how often do you clean your NES games

[jperryss]

Maybe I should open up the Videogame Cleaning Authority to offer my professional cleaning services starting at $30 to pour rubbing alcohol over the contacts, $40 if you want me to use a q-tip, and $50 if you want me to use an additional dry q-tip when done. Of course, I'll have to go into hiding and never allow anyone to know who I am or what my qualifications are, but that's the price you have to pay to be an authority.

And $60 if you want a picture of your cleaned game.

[wiggyx]

The one local place in my town that sells games never cleans any of there stuff and you wouldn't believe how much crap you can scrub off with Brasso.

Here is my method:
1) scrub with a pink eraser to losen the dirt
2) polish with Brasso and a clean cloth
3) Wash off Brasso residue with rubbing alcohol (91%) and q tip

I'd prolly avoid Brasso. I've seen and heard of too many issues with it at this point.

[Polygon]

The one local place in my town that sells games never cleans any of there stuff and you wouldn't believe how much crap you can scrub off with Brasso.

Here is my method:
1) scrub with a pink eraser to losen the dirt
2) polish with Brasso and a clean cloth
3) Wash off Brasso residue with rubbing alcohol (91%) and q tip

I refuse to use an eraser. I've had it cause problems, not to mention it makes a mess. All I use is some polish from the Nintendo Repair Shop with some Q-Tips and I clean that up with some 99% ISO when I'm done.

[Flam]

I'd prolly avoid Brasso. I've seen and heard of too many issues with it at this point.

Like what?

[Flam]

I refuse to use an eraser. I've had it cause problems, not to mention it makes a mess. All I use is some polish from the Nintendo Repair Shop with some Q-Tips and I clean that up with some 99% ISO when I'm done.

I've assumed that 'polish' they sell is repackaged Brasso.

[Polygon]

I've assumed that 'polish' they sell is repackaged Brasso.

Nope. It's a lot more liquid than Brasso.

[RP2A03]

Like what?

I don't know about Brasso specifically, but I do know that Weiman Cook Top Cleaner can remove solder mask if you are not careful.

[treismac]

I don't know about Brasso specifically, but I do know that Weiman Cook Top Cleaner can remove solder mask if you are not careful.

Hmmm... I've never read that before. I might have to intentionally try to remove the solder mask of a NES game and try to render it unplayable with Brasso to see if this is possible or not.

[plasticMan]

Come to think of it, I've decided I'm going to start avoiding buying games that are listed as having been cleaned as I recently got a group of games with stripped screws and polish residue all over the inside.

stripped screws and residue - nasty, i tell ya.!

i try my best to avoid ads that read recently cleaned by professionals.

sadly enough most of those screws are stripped by bad screwdrivers. i've found a trick question to ask the seller, before i buy these days.
if they answer that question wrong then i don't buy.
seriously i can't stand buying from someone who can't invest in the necessary tools to open the cartridge.
come on the screwdrivers are only like their bread and butter, and to top it off the screwdriver doesn't even cost that much.
seriously, stripped screws - please please leave well enough alone!

[Polygon]

stripped screws and residue - nasty, i tell ya.!

i try my best to avoid ads that read recently cleaned by professionals.

sadly enough most of those screws are stripped by bad screwdrivers. i've found a trick question to ask the seller, before i buy these days.
if they answer that question wrong then i don't buy.
seriously i can't stand buying from someone who can't invest in the necessary tools to open the cartridge.
come on the screwdrivers are only like their bread and butter, and to top it off the screwdriver doesn't even cost that much.
seriously, stripped screws - please please leave well enough alone!

Yeah, it's pretty frustrating. However, I've never head screws with stripped heads. They had the right bits to open them, they just over tightened the screws and stripped them out so they won't tighten anymore.

[needler420]

In my video game collector magazine it says the best way to clean cartridge contacts is with 2:1 ratio of water and isopropyl. The 91% undiluted is probably too corrosive for the contacts.

My guess is the 71% isopropyl is better for the contacts and the 91% is better for dirt , grime, residue and marker writing.

Another substitute for goo gone is ronsonol lighter fluid. Though that stuff will eat labels.

I would never take and eraser or polish to my games. I have seen mention of the eraser trick in credible resources. I have never heard of anyone using polish. I want my games to be clean not greasy and shiny.



As far as how often I clean them is once when I first get the game regardless of how it looks I clean it so it doesn't dirty the contacts in my system. After that I won't clean them again unless I have a problem with them.

I think once ever I went through all my games and cleaned them when they didn't need it. Only the contacts. I never needed to have to open my games to clean them. If the game was that dirty that it needed to be opened I probably wouldn't buy it unless it's uber rare or expensive.

[Polygon]

In my video game collector magazine it says the best way to clean cartridge contacts is with 2:1 ratio of water and isopropyl. The 91% undiluted is probably to corrosive for the contacts.

My guess is the 71% isopropyl is better for the contacts and the 91% is better for dirt , grime, residue and marker writing.

Rubbing alcohol is non-corrosive at any percentage. It is also not anywhere near strong enough to damage metal in any form.

I would never take and eraser or polish to my games. I have seen mention of the eraser trick in credible resources. I have never heard of anyone using polish. I want my games to be clean not greasy and shiny.

Polish is not just for making stuff shiny, it also makes a great cleaner. Polish is NOT greasy or oily but you need to follow up the polish with some ISO to clean up any remnants of the polish. I've had games that wouldn't work, no matter how many times I cleaned them with ISO. I had to use polish and now they work the first time, every time.

[needler420]

Rubbing alcohol is non-corrosive at any percentage. It is also not anywhere near strong enough to damage metal in any form.



Polish is not just for making stuff shiny, it also makes a great cleaner. Polish is NOT greasy or oily but you need to follow up the polish with some ISO to clean up any remnants of the polish. I've had games that wouldn't work, no matter how many times I cleaned them with ISO. I had to use polish and now they work the first time, every time.

Heat up some aluminum and put some isopropyl and tell me it's not corrosive.

[brainerdrainer]

I clean them when I first get a new game, then after that I usually dust my games twice a month or so

[BlastProcessing402]

I've never cleaned my NES games, unless you count blowing on them (begin ing). Granted, my games have all been in my possession for ~20 years, all but a few since they were brand new. If I was buying a lot of used NES games these days I'm sure I would have to clean some of them, but as it stands mine are all in really good shape (yes, even with blowing on them).

[RP2A03]

Heat up some aluminum and put some isopropyl and tell me it's not corrosive.

Nobody heats up their games when they clean them and NES contacts don't contain aluminum. Higher purity alcohol is safer to use because it contains less water and evaporates faster.

[Polygon]

Nobody heats up their games when they clean them and NES contacts don't contain aluminum. Higher purity alcohol is safer to use because it contains less water and evaporates faster.

Exactly.

Way to bring up a wild situation to try and prove a point.

[Aussie2B]

Diluted or not, I doubt it makes a difference when most of us are only cleaning our games once when we first get them. Just run a dry q-tip over the contacts when you're done and no worries.

[Polygon]

So, I didn't want to start a new thread. I was cleaning my Genesis games and came across some with a funky screw type. They were all EA game, you know, the longer carts. Anyone have any idea what security bit I would need to open these up?

[MetalFRO]

The one local place in my town that sells games never cleans any of there stuff and you wouldn't believe how much crap you can scrub off with Brasso.

Here is my method:
1) scrub with a pink eraser to losen the dirt
2) polish with Brasso and a clean cloth
3) Wash off Brasso residue with rubbing alcohol (91%) and q tip

Interesting approach. I use Brasso and these nice, thick Viva paper towels for wiping the contacts off, and I go over them pretty thoroughly after wiping off the Brasso so there's no residue. Alcohol is so corrosive, I wonder if that's causing any undue damage to the contacts or not, or if just some Windex or mild all-purpose cleaner would be better for getting that residue off. Generally speaking, once the corrosion is gone on new games I buy & clean, they boot w/o issue.