RF Generation Message Board

I got a bunch of filthy SNES games today and I need some tips on getting them clean.  I know rubbing alcohol works great at removing stickers and cleaning the inside of carts, but is it good to clean dirt off the outside too?  Is Windex any good?  Is there any way to clean labels without hurting the glue?

Here's what I do.

I use 2 kinds of Q-Tips. You can get them at any Pharmacy and most Dollar Stores. The first are actually make-up applicators. They have one end that is flattened (which works great on the contacts) and the other is pointed (great for small areas and grooves). The second kind are Q-Tips for babies. These have fatter ends so you can't accidently stick them to far into a babies ear. Both kinds have the cotton more tightly compressed so they don't fray as easily as a standard Q-Tip.

To clean the cartridge contacts I first use the baby Q-Tips and scrub them down good using Windex. I use a flashlight to better see into the cart. Then I use the make-up applicators and clean them again using rubbing alcohol. This cleans all the Windex off. Sometimes it takes a few tries but I've had some real nasty carts gleaming with a few minutes of work.

For cleaning the outside of the cart I use 409, Windex, Goo Gone and Bestine. BEstine is a rubber cement solvent that works great on labels. You have to be careful with it though because if you get it under the cart label it will take it off too. Also don't use it on N64 carts. FOr some reason it rubs the color right of the labels on those. Goo Gone works great too but can stain a label especially along the edges if you're not careful. Goo Gone and Bestine are also both great for cleaning off grease pencil which a lot of thrift stores use for pricing.

I never spray any cleaning solution directly onto a cart. I put it on a paper towel then wipe the cart. Also, Viva paper towels are the best. They cost more than regular paper towels but are far sturdier.

I use microfiber towels to clean the carts if they are real dirty. You can use just water in most cases (for dirt). For stickers I use Lift Off from Motsenbocker, it works good with out being to aggressive like some solvent products. For the contacts I use rubbing alcohol and thats it.

For random cleaning, I use isoprophyl alchohol.  I like to use that because I don't have to be careful with it.  Just scrub away and nevermind the bollocks.  For the contacts I use those individually wrapped alchol pads.  I use Q-tips with plastics sticks on them to get in all of the small areas.  I use the kind with plastic sticks because if there is a really thin seam somewhere, I can flatten the stick and clean even the smallest crevices.

For marker and what not, Goo Gone is your best friend.  I just found Power Lords for the O2 that had a bunch of stickers and marker on it.  The Goo gone took up all of the stickers, and cleaned off the marker without doing any danage to the box.  Phenomenal stuff really.

If you have a real pain of a sticker, using a hair dryer to melt the glue seems to work well.  I would just be wary about using it on carts.  You never know if all the heat will damage the chips.

to remove stickers i use a heating gun they usally come right off....mr clean magic pads work wonders in removing marker from carts.

I had also picked up some fairly disgusting SNES carts from the infamous Book & Music Exchange... Q-tips and rubbing alcohol go a long way towards getting dirt cheap SNES shmups running again.

Here is a great article I found about why old gaming systems get discolored.  Quite interesting.

http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/189