How to Clean and Maintain Your Metal Dice

Quick answer

Clean metal dice with lukewarm water, a drop of mild dish soap, and a soft toothbrush, then dry them immediately with a microfiber cloth. For plated sets, skip abrasive polishes and acidic dips entirely, since they strip the finish rather than restore it. Deep-clean only when you feel grit in the numbers or the surface looks dull, and store dice individually or in a lined tray so they do not chip each other.

Metal dice earn their keep through weight and feel, but that same density means every scratch, fingerprint, and bit of dried soda shows up fast. A plated set like the Drakona Khaos Hemera looks stunning on day one; six months of loose storage in a bag with keys will dull it. The good news is that metal dice need less fuss than resin, not more, as long as you avoid the two things that actually ruin them: abrasives and moisture left sitting in the engravings.

This guide walks through a repeatable cleaning and maintenance routine you can run in about five minutes. It covers everyday wiping, deeper cleaning for tarnish or grime, drying, storage, and the mistakes that quietly damage plated and solid metal dice over time.

Start with the gentlest method that works

Most metal dice only need a wipe-down. Dampen a microfiber cloth with lukewarm water, wring it out so it is barely wet, and rub each die while turning it in your hand. This removes skin oils, chip dust, and the faint film that builds up after a long session. If the dice still look dull or you can feel grit in the recessed numbers, move up to soap and a soft brush rather than scrubbing harder with the cloth.

The common mistake here is reaching for paper towels or a rough bar towel. Paper fibers are mildly abrasive and leave micro-scratches on polished faces, especially on gold-tone plating. Keep one microfiber cloth in your dice bag specifically for this job so you are never tempted to improvise.

• Checkpoint: if a dry wipe with a clean cloth does not fix it, the problem is grime in the engravings, not the surface.

Wash with lukewarm water and mild soap

Fill a small bowl with lukewarm water and add one drop of mild dish soap. Drop the dice in and agitate them gently with your fingers for about thirty seconds. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush, the kind sold for sensitive gums, to work the soapy water into the numbers and along the edges. Brush in small circles rather than pressing down; the goal is to lift residue, not to scrub the metal.

Hot water is the mistake to avoid. It can soften adhesives, warp any inlay material, and make plated finishes more prone to flaking at the edges. Lukewarm is plenty. If your dice have painted or filled numbers, keep the soak under a minute and do not leave them sitting in the bowl while you do something else.

• Never use vinegar, lemon juice, or commercial jewelry dips on plated dice; they attack the plating, not just the tarnish.
• Keep a dedicated soft toothbrush with your dice supplies so it never picks up toothpaste residue.

Dry immediately and completely

Rinse the dice under lukewarm running water, then dry each one right away with a dry microfiber cloth. Pay attention to the recessed numbers, where water hides and slowly causes spotting or discoloration on plated surfaces. A quick buff while the die is still warm from your hand brings back most of the shine without any polish at all.

The mistake is letting dice air-dry on a towel. Water collects in the engravings and leaves mineral spots that look like tarnish but are actually just dried residue. If you see spotting, rewash and dry again rather than reaching for a metal polish.

• Checkpoint: run a fingertip across the numbers. If you feel moisture, keep drying.

Handle tarnish and dullness without stripping the finish

If your dice are solid metal rather than plated, a jeweler's polishing cloth is the safest way to remove light tarnish and restore shine. Rub the die with the treated inner cloth, then buff with the outer cloth. Work in small sections and check your progress often, because it is easy to over-polish a single face and create an uneven sheen across the set.

For plated sets, the honest answer is that you cannot polish away tarnish without risking the plating itself. Plated finishes are a thin layer over a base metal, and any abrasive that removes discoloration also removes plating. If a plated die has gone dull or patchy, cleaning it gently and accepting some patina is safer than trying to restore a mirror finish. That is a limitation of the finish, not a failure of your care routine.

• Test any polish on the least visible face of one die before using it on a full set.
• Stop immediately if the cloth starts picking up color that is not dirt; that is your plating coming off.

Store dice so they stop damaging each other

Metal dice are heavy, and heavy objects in a loose bag collide every time you move it. That is where most edge dings and plating chips come from, not from rolling. Store dice in a lined tray, a divided bag, or individual pouches so they are not knocking against each other between sessions. If you carry a full set plus a d20 in the same pocket, separate them.

Keep storage dry and away from direct sunlight for long periods. A sticker like the Dice Orange on your dice box is a fun way to mark your gear, but the box itself should stay closed and out of a hot car, where heat can affect both the dice and any adhesive inlay.

• Checkpoint: shake your dice bag gently. If you hear hard clacking, the dice need more separation.

Know when to leave a die alone

Not every mark needs fixing. A little patina on a battleworn finish is the point of the finish, and over-cleaning a plated set is a faster route to damage than occasional use. Clean when you feel grit or see sticky residue, dry thoroughly, and otherwise let the dice do their job.

If a die has a loose inlay, a wobbly edge, or plating that is actively flaking, cleaning will not fix it. Set it aside as a display piece and replace it rather than risking further damage to the rest of the set.

• Clean on a schedule that matches use: monthly for weekly players, after every session for heavy handling.

Your five-step metal dice upkeep routine

1. 1. Wipe after every session: Buff each die with a dry microfiber cloth to remove skin oils and dust before they set. Checkpoint: if the cloth comes away clean, you can skip the wash this time.
2. 2. Wash with lukewarm water and one drop of mild soap: Soak briefly, agitate with your fingers, and brush the numbers with a soft toothbrush. Mistake to avoid: hot water and long soaks, which loosen inlays and stress plating.
3. 3. Rinse and dry immediately: Rinse under lukewarm water and dry each die with a clean microfiber cloth, working into the engravings. Checkpoint: no moisture left in the numbers before the dice go back in storage.
4. 4. Polish only solid metal, and only when needed: Use a jeweler's polishing cloth on solid metal dice for light tarnish; leave plated dice alone beyond gentle cleaning. Mistake to avoid: polishing plated dice, which removes the finish along with the discoloration.
5. 5. Store separated, dry, and out of the heat: Use a lined tray, divided bag, or individual pouches so dice are not clacking against each other. Next step: shake the bag; if you hear hard contact, add dividers or pouches.

Dice in the Die Hard Dice lineup worth caring for

• 7pc RPG Set - Drakona Khaos Hemera: Gold-tone plating with detailed sculpting, part of the Drakona Khaos line. Plated dice like these need the gentler routine: no abrasive polish, no acidic dips, and immediate drying so the gold-tone finish stays even.
• Adventure Begins - Sunwave Battleworn Gold: Solid metal dice, die-cast non-toxic zinc, with a battleworn gold finish. Solid metal tolerates a jeweler's polishing cloth for light tarnish, and the battleworn finish means small marks blend in rather than standing out.
• 7pc RPG Set - Blood Ancient: Part of the Ancients line of resin dice, described as timeless and stalwart. If you also own resin sets, keep them out of the metal dice wash bowl; resin and metal have different tolerances for soaking and heat.

Metal dice reward a short, consistent routine more than an aggressive one. Wipe them down, wash gently when needed, dry them completely, and store them so they are not grinding against each other. Do that, and a set like the Drakona Khaos Hemera or the Sunwave Battleworn Gold will keep its finish and its satisfying weight for years of play.