Whether personalized medals are of high monetary value or not, the recipients will often treasure them and want to preserve them carefully for years to come. Be it military or sports-related, these custom award medals are a mark of accomplishment and many people enjoy being able to show them off. But to do so, they must remain in good condition. Here are a few care tips that can help prolong the life of your medals and keep them in pristine-looking shape.
Glove Up
Whenever you are handling your custom award medals, form a habit of wearing gloves. They should preferably be made of plastic or cotton, and of a comfortable fit. Stick to cotton if the medals are made of silver as certain latex gloves can cause the metal to become tarnished. Wearing gloves is meant to provide a barrier between your skin and the metal of the award. Our skin has corrosive oils that can damage metal surfaces so restricting this interaction is advisable.
Hold by The Edge
Also ensure that when handling, you hold the medal by its edges. This minimizes surface contact. Even the smallest tarnishing of the faces of the medal will be noticeable. By holding the medal by its edges you risk only damaging the sides that are not as important nor visible.
Keep Clean
Regular cleaning of medals is a good idea. Start by removing any ribbon so you are just working on the medal. Hand wash the ribbon using non-alkaline soap and lukewarm water. Dry it indoors as many ribbons will fade in color when exposed to sunlight.
Use a soft cloth to apply a silver cleaner to the medal and rub it on gently. Opting for a silver cleaner is ideal as silver is the softest metal used to make medals. Therefore, its cleaners are the mildest and can be reliably used on other metals.
If you are however dealing with a tougher metal like bronze that has stains, you may opt for a more abrasive cleaner like brass polish. If there are corners or crevices the cloth cannot get to, use a cotton swab or soft toothbrush to dig in. Finish off by buffing the surface with a soft cloth and polish.
Storage
Storing your medals in a display case will minimize their exposure to moisture and dust that can cause grime to build up. You can easily get a suitable shadow box at craft stores in which you can hang the medals from their ribbons. You may also opt for a coin case with a glass top that also allows for easy display.