Swiss researchers discovered that when they smeared bills with mucus from children with the flu, the virus lived for up to 12 days. Coins can become sticky from sitting under a sweating soda can in your car’s cup holder, and dollar bills collect dirt and discoloration from the germs that rub off of people’s hands. “You basically dry-clean it,” Balke says. Globally, governments spend nearly $10 billion annually replacing grimy or crumpled cash (some half a billion euros are shredded each month for this reason). This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. It is not advisable to wash all of your paper money this way, nor to clean large amounts at one time. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c0\/Clean-Money-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-Money-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c0\/Clean-Money-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1245226-v4-728px-Clean-Money-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"