How to Clean Gold | Your Step-By-Step Guide For Cleaning Gold Coins, Bars, and Jewelry

 

How to Clean Gold Coins, Bars, and Jewelry – A Step-By-Step Guide

It may be tempting to give your gold coin or bar a thorough cleaning, especially if it seems to have lost a bit of its original mint luster. Cleaning gold products can be a costly mistake, though. Coin collectors can usually identify whether a gold coin has been cleaned, and the microscopic scratches caused by the cleaning process can decrease the value of your investment. In most cases, cleaning a gold coin or bar is a bad idea. 

But for exceptionally old or weathered gold products, a basic cleaning can help bring out that beautiful shine the precious metal is known for. Gold jewelry is another gold product that can usually be cleaned with little risk. Unlike gold coins and bars, experts do recommend cleaning gold rings, necklaces, or other jewelry pieces. Even so, learning how to properly clean a gold coin, bar, or jewelry piece can save you both time and money. 

On this page, we’re covering everything you need to know about cleaning gold. Learn with us as we cover whether or not you should clean gold, the downsides of cleaning gold coins or bars, and a step-by-step guide to the best way to clean gold products safely. 

Should You Clean Gold? 

First-time gold investors often have many questions, but this is one of the most common: should you clean gold? Gold jewelry can (and should) be cleaned, but experts warn against trying to clean most gold coins or bars. Gold is one of the most malleable metals, so cleaning it can leave near-microscopic scratches on the surface of a gold coin or bar. These scratches may not be visible to the naked eye, but their presence decreases the value of a coin or bar. 

Cleaning gold products can make them less valuable. This is especially true for pre-1933 gold coins, since rare numismatic coins are valued based on their appearance and condition. Bullion coins are also more valuable if they have never been cleaned. After all, a coin is no longer considered Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) if it has been aggressively cleaned and possesses small scratches on either surface. 

Overview: The Risks of Cleaning Gold Coins or Bars

Why should you not clean gold coins or bars? There are a couple of reasons why cleaning gold coins or bars is a bad idea.

First, cleaning a gold product can remove its original mint luster. Luster refers to a special shine that develops on new, uncirculated gold coins during the minting process. When you clean a gold coin or bar, you’re actually scraping away this thin layer of luster. 

More importantly, cleaning a gold coin or bar can make your investment less valuable to buyers. The scratching effect created on a cleaned gold coin is a major red flag for coin collectors and gold investors. Coins that have never been cleaned can be professionally graded and sold at a premium, but you lose this added value if you choose to subject your gold coins or bars to an aggressive cleaning. 

Here’s the Safest Way to Clean Your Gold 

If you’re really committed to cleaning your gold coin, bar, or jewelry piece, there are a few strategies you can use to minimize the damage that cleaning does to your hard-earned investment. After all, cleaning may sometimes be a necessary evil for gold collectors. If you’re dealing with a coin that was buried underground, for example, it may make sense to do a basic cleaning to remove dirt from its surface. 

What is the best way to clean gold? The best method for cleaning gold depends on the type of product you want to clean. Gold coins and bars are highly susceptible to damage during the cleaning process, so you’ll want to take special care when giving these investments a touch-up. Gold jewelry is usually less pure and less collectible compared to gold coins or bars, which allows investors to get a bit more involved during the cleaning process. 

Below, learn a few tips for how to clean the three main categories of gold products: gold coins, gold bars, and gold jewelry. 

Cleaning Gold Coins 

We do not generally recommend cleaning gold coins, especially old or rare gold coins. In fact, most experts agree that cleaning gold isn’t just unnecessary – it can also be a costly mistake. When you clean a gold coin, you can create small, nearly microscopic scratches on its surface. Many coin collectors won’t buy a gold coin that has these telltale signs of cleaning, and those that do will offer considerably less than they’d pay for a coin that has never been subjected to a harsh cleaning. 

Here’s what Britain’s Royal Mint has to say about cleaning gold: 

You do not need to clean gold bullion – in fact, doing so may damage a mint finish. Gold does not corrode or tarnish, so it will stay bright forever.

Still, there are a few scenarios where cleaning a gold coin makes sense. If you’ve spilled liquid on your gold coin or dug it out of the ground while metal detecting, finding a way to safely clean your valuable coin is important. 

So how do you properly clean a gold coin? If you absolutely must clean your gold coin, use a mixture of unscented, neutral dish soap and water. Carefully submerge the coin inside the solution and let it sit. Over time, dirt or other substances on the surfaces of the coin should either wash away or become very soft. Using a microfiber cloth, carefully brush away the remaining debris. Pat your coin down with a microfiber cloth to dry it before placing the investment back in its coin holder or display.

Be sure to avoid using any abrasive brushes to clean your gold coin. When cleaning a gold coin, your goal should be to knock away as much dirt or debris as possible while minimizing the damage you do to its surfaces. If you’re too rough during the cleaning process, you run the risk of severely damaging your expensive investment.

Beware – Cleaning Gold Coins Can Make Them Less Valuable! 

There’s a reason why most experts recommend not cleaning gold coins. Many coin grading companies won’t grade coins that have been cleaned, and serious rare coin collectors avoid cleaned gold coins like the plague. The vast majority of investors will make a mistake while cleaning their gold coin, leaving behind small marks or scratches that are impossible to remove. 

Most gold coins lose value if they are cleaned. This is true for both numismatic and bullion gold coins. A cleaned coin loses some of its original luster and often has small, almost invisible scratches all over its field. It may feel nice to make your coin seem a bit more shiny, but cleaning a gold coin is usually a mistake.

Cleaning Gold Bars

Because many gold bars are sold for only a small premium over their melt value, cleaning gold bars is a bit less risky than polishing gold coins. There are still risks to cleaning a gold bar, of course. Certain gold bars with ornate designs or limited mintages may be worth quite a bit of money to collectors. Cleaning a rare gold bar can make it less valuable, since the cleaning process often leaves small scratches all over the surface of the bar. For the most part, though, investors with basic gold bullion bars should feel comfortable giving them the occasional touch-up.

How do you clean a gold bar? While gold doesn’t tarnish and gold bars don’t need to be cleaned, you can clean your gold bar by submerging it in a mixture of mild soap and distilled water. If the bar still has dirt or grime on it after being submerged, you might consider brushing it very lightly with a microfiber cloth. Remember – microfiber cloths can damage your gold coins or bars. A microfiber cloth can be fantastic for removing dirt and grime from the surface of a gold bar, but it will also leave behind small marks that tell future investors that your bar has been cleaned.

Cleaning Gold Jewelry 

You shouldn’t clean most gold bars or coins, but gold jewelry is a different story entirely. In fact, most jewelers recommend regularly cleaning your gold chain, necklace, or bracelet as often as once per week!

How do you clean gold jewelry? The best way to clean gold jewelry is to submerge it in a mixture of mild, unscented dish soap and water. You don’t need a lot of soap – just a few drops should do. Let the jewelry sit in this mixture for 15-20 minutes. Afterwards, carefully remove any excess dirt or grime using a microfiber cloth or a very soft toothbrush. Like gold coins and bars, the surface of gold jewelry can be damaged during the cleaning process. Make sure to be as careful as possible and avoid aggressive motions with your cleaning product of choice. 

Should you clean gold jewelry? Unlike gold coins and bars, it’s perfectly fine to clean most gold jewelry. Gold jewelry is meant to be worn and can accumulate dirt, sweat, and more during the day. Additionally, most gold jewelry is sold for close to its melt value on the secondary market. In other words, you won’t lose much value from cleaning your gold jewelry – even if the cleaning process gives it a few microscopic scratch marks. 

Not all gold jewelry should be cleaned. If you have an antique, designer, or rare piece of gold jewelry, consider reaching out to a professional jeweler before cleaning it yourself. A jeweler should be able to clean and polish your gold piece without damaging it, and old jewelry collectors can be picky about cleaned pieces. 

Final Thoughts: How to Clean Gold Without Damaging It

Cleaning gold is a controversial subject among gold investors. It can be tempting to want to give your gold coin or bar a new shine by cleaning it at home, but experts warn that the consequences of an improper cleaning can be disastrous. Cleaned gold bars and coins develop very small scratches, and these scratches can make your investment far less valuable. 

If you do need to clean your gold coins or bars, a mixture consisting of a few drops of mild dish soap and water should do the trick. Submerge the gold item in the solution before gently removing dirt or grime using a piece of cloth. Softly pat the coin or bar down with a microfiber cloth to dry it before putting your investment back into storage. 

As a general rule, avoid cleaning your gold coins or bars at all costs. But if you really must give your investment a deep cleaning, try to be as careful as possible to preserve its precious value! 

You might also be interested in: 

• How to Safely Store Precious Metals
• Is Gold Jewelry a Good Investment?
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