What method do you use to clean your old games?

[John-Lennon]

Hey guys,
I was just wondering what your cleaning solutions were to your old stubborn games that don't work right.

My method:
I usually use rubbing alcohol at first.
If that doesn't work, I take it apart and sand the contacts down with 1000 grit, then to clean the residue from the sanding, I spray the game with Scrubbing Bubbles. I then wipe down the contacts with a paper towel and blow through the chips. I then let it dry for 15 minutes and then works as if it were brand new.

[Robocop2]

I usually use a Q-tip and some rubbing alcohol, so far that has taken care of it every time. Of course just for nostalgia sometimes I blow on the contacts (I know I know, thats a no no)

[leatherrebel5150]

Hey guys,
I was just wondering what your cleaning solutions were to your old stubborn games that don't work right.

My method:
I usually use rubbing alcohol at first.
If that doesn't work, I take it apart and sand the contacts down with 1000 grit, then to clean the residue from the sanding, I spray the game with Scrubbing Bubbles. I then wipe down the contacts with a paper towel and blow through the chips. I then let it dry for 15 minutes and then works as if it were brand new.

I cringe every time I get a game that someone has sanded the contacts on. It destroys the contacts, or makes them corrode much faster. Alcohol is alright but if that does not work just use an eraser that works every time. If that don't do it then there is something else wrong like a dirty connector.

And yea blowing the carts a big no no.

[Snappaccino]

I take every game apart, use a white eraser over the pins, take a microfiber cloth with a little rubbing alcohol on it and run over the pins till the shavings and rest of the dirt come off. Looks nice and shiny afterwards.

[sheath]

I have had no trouble with q-tips and rubbing alcohol. If I go through more than four cotton ends on one game I break out a rubber eraser for a while. This is almost as dangerous as sand paper though, as I once rubbed the gold off of my Genesis 1's Sega CD port connector trying to fix a problem with lock ups that ended up being a fuse.

Overall I've spent a lot more time removing stickers from new acquisitions than I have cleaning contacts though.

[Kellhus]

Piss on em and dry them off with a towel.

[dendawg]

Dawn and a Scotch Brite pad on the contacts, with an alcohol rinse after.

[Penguin]

Weiman's Glass Cook Top Cleaner, polishes the contacts to near new condition without being abrasive. Nothing else works better!

[rimsky82]

I take them apart and use a a pink eraser on the contacts, then go over them with my deoxit gold pen. Eraser gets off the bad cheese, and the deoxit helps preserve the contacts. I find that rubbing alcohol works ok, but leaves behind a light coating of some sort.

I would try to stay away from anything abrasive, because eventually you won't have any good contact surface left.

For carts, I use (clear) windex on a q-tip on the labels, as alcohol will dissolve the inks. I then use the same to clean the plastic, except for the stubborn stuff like sharpie I'll get the alcohol out, and maybe a toothbrush.

I believe blowing is a no-no because spit can corrode the contacts, right?

[Edmond Dantes]

Ah takes 'em down to the river and clean 'em with mud, the way my poppa use ta clean me! Course, the games usually get all fussy and don't work raght afterwards, but they'll come 'round if'n they wanna grow up big and strong!

Just kidding. Normally I use the rubbing alcohol/Q-Tip routine. Though recently I had a copy of Might and Magic II that was so bad that I went through five Q-Tips that way and it still had icky red stuff congregating on its contacts. For that game, I used WD40. That seems to have gotten it off but I'm still afraid of putting it anywhere near my Sega Genesis.

[Drixxel]

Ah takes 'em down to the river and clean 'em with mud, the way my poppa use ta clean me! Course, the games usually get all fussy and don't work raght afterwards, but they'll come 'round if'n they wanna grow up big and strong!

Just kidding. Normally I use the rubbing alcohol/Q-Tip routine. Though recently I had a copy of Might and Magic II that was so bad that I went through five Q-Tips that way and it still had icky red stuff congregating on its contacts. For that game, I used WD40. That seems to have gotten it off but I'm still afraid of putting it anywhere near my Sega Genesis.

I suppose you could buy a Genesis specifically for that copy of Might & Magic II and then never swap carts. Dedicated consoles! That's how a true fan rolls.

[Edmond Dantes]

I would, but I actually have two copies of M&MII and one of them works fine (the other I bought just to have the box and manual)

[BetaWolf47]

Weiman's Glass Cook Top Cleaner, polishes the contacts to near new condition without being abrasive. Nothing else works better!

*Fistbump* Same here Justin!

[Parodius Duh!]

a few q tips with nothing on them works fine, then again Ive never run across a cart that has been covered in a massive amount of shit before.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Weiman's Glass Cook Top Cleaner, polishes the contacts to near new condition without being abrasive. Nothing else works better!

Seconded.

I the brand I use is Sheila Shine, which I believe is essentially the same as Weiman's, but rated for stainless steel/metal instead of glass.

http://www.sanichem.com/images/Sheila%20Shine.jpg

In recent years I've found that non-abrasive, non-conductive metal polish can bring most any NES cartridge back to looking factory fresh.

But, if you're going to go this route make sure that the polish is non-conductive.

[Xtincthed]

q-tip and rubbing alcohol like most :)

[Zama]

Q-tips & rubbing alcohol are my favorite combination to clean my old games like for the SNES :)