You have a steady cash flow and the cash inside your wallet remains a mystery. With that, your coins and banknotes are getting dirty and may generally acquire germs. So, many are asking for ways how to clean stained money.
Once the bills were rubbed on human hands, it gets dirty. Meanwhile, sweetened liquids like juices and sodas can make the coins sticky. In general, banks discourage the public from using ways how to clean stained money, but if you’re diligent, you can succeed. You can quickly repair money that’s in particularly awful shape.
Germs on Money: Is it Possible?
Definitely, yes! COVID-19 is one of the thousands of bacteria and germs that may be present in currencies. Based on the statement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is still a great chance for the COVID-19 virus to land on surfaces you hold or handle and that includes coins.
The contamination takes place once you get in touch with the contaminated coins before you get to put your hands in your mouth. It’s easy to imagine how money could spread this and other illnesses. So, being aware of how to clean stained money is one of the most crucial things to consider to stay safe and prevent future disease spread.
✳️Reasons behind Currency Contamination:
- Coins or bills submerged in water or any liquid for a longer time period can produce mold.
- Money contact with human or animal bodily fluids, such as handling a dead body or removing bodily fluids from a body cavity.
- Contact with raw sewage
- Contamination from any potentially dangerous substance, whether it be a chemical, liquid, or foreign object
- Constant contact with the tear gas found in most dye packets. Keep in mind that the color included in these packs is not a pollutant. Notes that have been discolored solely by the dye can be deposited as usual.
Coins: To Clean or Not to Clean?
Cleaning tarnished coins can be cleaned, most likely if you’re only interested in adding the coins to your personal collection. Mostly, metal coinage, whether old or new, can accumulate dust and grit. However, once you try to clean or polish those pennies, their value decreases. This applies even true to rare coins. As much as possible, avoid cleaning your pennies until you have done your evaluation on them.
Perhaps, correct methods for coin cleaning are present, regardless of whether it is silver or gold. This is when you initially prioritize the aesthetic appeal rather than the monetary value. Restoration of the luster and appeal of those coins benefit from a vigorous scrub to restore their luster and appeal.
Yet, a catastrophic result is to be expected if the cleaning is not properly executed. Don’t polish a rare coin unless you’re sure what you’re doing, or at least check with an expert first.
How to Clean Stained Money: Different Methods
If sterilizing your cash is your goal, start first with the coins as it is the most manageable step of doing so. Remember that the main material in constructing coins is metals. So, it means that there is a lower risk of destroying them once cleaned. However, cleaning paper or plastic currency is different.
In order to clean stained money and dirty coins, you basically need to prepare the following tools:
- Rubbing alcohol
- Hydrogen peroxide
- White vinegar
- Distilled water
- Dish soap
- Water
- Salt
- Plastic container
✳️Coins Cleaning Using Soap and Water
This first method of coin cleaning is very basic and as simple as hand washing. With that, here are the simple steps for disinfecting money.
- Put hot water into a bowl.
- Put in a couple of Dawn drops.
- Let the coins settle into it for about 15-30 minutes.
- Rub a cloth on the coins to achieve their lust.
- Using fresh water, wash and pat it dry.
✳️Coins Cleaning: The Salt and Water Method
Salt and white vinegar are some kitchen essentials. A simple look on your kitchen cabinet may let you clean some particularly grimy coins using those kitchen basics.
- Combine salt and one cup of vinegar in a jar.
- Put the coins in a container by spreading them there.
- Let the coins settle on the container for 15 minutes.
- Clean the coins and dry them thoroughly.
✳️Coins Cleaning Using Hydrogen Peroxide
The peroxide acts to disinfect coin money. Use this method to achieve that. But, one important thing to remember here is that this is a harmful method that can potentially affect your valuable coins.
- Pour around two cups of peroxide inside a bottle.
- Place some pieces of coins inside the bottle with peroxide.
- Allow the coins to sit in there overnight.
- Clean the coins and dry them thoroughly.
✳️Coins Cleaning Using Baking Soda
This method won’t damage your metal coins. So, if you want to clean them, here are the steps in cleaning the coins using this method.
- Gather all your tarnished and old coins.
- Place and let them sit on a bowl of ice water.
- Add baking soda of about 1 teaspoon in a separate bowl.
- Use a toothbrush and dip it in a dish of soda.
- Wash the coins with water.
- Dry it using a soft cloth.
✳️Coins Cleaning with Coke
Isn’t it surprising that this beverage is also an effective cleaner? Well, it’s possible to clean your tarnished coins using a can of Coke. The phosphoric acid content of Coke removes oxides and tarnishes.
- Fill a bowl with Coke.
- Soak the coins into it for 5 minutes.
- Inspect the coins for any rust removal.
- If the coins are still dirty, let the coins remain to soak for another 15 minutes. It is worth noting that canned soda has the ability to dissolve metals if left alone for more than 15 minutes.
- Wash the coins with running water and dried them gently.
✳️Coins Cleaning with Ketchup
Another unbelievable coin-cleaning hack is the use of ketchup. Do you know that ketchup can also polish coins? The salt and tomato acids inside the ketchup work by scrubbing out dirt and filth, especially on paper currencies. The steps of this method are here:
- In a bowl, submerge all the coins.
- Cover it with ketchup but do not immerse the coins for more than a full day.
- Put the coins in a separate jar.
- Take off the coin residue using a toothbrush.
- Wash and dry the coins with a neat towel.
✳️Coins Cleaning Using Lemon Juice
If you’ve been dealt a lemon, instead of moaning about it, make some lemonade—and use the acidic mixture to wash your coins. Yes, you are correct in saying that. Similarly to how tomatoes’ acidity breaks down grime, lemons’ acidity will do the same for dirt. To restore the copper’s luster and prevent brown oxidation, this approach is ideal for cleaning pennies. See how below!
- In a basin, place your coins.
- With one teaspoon of salt and one-fourth cup of lemon juice, cover the top portion of the coins.
- Allow the coins to soak in the salt-lemon juice solution for at least five minutes and no more than fifteen minutes.
- Transfer the coins to a jar.
- Get a toothbrush and scrape the coin residue gently.
- Wash and dry the metal pennies with a clean towel.
✳️Coins Cleaning Using Acetone
Get your hands on some pure acetone.
- Fill a large, mouthed jar with two ounces of acetone.
- Put the coins in acetone for a quick dip.
- To clean coins, simply place them in the acetone-filled container.
- Remove the pennies and rinse them in pure water afterward.
There shouldn’t be any dirt or dust left after one last spin in the acetone. Getting rid of the surplus solvent requires a good shake.
How to Clean Paper Money
Not much can be done about dirty paper bills. Soap and water won’t accomplish much to get past the bill’s outer layer, but you can give it a shot. Cash can be washed and dried in a pocket washing machine or by just air drying it.
If you don’t want to go into trouble with the law, just don’t take your cash out of your wallet. In addition, you may always spend, pawn off, or trade in your old, unattractive bills for new, shiny ones at the bank if you have any.
✳️How to Clean Stained Paper Money in the Washing Machine
1️⃣ Reuse lingerie laundry bags.
Pick up a new or pre-loved lingerie bag in the ladies’ area of any department store. This is what you’ll use to keep your money paper safe while you wash it. These compact, mesh bags zip shut and are ideal for hand washing. The bills will be safe from the washing machine’s water jets and drum rotation when placed in this bag.
2️⃣ Drop some cash into the lingerie case.
Check the boxes next to the invoices that are the dirtiest and most urgent to clean. The lingerie bag needs these items. Spread out your bills and make sure they’re all in order. You might put a crumpled hand towel or another small clean object in the bag with it.
3️⃣ Clean the bills with cold water and a moderate cycle.
Do a delicate wash in the washing machine and start it up. After you’ve finished washing the lingerie bag full of cash, toss it in the dryer. Put only a drop or two of detergent in the wash. Allow the money to go through its full spin cycle.
4️⃣ Start airing out the bills.
Do not forget to retrieve the lingerie bag from the dryer. Get rid of any stray bills in the bag. Wet money is extremely fragile and easy to tear, so handle it with care. Split the bills and place them on a towel. Wait until the bills are completely dry before handling them.
Money Cleaning: Top 5 Tips
Let’s summarize the main points. Careful and regular money cleaning is essential.
✅Wash and Sanitize Coins
Sanitization procedures for coins are analogous to those for plastic payment cards. Since these are fabricated from durable metals, they may withstand being submerged in water or washed with various cleaning solutions without suffering any deterioration.
Coins can be cleaned with alcohol wipes or with soap and water. The greatest way to kill bacteria and viruses like COVID-19 is with soap and water, so that’s what you should use for cleanliness. Hand sanitizer or ethanol wipes are better than not cleaning coins if you don’t have soap and water.
Taking a few seconds to wash the coins’ surfaces is all that’s required to get them looking like new again. Keep in mind that bacteria such as COVID-19 are easily dismantled by a quick application of any powerful cleaning solution.
Scarce on time? Put all of your money into a pail of boiling water with some soap. To get the best clean, flip them over when you pull them outside and dry them.
✅Soak Dollars in the Sun
Do you have any dollars? The United States dollar is still mostly constructed of paper. You can’t carry them around in your wallet or pocket without worrying about them ripping or collapsing if they become wet. Some merchants also have a policy of not exchanging money that has not dried out first.
Sunlight, though, offers yet another option. The sun’s constant emission of UV radiation turns out to be effective against viruses like COVID-19 and virtually all other infectious diseases. Exposing your dollar notes to the sun’s UV rays can kill any bacteria or viruses that may be lurking on their surfaces.
Put your dollars in the sun for four hours, two on each side. This allows the UV light to completely penetrate their surfaces, killing any bacteria that may be lurking there. If a UV lamp is at hand, that can be used instead. This is helpful because it eliminates the need to move your paper dollars about from one “sun-soaking” area, such as a window, to another.
✅Don’t Wash Dollar Bills!
Even though it’s the finest way to clean dollar notes, don’t wash them with soap and water. With each washing, the purchasing power of your dollars will decrease. You run the risk of erasing the identifying information printed on the paper.
✅Sanitize Your Hands Frequently
Because of the astringent qualities of hand soap, which can break down bacterial cell walls, soap and water can be quite successful in preventing the spread of disease. It’s not too dissimilar from using hand soap, but the extra soap and heat make a huge difference. Also, certain extremely uncommon infections have evolved resistance to alcohol, rendering hand sanitizers useless. It’s good news that COVID-19 isn’t on that list.
However, what if there is no soap or water? It is true that the CDC advises using hand sanitizer whenever possible in this situation. It’s more convenient to use hand sanitizer when on the road because it doesn’t require any kind of heat to kill germs.
Some great examples of these items include several types of hand sanitizers. For instance, the 70% isopropyl alcohol in the form of Unscented Sanitizer Gel is higher than the threshold advocated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Besides being methanol-free, it’s packed with moisturizing essential oils. A small bit of hand sanitizer can have a significant effect. Always do this when handling money to keep your hands and coins clean.
✅Clean Your Wallet
You should also sterilize the storage unit where these products are kept in order to prevent contamination. How you should clean your wallet will be determined by its material. Use a light clear soap diluted in warm water to clean the leather.
A soft towel should next be used to wipe down each of the wallet’s interior pockets. Remove the soap with another clean, damp cloth, and pat yourself dry. Canvas wallets are best cleaned by hand. To clean, simply brush off any residue or stains. After that, simply wash in lukewarm water with some detergent and dry in the open air.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the ways to remove stains from money?
- Get rid of your used paper money on the plastic table.
- Half-load the water container.
- Drop just a few drops of cleaning soap into the sink.
- Put some soap in a small bowl and use that to wash the sponge.
- Please wipe the note gently from the middle to the edge and then from the sides to the middle.
Q: Are there ways to clean filthy money bills?
There’s a chance you won’t be able to clean every single $1 bill that touches you, but it’s still feasible. Paper bills can be laundered in the washing machine through a gentle cycle under cold water. Remember to use a cotton fabric bag to keep your items separated and in one place.
Q: Does money get cleaned?
Tellers at American banks are allowed to accept and destroy worn-out or otherwise unusable bills. However, the vendor has the right to refuse to accept suspicious bills.
Q: Can you iron dollar bills?
U.S. currency is 75% cotton and 25% linen, therefore it is completely safe to iron. Place the bills on a dry cloth and an ironing board for the purpose of smoothening them. Spread the banknotes out on a second towel. Put the iron on low heat and go around the bills pressing them.
Q: How do you clean dimes?
Scrub coins using a soft toothbrush and sodium carbonate. Use tongs or gloves to hold the hot water while you rinse your hands to avoid getting burned. It’s best to let them dry naturally on a cotton towel.
Final Thoughts
Safeguarding oneself is challenging in the current climate. If you deal with paper money on a regular basis, it might be difficult to maintain optimal levels of cleanliness. If you absolutely must use cash instead of plastic, then follow the guidelines given above to clean your bills thoroughly according to the sort of currency you have. In addition, you should always disinfect your hands after coming into contact with germ- and COVID-19-infested environments or objects.
