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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 1142608, member: 112&quot;]Soap is pretty much always a bad idea because it leaves behind a residue that you can&#039;t get off the coin. That alters the surface.</p><p><br /></p><p>And as I have said more times than I can count, cleaning is not an issue - ever ! Only harsh cleaning is an issue. And harsh cleaning can be defined as any cleaning that alters the surface of the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now apparently a lot of folks don&#039;t understand what that means - alters the surface. You can dip a coin and it does not alter the surface (when done correctly). A soak in acetone does not alter the surface. A soak in distilled water does not alter the surface. You can remove all kinds of dirt and grime, even remove toning and not alter the surface.</p><p><br /></p><p>To alter the surface you either have to remove too much metal by over-dipping, or physically move metal on the surface of the coin. Fine hairline scratches such as you get from using a cloth or brush on a coin alters the surface because it moves metal. Even rubbing the coin with your fingers can alter the surface - known as thumbing. Putting oils of any kind on the coin alters the surface. Putting any of many different kinds of chemicals on the coin alters the surface, even household chemicals like mustard, tomato juice, lemon juice, taco sauce etc etc etc - all of these alter the surface.</p><p><br /></p><p>So to answer your question if you alter the surface then the coin will be deemed to have been harshly cleaned. And that&#039;s where people get into trouble. Because they don&#039;t think that what they are doing alters the surface. Why ? Because they can&#039;t see it. But an educated eye, an experienced eye, can see it ![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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