Comments on: 16-Bit Gems Extra #2: Cleaning Your Retro Video Games

By: php101

php101 — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:42:37 +0000

Rubbing alcohol works on marker, too. I had friends mark their pokemon red/blue games with sharpies when we were young-ish, because for some strange reasons, siblings of friends would get the same color game as their siblings!
So in order to sell those to the local used game stores, they used rubbing alcohol to get their names off the games while I watched. Totally works.

By: Kenshindono

Kenshindono — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:07:18 +0000

toothpaste? Really? Thats odd.. must be the grittiness of it. Honestly the hardest part of GBA carts and stuff is how tiny they are =P

By: Kenshindono

Kenshindono — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:04:04 +0000

Ah, well in that case its not so bad. But cosmetic is only one aspect of it. You would be surprised how filthy those pins are most of the time, and putting them in your system is just gunking it up with every use. It really should be one of the top priorities. Id honestly rather have clean pins than a clean cart if i had to pick one. But like i said im super anal. I do both, including the case.

THe only thing i havent found a really good method for cleaning is game manuals. You cant really use alcohol or anything really wet or it messes them up.

As for Goo Gone, that stuff is weaker than what i use: Goof off. Maybe that is a little safer on labels, and for carefull people like you and I its probably fine, but it still makes me leery. Actually I usually use a microfiber cloth because paper towels can actually scratch labels and stuff if you rub too hard.

For the hair dryer thing its just a word of warning. That heat on an old NES cart with resistors that old isn’t a good idea. Since its gotta be cleaned anyway, why not just take it out. Better safe than sorry. Like you said it would suck to fry your Earthbound or Little Samson cart o_O

Being careful is good advice, but remember this is the internet. Not exactly filled with the most careful, patient people on the planet ;P

Id like to see your more advanced dismantle/cleaning video if you make it. Outa curiosity what do you use for your vintage carts? Eraser method or some kinda abrasive?

By: Kenshindono

Kenshindono — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 05:56:04 +0000

yes but remember near the end of the genesis cycle they switched to those terrible cardboard boxes that were even worse than the SNES ones? A few, like Castlevania came in both forms but some of the later ones were cardboard only =(

By: Aeonterbor

Aeonterbor — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:31:09 +0000

I find it a nightmare to clean NES games,but gameboy games are another matter,when i had a copy of Kirby’s dreamland that was really grimy i used a little bit of toothpste and it worked wonders

By: freemind62

freemind62 — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:32:23 +0000

While I dont have much experience cleaning cardboard boxes for cleaning labels off game cases I use a spay can of Isopropyl Alcohol. Cheap as hell and great for cleaning gunk off things. Good thing it evaporates quite quickly so there is less mess. I use it mostly when cleaning electronics, but it works wonders on annoying label residue. It’s basically the active ingredient in Goo Gone et al, but cheaper, and getting it in a spray can makes it more versatile in my experience.

By: Harith

Harith — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 17:40:08 +0000

on dvd cases i actually like to just replace unless they have some kind of special thing to them and even then i would never use goo gone on them. i found useing super fine dust(like coal) on the sticky parts would make them super easy to clean with some soap and water since all of the stickyness would be gone

By: ClanoftheGrayWolf

ClanoftheGrayWolf — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:46:41 +0000

To tell the truth, this is just supposed to cover the cosmetic cleaning of cartridges. I want to do a follow up for the care and feeding of the electronics (including pin cleaning, battery replacement, etc.)

The fabric softener tip is pretty neat. I hadn’t heard that before and will try it later.

Goo Gone is a petroleum-based solvent cleaner, and as such, can eat away at plastics if left in contact for a long while. But, if you use only a small amount dabbed on a paper towel, and are sure to wipe it away with a water-dampened towel within a minute after that, I really doubt you’ll have any problems. I’ve done this with dozens of plastic and cardboard game box surfaces and never once had an issue.

Same with using a hair dryer on the game carts. As long as you keep the heat moving and don’t let it sit there, you should be fine. Again, I’ve never had a cart stop working that had its circuit board inside while cleaning. But, if you want to be super careful, do take it out. (Especially for games like EarthBound or EVO!) Better safe than sorry.

I can totally appreciate being an anal collector and not wanting to risk anything, but you just need to be careful, is all.

By: ClanoftheGrayWolf

ClanoftheGrayWolf — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:40:42 +0000

If you want to be absolutely safe, take out the circuit board. But as long as you don’t sit the hair dryer on exactly one spot for 5 minutes (note in the sped up footage how I kept it moving), you’ll likely not have a problem. I’ve never come across any problems after using a hair dryer on a cart with the innards intact.

Be methodical!

By: ClanoftheGrayWolf

ClanoftheGrayWolf — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:38:49 +0000

I truly do love my SNES games, but you gotta hand it to Sega for pushing those hard cases for the Genesis titles – great for collectors.