One things for sure, poker chips are handled by everyone, tossed all around the table, and passed from one hand to the next constantly. Just think about all the body oils from your hands and the food and beverage particles they tend to pick up at a typical poker game. As you would imagine, poker chips will start to change in appearance after constant exposure to these conditions. All these food particles and body oils will turn your poker chips into a token that no player would want to pick up.

When your poker chips begin to offend your senses, it is definitely time for a cleaning. Below I’ve listed a few guidelines to follow when cleaning your poker chips without causing any damage to them. Of course, it’s your preference on how you clean them. These guidelines do not apply to vintage chips. Please seek a qualified professional when cleaning vintage poker chips.

Although there are many cleansers that we could use to clean our poker chips, we can narrow it down considerably. Three important properties of your cleanser must be considered before making your choice. Make you choice wisely as you don’t want to damage your poker chips.

The cleanser you choose needs to pass the following test.

Grime Buildup: The cleanser must be able to remove body oils and food and beverage particles.

Does Not Remove The Ink: You want to make sure the cleanser isn’t so harsh that it removes the ink from your poker chips. That’s the last thing you’d need.

Does Not Dehydrate Your Chips: You probably didn’t know this but poker chips need a little moisture in them to keep from becoming brittle. If you use rubbing alcohol or similar agents you can dry out and remove the ink from you chips so stay away from these.

Some of the cleaners veteran poker players use to clean their poker chips are Sterling Magic, Armor All Multi-Purpose Cleaner and dishwashing detergent. When using Armor All, you want to be sure it’s the multi-purpose cleaner and not any of the other Armor All products. The other Armor All products will damage your chips. You could also use Quick ‘n’ Brite, which is another popular cleaner.

If you use any of the mentioned cleaners, your poker chips will take on new life without any damaging side effects..

When cleaning your poker chips, it’s best to use a soft cotton towel and/or a very soft baby type toothbrush.. Be sure you take special precautions to protect the design that’s on the center of the chip. Keep your thumb over the center of the chip and use the toothbrush to go around the outer edges. Make sure you rinse your chips in a bowl of water and then dry them with the cotton towel.

If you want to restore their luster and add that extra shine, dip your poker chips in baby oil after cleaning them.