Cleaning Coins

For as long as I can remember this has been a touchy subject amongst seasoned coin collectors. The big questin of "should I or should'nt I". Yes, in some cases and no for the majority of cases would be my best answer.
Let's say you find a coin that was buried at the beach or one found with a metal detector deep in the soil. Time and the elements have done damage to this coin no doubt. Caked on dirt, oxidation, abrasions make this coin less valuable for any purpose, especially if you cannot identify it. Cleaning this coin will then be acceptable. A coin such as this would have to be cleaned lightly at first. Start with a soft toothbrush and baking soda as this is the least likely way to do any further damage. Lightly brush the coin with a paste made from the baking soda and water. What do have,what details have you brought forth and can you now see enough to identify this coin. Make sure you fully rinse the coin and dry it with a soft clean cloth. If this has not brought out the desired effect then use a stiff bristle toothbrush and repeat the process until you get the desired effect. Under no circumstance should you ever use a caustic chemical like bleach,SOS pad,a wire brush as you will most likely damage the coin permanently.
If you are cleaning a Buffalo nickel it is a bit different. Use the same process as above first. You may notice that the date may not be visible on these coins no matter how much you clean them. Fear not. Although it is not always the best choice, a coin of this type need to be handled differently. There is a product on the market called Nik-a-date. It is caustic and acid based and should be handled with extreme care as it can cause skin burns. Use appropriate gloves and goggles or safety glasses to avoid a splash in the eyes. Put a very small drop of this product on the spot where the date is supposed to show. Wait a bit as the chenical does it's job of eating away at the buildup that hides the date. You should soon be able to see some trace of the date after about a minute or so. Dab off the chemical and properly dispose of the leftover on your cloth. You can also use the same tactic to find a mintmark on the reverse of this coin. This process can be used on any coin made of the metal nickel.
Copper coins would go through the same careful process of only baking soda. Silver coins should be allright with a quality silver cleaner. Always make sure to dry all coins completely as to avoid any further reactions to these coins. I hope this article has been of some help and welcome opinions and further advice.