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Let's settle this debate on cleaning dug coins with distilled water vs. just rinsing them under the tap...
I've seen people swear by letting their finds sit in distilled water for days, but I just run mine under the kitchen faucet for a few seconds and haven't had any issues yet, especially with crusty pennies from 1800s homesites around my area of Oregon. Am I missing something important, or is the distilled water crowd being way too cautious?
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skyler_white11d agoTop Commenter
Honestly, I gotta push back a little here. Running coins under the tap might not ruin every single one right away, but tap water has chlorine and minerals that can slowly eat away at the metal over months or years. I've seen guys who swear by tap water end up with copper pennies turning that ugly orange-brown color after a few weeks, whereas distilled water keeps them looking way more natural. If you're just cleaning crusty modern-ish coins for fun, tap water's probably fine, but for old indian head pennies or silver dimes from the 1800s, the distilled water soak is worth the extra day or two. Ngl, the chlorine in most tap water is harsh enough that I'd rather play it safe, especially since waiting a day costs nothing.
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danieltaylor11d ago
Yeah distilled is the way to go for old coins. Tap water is just asking for trouble down the line.
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