Cleaning Coins Jewelry and Artifacts

[Red James Cash]

That's what I use. I believe it makes the water more conductive.

Yup it does,thats why they put a sponge on your head thats soaked in salt water when your butt gets fried in the electric chair

 

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[RustyGold]

Hey Brad,
Use Arm & Hammer Washing soda! Not Baking soda! About $4
at the grocery store. I used a half a cup per 1/2 gal.
Washing soda is a carbonate
Baking soda is a bi-carbonate!

 

[hvacker]

Hey Brad,
Use Arm & Hammer Washing soda! Not Baking soda! About $4
at the grocery store. I used a half a cup per 1/2 gal.
Washing soda is a carbonate
Baking soda is a bi-carbonate!

Like you point out not enough attention is paid to both the chemistry and the effect on what is trying to be saved. Over again there will be posts about how an object was ruined one way or other using something out of urban legend.
For instance, people will use apple cider vinegar to clean something w/o knowing what else might be in the mix including the water. A better idea is to go to a photo shop and buy acetic acid (aka short stop the same acid as vinegar) and if needed dilute with distilled water.
Before cleaning something knowing what your trying to remove and what effect it might have on what your trying to save.

I found this from Wikipedia about sodium carbonate I thought might be useful:

Sodium carbonate, in a solution with common salt, may be used for cleaning silver. In a non-reactive container (glass, plastic or ceramic) aluminium foil and the silver object are immersed in the hot salt solution. The elevated pH dissolves the aluminium oxide layer on the foil and enables an electrolytic cell to be established. Hydrogen ions produced by this reaction reduce the sulfide ions on the silver restoring silver metal. The sulfide can be released as small amounts of hydrogen sulfide. Rinsing and gently polishing the silver restores a highly polished condition.[6]

You can see it's a tad more complicated than just taking a stab at cleaning. You can tell it's working by smelling the rotten eggs given off the solution.