Vinegar (or Lemon Juice) and Salt

This method is the best way to clean your pennies, and it will produce a very bright orangey-copper color on your pennies. It does this by using the low levels of acids that are contained naturally in vinegar and lemon juice to remove the patina (brown oxidation) on the penny.

Start by adding a quarter cup of white vinegar, or lemon juice, into a cup or glass. Mix a teaspoon of salt into the liquid by stirring until it is dissolved. Place your pennies at the bottom of the cup or glass so that they are not stacked on top of each other. Wait about five minutes and check your pennies. If they are not as bright as you would like them, let them sit for another five minutes. It may take as much as fifteen minutes to achieve the color you desire.

Remove the pennies from the solution and rinse under warm running water. Dry your pennies with a soft cloth. If you would like to add a little bit more shine to your pennies, follow up with the Bon Ami Cleanser or baking soda method described below.

This method will restore the bright orange copper color to your pennies. However, it will not give them a mirror-like shine. You can polish your pennies with a polishing cloth from a silverware set to give them a polished surface.

Materials Needed

• 1/4 cup of white vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Spoon for stirring
• Cup or glass (plastic or glass, but not metal)
• Clean water
• Soft dry cloth

Advantages

• Liquids can spill and make a mess
• Can take up to 15 minutes (not good for impatient children)
• Removes the brown oxidation and produces a bright colored copper penny
• Can do more than one penny at a time

Disadvantages

• Liquids can spill and make a mess
• Can take up to 15 minutes (not good for impatient children) 

Bonus: Put a couple of new steel nuts or bolts in the pan with your pennies. As you clean more and more pennies, the acid will dissolve some of the copper on the pennies. The copper that is dissolved in the vinegar will be attracted to the steel nuts and bolts. They will start to turn a copper in color as they sit in the solution. It may take several batches of pennies in order to put enough copper into the solution.