Cleaning Vacuum Coins from collections bins

[chinook101]

How does everyone clean their coins they collect from their vacuum bins? I built a large screener that I dump my debris into and then "rake" it across a ¼" screen. Then pick out the coins, jewelry, etc. But most of the coins are pretty dirty and gummed up as well as oxidization and corrosion. How does everyone here clean their coins to turn into the bank. I have about 50 lbs of coins I need to clean and exchange but they're pretty dirty and the bank won't take them this way.

 

[MEP001]

I cut a piece of hardware cloth into a circle, cut the bottoms out of two pails, then put the hardware cloth over the bottom of one and shoved the other over it. Hardware cloth is 1/2" and will catch all coins but won't catch small earrings. You have to clean the vacs just about every day to not have the stuff get really nasty and gummy.

I put an inch or so of coins in a pail and spray high pressure over them to wash them, then dump them into the hardware cloth pails to rinse. The ones that don't come clean that way I toss.

You're going to get a few comments about how you shouldn't go through the vac dirt, how "I'll fire my guys if I catch them doing it," you can ignore them if you want. It's your business if you want to do it. I take precautions, I wear a mask and don't rake through it with my hands.

 

[celica]

If you have to clean them out, why wouldn't you pick out the coins? I average $ 30 in coins for every cleanout. I rinse them off in the tub sink and they come out fine. It's my way to get paid for doing a dirty job.

 

[soonermajic]

If you have to clean them out, why wouldn't you pick out the coins? I average $ 30 in coins for every cleanout. I rinse them off in the tub sink and they come out fine. It's my way to get paid for doing a dirty job.

$30 for every cleanout? Dude, how often do you do that?

 

[Kevin James]

We clean out our vacuums often, twice a week. We glean the coins out the waste and put them into a pail of water with a little presoak. After we get enough coins to make it worthwhile we dry them off and take them to the local Coin Star machine and get an Amazon gift card, that way you don’t have to pay the fee’s. We pull about $25 to $30 a week out of the vac waste.

 

[MEP001]

$30 for every cleanout? Dude, how often do you do that?

I can get $10 a day if I do it every day, but I usually do it every couple weeks and throw it all away.

 

[fastlx]

I agree MEP001. Nasty job for a little return. Mine all goes in the trash.

 

[soonermajic]

I can get $10 a day if I do it every day, but I usually do it every couple weeks and throw it all away.

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Don't believe it. You throw away $300/month in change? That's almost $3700/year!!
How bout get some giy to clean it on the halves? Or heck, give em 75%. It's free money.

But now I can see why the bums & meth heads git me up EVERY SINGLE NIGHT of the year!!!

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Not worth the risk or my time. I let my guys do it if they're so inclined to do so.

 

[celica]

The good thing about being in Canada is that we have $1 and $2 coins that get sucked up into the vacuum. The amount of change is really a function of how busy your vacuums are. I'm lucky that the bums and meth heads don't know how much change there is and haven't discovered the vacuums as a revenue source.

 

[MEP001]

Don't believe it. You throw away $300/month in change? That's almost $3700/year!!

I'm paying a guy that much to clean and dump trash every afternoon so I have less to do at night and can skip a day during the week if I need to. Should I get rid of him and do all the cleaning myself too?

 

[MEP001]

The good thing about being in Canada is that we have $1 and $2 coins that get sucked up into the vacuum.

Why, WHY would you bring up the larger denomination coins?

 

[OurTown]

Why, WHY would you bring up the larger denomination coins?

I was concerned about that too.

 

[chinook101]

If you have to clean them out, why wouldn't you pick out the coins? I average $ 30 in coins for every cleanout. I rinse them off in the tub sink and they come out fine. It's my way to get paid for doing a dirty job.

You're exactly right. I get about $100/ week and some jewelry.

 

[soonermajic]

If you have to clean them out, why wouldn't you pick out the coins? I average $ 30 in coins for every cleanout. I rinse them off in the tub sink and they come out fine. It's my way to get paid for doing a dirty job.

You're exactly right. I get about $100/ week and some jewelry.

Over $5000/yr in change from vacs means you have incredibly busy bacs & customers who dgas about vacuuming up lots of Silver!
My vacs are fairly busy, & the few times I've checked, I've gotten about 32 cents!!

 

[MudMoney]

My clean up guy did collect the coins one time and wasted an hour picking thru it.Told him to take dirt home to do it.We clean 1x a week and throw it all away.If quarters are easy to see and not dirty might get a few,otherwise waste of time to collect. To each his own.

 

[celica]

Here in Canada, I think we have a much more generous welfare system than you guys in the U.S. A single person collects aproxx $600 month U.S for welfare (short term) and $ 900 U.S for long term disability. Is that more than in the U.S? We also have a bunch of free food banks and social housing. That may be the reason why we don't see the kind of desperation that seems to be apart of American society. This is why our criminals can't be bothered for a few bucks. The downside is our top tax rate is 53.8 %. Ouch!

 

[Kramerwv]

Here in Canada, I think we have a much more generous welfare system than you guys in the U.S. A single person collects aproxx $600 month U.S for welfare (short term) and $ 900 U.S for long term disability. Is that more than in the U.S? We also have a bunch of free food banks and social housing. That may be the reason why we don't see the kind of desperation that seems to be apart of American society. This is why our criminals can't be bothered for a few bucks. The downside is our top tax rate is 53.8 %. Ouch!

At least you can pay those taxes in high denomination coins

 

[chinook101]

Over $5000/yr in change from vacs means you have incredibly busy bacs & customers who dgas about vacuuming up lots of Silver!
My vacs are fairly busy, & the few times I've checked, I've gotten about 32 cents!!

I have a kitchen garbage can nearly full of coins after 10 months. A few weeks ago found a really nice gold and diamond necklace. What is fairly busy for you? Mine do an incredible business. In the past 7 months, I've had over $13k in revenue off five vacs at one of my washes. let me be clear, the change from ALL three of my washes' vac bins is about 100/ month. I'd hate to just throw it all away.

 

[MEP001]

In the past 7 months, I've had over $13k in revenue off five vacs at one of my washes.

Almost $500 a week, mine do $600-800 a week, and my customers are extremely wasteful. Last night I watched a guy get change for his laundry - I mix tokens in with the quarters to discourage abuse, and he threw the tokens in the trash. I had just emptied them, so heck yeah I fished the tokens out and put them back in the changer.