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Poker Chip Care

Cleaning Poker Chips

Believe it or not clay poker chips like Paulsons aren't actually made out of clay.  There’s no such thing as pure clay chips.  They're made from a collection of materials that are both heavier and more durable than clay.  A machine compresses this mixture at over 10,000lbs psi, at a temperature of around 300F (I've heard that a machine like this costs around $1.5 million.  If I had that much cash I'd buy one).  After the chip cools down you're left with a very strong, clay like chip. 

Over time all poker chips get dirty to some extent, especially softer clay chips like Paulsons.  Due to the nature of the materials in clay chips, some of the softer chips will experience color rub off to varying degrees, and will generally grime up more quickly than ceramic chips will.  Some of the Paulsons are so soft you can actually write with them like crayons.  Just don't tell your kids that.  Wouldn't it be nice to come home and see your children drawing pictures of Scooby Doo with your brand new set of Pharaoh's?  

So unless you put your chips on display in a glass case and don't actually play with them, then you're going to have to wash those suckers from time to time.  A word of caution first.  Don't wash them yourself if they're particularly old, or valuable!  Have a pro do it.  People have damaged their chips while washing them.  Also, don't stick them in the microwave to quick dry them (people have actually done this), or in the oven!  Don't attempt to steam clean them either.  And no, you cannot stick them in the dishwasher to save some time! 

If your chips are important enough to you that you're willing to clean them, then do it right and clean them one at a time.  Casinos have giant chip washing machines like this one (giant chip washing machine.)  We're going to use our own set of high tech equipment: a used toothbrush with soft bristles and a bottle of mild detergent.  First of all, don't submerse them completely in water.  I've heard of people doing this and having their chips come out just fine, but why risk it?  To clean your poker chips all you're going to do is dip the toothbrush in a container filled with a mild detergent, and scrub your chips gently, one at a time.  When finished with one, dry it off immediately.  Don't scrub the inlay.  You don't want to get water underneath the seal.  Simply wash the inlay gently with a damp cloth.  Do this one at a time for each chip.  Don't wet down your chips and let them "soak."  Be sure not to use anything abrasive when cleaning your chips.  Brillo pads are out!  Below are a couple before and after shots of my Paulson Pharaoh's.   

After you've cleaned your poker chips, you'll probably want to oil them which leads us to the next section.  Ceramic poker chip owners can skip the next section.  A ceramic chip is far less porous than a clay chip and therefore benefits less if at all from oiling.  In fact if you do oil your ceramics, all you'll probably end up with is oily poker chips.  Yuck!

Oiling Clay Poker Chips

Oiling clay poker chips, especially the softer ones, will not only help bring out the color, but prevent color rub off to some degree and keep them from getting dirty as fast.  Sounds great huh?  Well, to be blunt, oiling your poker chips is a huge, messy, pain in the rear.  Especially if you have a large set.  Casinos have it easy when it comes to oiling clay chips.  And no, it does not involve a huge chip oiling contraption similar to the chip washing machine I showed you.  To oil their chips, they simply put them out on the floor for people to play with.  Casino chips are oiled naturally in this way through contact with the natural oil, sweat, and grease on people's fingers.  Gross isn't it?  Casino chips are in use 24-7, 365 days a year, and are handled by everyone from the nervous sweaty guy at the blackjack table to Buck, the big guy at the craps table that just got back from the Fried Chicken Barn and forgot to wash the grease off his hands.  I thought I'd fill your mind with a pleasant image or two for the next time you handle poker chips at your local casino.  But yes, that is how they oil their chips.  Their poker chips are oiled naturally through constant contact with oily human fingers. 

Now you could go down to your local casino and politely ask them to put your new set of poker chips on the floor for a few days, or you can oil them yourself.  I recommend the do-it-yourself method.

Do not use anything other than mineral oil on your poker chips.  I'm not an expert, but I would be extremely wary of putting anything organic on my chips as organic compounds break down over time.  If you use vegetable oil on your poker chips, you may be in for a stinky surprise in a couple months.  That is unless you enjoy stinky surprises.  Personally, I'm sticking to mineral oil.

Now to start off your poker chip oiling adventure, you need to run down to Walmart and pick up some mineral oil.  What makes this errand particularly fun is that they store their mineral oil in the laxative section near the pharmacy.  Yay!  Just walk in and grab it when no one is looking.  Tell the cashier it's for your wife or something.  After that fun trip, head home and inspect the chips you're about to oil.  If you've just washed them, then you're good to go.  If they're brand new poker chips just out of the box, then check them for that chalky dust that always seems to coat new clay chips.  If your new poker chips are dusty, be sure to wash them first and let them dry thoroughly.  You don't want that chalk turning into an oily paste. 

First of all, a little oil goes a long long way.  A teaspoon or less should be more than enough to oil 500 poker chips.  I've heard of people doing everything from dumping their chips in buckets filled with oil, to dipping paint rollers in the stuff and painting oil on their poker chips in huge batches.  The way I do it, is to put one or two drops of oil on my finger.  Then I gently rub the oil along the surface of the chip being sure to hit all the ridges, nooks and crannies.  Those first couple drops will often last through 2 or 3 chips.  Keep it away from the inlay.  I'll repeat the process with 10 -15 chips, laying them next to each other on a paper towel to soak while I move onto the next chip.  Then I'll dry them all off with a paper towel.  I'll repeat the process with the next batch of 10 -15 chips, and continue until I've either run out of steam or have completed my poker chip oiling adventure.  Seven or so hours later, after you've finished (yes it can take that long), you're going to let them spend all night on paper towels on your kitchen table or other such spot.  In the morning give them each a light rub over to remove any residual oil.  You'll find that the colors in your poker chips are now more vibrant, are more resistant to picking up dirt, and are less prone to color rub off (this is especially true with Paulsons).  If you use your poker chips often, eventually you'll have to re-clean and re-oil them, but this shouldn't be an issue for a long time.  In the meantime, enjoy your newly oiled poker chips!

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