When you receive an award, be it a medal or trophy, it is only natural to want to preserve it for posterity. You will need to understand how best to clean and store it to safeguard its appearance and avoid tarnishing. Here are a few tips on how to prolong the life and look of your medals so they remain looking good as new for longer.
Handle With Care
Whether it is to show someone your gold, silver or bronze medals or taking it down for a bit of clean and polish, you need to be careful with the handling. It is good practice to have a pair of clean gloves on hand that you can wear whenever you need to handle the medals. Our hands can easily carry some oils and chemicals that can damage the metal and any coating. You can also seek to discourage others from touching the medals by storing them in lockable display cases. This way they can feast their eyes on your award without harming it.
Prepare Ahead
When you intend to clean and polish your awards, be sure to prepare everything you will need ahead of time. Organizing a workspace is a good way to ensure you work efficiently and can quickly put back awards in their cases.
Be Gentle
During cleaning, you may work with different cleaning tools like rugs, soaps, and brushes. Use the softest and mildest options available and work on the surface gently. Keep a keen eye out for any signs of abrasion. If you notice scratches, stop immediately. Also, remember to lacquer your medals after cleaning and any polishing to help prevent future corrosion. Ensure the lacquer fully dries before putting your awards back in storage.
Test New Cleaning Materials
If you decide to try a new cleaning material, be sure to first test it out on a small section of the medal. This way you can verify the reaction that will take place and decide if it is worth going ahead with it. if you think the results are unsatisfactory find a safer alternative.
Polish Sparingly
While polishing can seem like a good way to restore luster to your awards, it can also have a damaging effect. The rubbing motion can be abrasive and even remove plated layers. Limit the frequency of polishing and avoid polishes that contain silicones. Silicone can make it hard to apply a protective coating that will preserve the medal for longer.