I'm normally not a neat freak, but when it comes to coins

[Dancer]

I got a thing about making them as clean as possible. Before releasing them back into circulation. Oh, I've been tempted to taking them down to a coin machine without cleaning them up. Jamming up the machine, messing up everyone's day. Now why would someone do that ? If the coin isn't clean enough to hand to someone than its not clean enough. Now I doubt old habits are going to be changed with this post, but if you're starting out, try this.
Get a couple of plastic jars, (coffee cans). One for pennies, other one for nickels, dimes, quarters. Soak your coins in water till you got enough to clean. Next say you got enough clad, dump them into a bucket of soupy water. Swish them around, get the mud off em. (I use an old toothbrush) Get all the easy dirt off. Rinse & drain them. Back in the bucket, shake table salt, add some white vinegar. Swirl em around till the bath is dirty. Might take a few times. You'll see them coming clean before your eyes.. Rince em off again. Your going to have some stubborn ones, but your cleanest ones should be good to go. When I feel like it I'll hold them with a long nose plyers and brush them up real quick with a wire brush. Make them proud. Real bad ones go to the tumbler.
I rate cleaning coins almost as important as filling your holes back in. Tumblers are lot easier but can only handle so much at one time. This process weeds out the easy ones.

 

[Hoser John]

rock tumbler works fast. just remove pennies and do separate and let them hit each other and very fast and clean with a little NON SIDSING ammonia and water,same a mercury cleaning-John

 

[UtahRich]

I'll add a couple thoughts. Separate copper pennies from zincolns and clad. Make sure you don't have anything COLLECTIBLE in the mix.


Rich (Utah)

 

[kingcladnv]

How much vinegar do you use? I've been trying a 60/40 mix with 60 being the vinegar. My daughter pulled a quarter out of the backyard that had only been there a few months. After sitting in the mixture for a while it turned a pinkish color.