazon] and salt. Please tell me what is the ratio. Also can I clean a very large amount of pennies at one time (like in a bucket) with this solution? My five year old poured water into our "penny bank", a 5 gallon water jug, 2-3 weeks ago. There were over 600 pennies saved in the jug. Now it's a nasty looking greenish brown mess. And there is a slight odor, hard to explain. Nonetheless, I need to clean this up. Also, can I complete this cleaning wearing plastic gloves (I have the surgical kind at home) or will the different chemicals eat through the plastic? Thanks!

Kai aka Flustered mother of 5 year old future genius.

Kai Alimayu
- Memphis, Tennessee, USA

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As you probably know, pennies used to be made out of copper. But after a penny became such a small measure of money they had to start making them of copper plated zinc instead because it was requiring more than a penny's worth of copper to make a penny. Copper plated zinc is a mess after exposure to water as the zinc pits begin to protrude through the copper skin, and then galvanic action hastens the destruction of the zinc. If you or a friend has a gemstone tumbler (basically a coffee can that rolls on its side on motor driven rubber belts) I think you'll be able to 'automate' the cleanup. But I don't think there is any easily available chemical that will clean up the mess. I'd pore the water down the drain, rinse the mess a few times, then set to work with a small scrubbing brush of some type and some cleansing powder. Then spend those suckers right quick.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002