Removing sharpie ink from carts and CD's

[bigfriendly1581]

I recently picked up a pile of PS1 games from a small town video store. The games are in good shape but they all have permanent ink on them. Is their anyway to remove it without scatching the games up?

Thanks
Bigfriendly

[wisekrak]

Mr. Clean brand Magic Eraser. It's your best friend. get it wet and rub over the marker. Be carefull as you can take off the disc art if you rub too hard/long...

[scorch56]

Orange Waterless.. works wonders. But it's strong.. and just like the magic eraser.. can remove the screen printing if you're not quick. ONLY OW though.. no other "orange" cleaner will work.

It took a silver-inked permanent marker off the inside of a Genesis case the other day for me with one wipe.

Once you get used to it.. you'll know how long to let it set on anything.. and how to apply it. It can be very corrosive on some things.. and on occasion.. will "cloud" clear plastics (varies from jewel case to jewel case.. oddly enough).. but I've even used it on glossy cardboard console boxes to not only remove marker.. but it takes off sticker goo and residue without even disturbing the finish of the printing.

You know those "foil" tamper labels that old rental stores used to use? The ones you vcan peel off but they leave that ugly-assed "VOID" on them in silver stuff? Well.. use a hair dryer on medium to soften and loosen up the label and peel it off.. don't worry about the silver left behind.. because OW will make that silver goo ball up and roll right off a Genny cart.

No.. I don't work for them either.. it's just that good.

BTW.. OW DOES leave behind a VERY strong smell of oranges when you use it on plastic.. but it dissipates after awhile.. and it's a small price to pay in the meantime to remove something you thought was unremovable. VERY expensive.. can ONLY be found at janitorial supply stores.

I'm talking about THIS (http://www.coastwidelabs.com/products/prodlit/PLS3470.pdf) stuff too.. and NOT the hand cleaner.

[Bassgrabber]

91% Rubbing Alcohol has worked fine for me, so far. That's the highest percentage I've found in stores. Most often I've seen 50-74%, but found this locally and gave it a try. It too has removed the "void" remains of rental stickers, as well as permanent marker on label side of disks.

It has removed all but the nastiest sticker goo (from EB Games clear tape disks) from jewel cases for me. Again, time and effort required, but it doesn't melt the clear plastic nor console plastic. I have NOT used it on LCD or handheld screens.

The only "problem" I've encountered was most likely from my own negligence. I may have been a bit too vigorous on a PSX disk, and partially removed part of the region code (NTSC/US in white box). Oddly, the surrounding white and other areas were fine, so it MAY have been the ink on that particular disk after all. It hasn't happened with any others, although I haven't had that problem in that area on other disks.

I've gotten a few lightly soiled manuals. Warm water on a q-tip (just dampened, NOT soaked) has worked well when used with common sense.

From Scorch56's description of OW here I'd like to try it. The 91% rubbing alcohol takes longer and probably requires more effort by description. The up side... no lingering odor (tho orange is pleasant to me), perhaps a little more forgiving, with no melted cases.

[DogP]

I usually just scribble over it again with a sharpie, and then while it's still wet, wipe it clean with alcohol and a tissue (seriously). The new sharpie removes the old marker, and while it's still wet it's easy to remove. That of course assumes that it can be removed and won't be damaged by more marker (not a cardboard box or something :P ).

DogP

[agbulls]

Mr. Clean brand Magic Eraser. It's your best friend. get it wet and rub over the marker. Be carefull as you can take off the disc art if you rub too hard/long...

I can't stress enough how good of a solution the Mr. Clean Erasers are. I have used them countless times and remove all traces of anything 100%.

[RPG_Fanatic]

I can't stress enough how good of a solution the Mr. Clean Erasers are. I have used them countless times and remove all traces of anything 100%.

Never thought of using that, thanks for the tip.

[nate1749]

I can't seem to find that Orange Waterless stuff anywhere - any idea if it's possible to pick some up online somewhere?

Nate

[jb143]

On a smooth surface even the weaker concentration rubbing alcohol works great, even on glossy cardboard. On a textured surface you can still use alcohol but you need something a little bit scrubby to wipe with, like the scrubby back of a lot of sponges. But if you have a Magic Eraser's laying around give it a go.

I use alcohol all the time on stuff from goodwill and the only thing I havn't found a good way to get sharpie off of is non-glossy cardboard.

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Edit-
Doh...I just realised this is an old thread. Oh well.

[Mason P.]

I use Orange Glow. Its the same thing as Orange Water. Just differant name. Works great.

[Sonicwolf]

I always hate it when I find games at thrift shops and kids have had their ways with them. glitter markers, crayons, stickers and indellible ink ahoy!

[nate1749]

I use Orange Glow. Its the same thing as Orange Water. Just differant name. Works great.

The wood cleaner & polish? http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=81067&catid=33262

[Hitman Tyler]

I use scrubbing bubbles... :)

[TheDomesticInstitution]

Sometimes you can remove permanent marker if you scribble over it with the same color dry erase marker, and then erase it. I'd try this method before you do any of the others, as it's the least abrasive of any of the above methods.

[channelmaniac]

Yeah, I would *never* use a Mr Clean Magic eraser on a CD or cart. It's extruded melamine and is like a fine sandpaper. Scratch and cloud!

You can get 100% pure isopropyl alcohol at Fry's in the tool section. I use that and a soft lint free towelette to clean marker off.

RJ

[nate1749]

Yeah, I would *never* use a Mr Clean Magic eraser on a CD or cart. It's extruded melamine and is like a fine sandpaper. Scratch and cloud!

You can get 100% pure isopropyl alcohol at Fry's in the tool section. I use that and a soft lint free towelette to clean marker off.

RJ

Thanks for the tip, I'll try the 100% alcohol first and use mr. clean erasers as a backup.

[Hitman Tyler]

Thanks for the tip, I'll try the 100% alcohol first and use mr. clean erasers as a backup.
or use scrubbing bubbles.
I recommend this only on carts, no disk since they label color may fade.

[recycledgamer]

I'm going to throw in my vote for the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on this one. I have used Goo Gone and even Goof-Off for years until I recently tried the Magic Erasers. Looking at the things, you wonder how in the world they are going to work with no chemicals. Looks like some cheap foam block, but when you wet it, it is amazing. I use Windex instead of water to wet them for a little extra cleaning power.

Works like a dream - especially on the textured surface of Nintendo carts. I have used them successfully on CDs as well - it takes a light touch.

For price tag and label residue, Goo Gone is still my cleaner of choice.

[hoaryhag]

I've used goo gone a lot at work which I'm sure is basically the same thing as the Orange Waterless or any other citrus cleaner. It works but geez does it stink and I hate the feel of it on my skin. I stick to the highest percentage of cheap alcohol I can find unless that just won't cut it. I may try the Magic Eraser as a metal cleaner though. Lifted this from their product description "It’s a powerful multi-purpose cleaning pad with water-activated micro-scrubbers that reach into the grooves of the surface to lift and remove dirt around your home with water alone." Water activated, lol, the crap they come up with. Just a fine grit like whetstone.

[nate1749]

Yikes, read the instructions and warnings - goo be gone is not supposed to touch your skin! As great as it is, I try to use it as little as possible since I feel like I'm handling toxic waste.

Nate

[Mnemonic]

In addition to the suggestions here, you could also try writing over the marker with a simple dry-erase marker, then wiping... the solvents are often strong enough to pick up the regular marker as well. Your average whiteboard cleaner (which usually contains alcohol) can work wonders as well.

I actually work for the company that makes Sharpie markers (Sanford), so this information tends to come my way now and again. ;)