What % of rubbing alcohol is best for electronics and cleaning games?

[needler420]

I always hear both sides and neither one having much credibility.

I always hear for electronic equipment a higher % is better so that there is less water content means less chance of rusting.

However if you read the back of certain games such as the original Metroid on NES it says.

DO NOT clean with benzene thinner, alcohol or other such solvents. That message was not intended to stop kids from using chemicals. I'm 90% sure it's a warning against using corrosive and abrasive chemicals that could damage the cartridge. The following caution warnings are as followed.

* DO NOT store in extreme temperatures
* DO NOT immerse in water

I'm pretty sure these warning labels are meant for protection of the game and not a liability issue like I've heard before.


These pre-caution warning labels lead me to believe you should use less % alcohol. I know I looked up a bunch of video game cleaning guides and often I see them say to use a 2:1 water to rubbing alcohol ratio.


I almost never use it for medical purposes. I use peroxide for that. When I went to the store last I had the option of getting 70%,90% and 50%. I went with the lowest to use on my games and electronic equipment. When I buy it for cleaning purposes such as cleaning out pipes and bongs that have resin then I use a higher %.


This is one of the magazines where it says to use a lower and a 2:1 ratio. The article is called keep it clean on page 13. I believe this booklet was a freebie with issue #5 of VGC magazine.


Factoring in the pre-caution warnings on the games I decided to go with the lower % and will just dry it off as I apply. I believe it to be less risky then going with too much alcohol. I would think using a high concentration like 99% over multiple uses too frequently would become abrasive to the metallic.

[Polygon]

James Rolf, the AVGN, asked someone at Nintendo about that and was told it was a liability issue as they didn't want kids using any of these and coming into any kind of harm. I don't get that since all those old video game cleaning kits used ISO. That being said, I would always use the highest percentage you can get your hands on. I use 99% always. It's going to clean better than any other percentage and if you want it's easy enough to dilute it yourself. No need to pay someone else to put water in there.

[needler420]

James Rolf, the AVGN, asked someone at Nintendo about that and was told it was a liability issue as they didn't want kids using any of these and coming into any kind of harm. I don't get that since all those old video game cleaning kits used ISO. That being said, I would always use the highest percentage you can get your hands on. I use 99% always. It's going to clean better than any other percentage and if you want it's easy enough to dilute it yourself. No need to pay someone else to put water in there.

Unless you're cleaning like resin in a bong or something really nasty and dirty it's not going to make a difference cleaning wise on electronics. The only difference is how abrasive and corrosive the concentration is going to be.

I'd imagine if you soak certain metals in rubbing alcohol long enough it will scrap away a metallic layer like soda stripping paint.


I have done tests with my bong using the different alcohol percent and of course found the highest best for cleaning. But that is a glass pyrex bong. Not fragile computer chips that contain different types of metal along with other non metal material which IS corrosive with rubbing alcohol.

The only thing you have to worry about it being diluted is the water content rusting parts. Which is avoidable if you do it right.

Isopropyl alcohol is not corrosive under most conditions, however, it will react with aluminum at high temperatures, and will attack certain types of plastic, rubber, and coatings.

[wiggyx]

abrasive and corrosive

Luckily it's neither.

I'd imagine if you soak certain metals in rubbing alcohol long enough it will scrap away a metallic layer like soda stripping paint.

Nope. No reaction to be had between isopropyl and any of the metals in cartridge contacts.


OP, 99% if you can find it, otherwise 91% will do just fine. The concerns of "rust" or corrosion are nearly moot as you're obviously going to dry the contacts off before use/storage.

[needler420]

Luckily it's neither.



Nope. No reaction to be had between isopropyl and any of the metals in cartridge contacts.


OP, 99% if you can find it, otherwise 91% will do just fine. The concerns of "rust" or corrosion are nearly moot as you're obviously going to dry the contacts off before use/storage.

It's not only the metal contacts I worry about. Rubbing alcohol is corrosive to other materials. Certain types of plastics and rubbers will get eaten up by the stuff. I'm not positive about this but I don't think the computer chips in games are pure 100% metal. I think certain resistors and capacitors are insulated in plastic or rubber type of materials. Along with other parts on the board as well.

My fear is using a solvent too concentrated for prolonged use, too frequently, can lead to corrosion of certain materials. That message on the back of games about using solvents didn't come from nothing. I am aware that all the Nintendo kits use a form of isopropyl alcohol but it's in diluted forms not near 100% concentrated.


That is why I think lower % rubbing alcohol is better. It's not like it's going to under clean. It's just going to be less corrosive against anything it had a chance of being corrosive with.

[Aussie2B]

I don't understand the point of this topic considering it's just a repeat of what was being discussed in this topic:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/show...your-NES-games

I highly doubt the percentage matters, especially if you're cleaning your games infrequently and not soaking your games in the stuff. It really doesn't matter if the higher percentage stuff dries faster when it dries fast either way, and you can just as well run a dry q-tip over the contacts to hurry along the process. I've bought both 70% and 90%, and sometimes I've diluted them by half and sometimes I haven't. I have never noticed a difference in cleaning effectiveness, a significant difference in drying time, or any problems resulting.

I'd say the most important thing is don't buy isopropyl with any weird additives beyond water.

[wiggyx]

It's not only the metal contacts I worry about. Rubbing alcohol is corrosive to other materials. Certain types of plastics and rubbers will get eaten up by the stuff. I'm not positive about this but I don't think the computer chips in games are pure 100% metal. I think certain resistors and capacitors are insulated in plastic or rubber type of materials. Along with other parts on the board as well.

My fear is using a solvent too concentrated for prolonged use, too frequently, can lead to corrosion of certain materials. That message on the back of games about using solvents didn't come from nothing. I am aware that all the Nintendo kits use a form of isopropyl alcohol but it's in diluted forms not near 100% concentrated.


That is why I think lower % rubbing alcohol is better. It's not like it's going to under clean. It's just going to be less corrosive against anything it had a chance of being corrosive with.

Well, PCBs are made of silicon, so no worries there. Otherwise just don't clean the caps and whatnot with isopropyl. There's no reason to anyway.

If it's got potential to corrode at all, then I would avoid it at any concentration. But in this instance, it really doesn't.

[Polygon]

Well, PCBs are made of silicon, so no worries there. Otherwise just don't clean the caps and whatnot with isopropyl. There's no reason to anyway.

If it's got potential to corrode at all, then I would avoid it at any concentration. But in this instance, it really doesn't.

I have to reiterate this. There is no potential to damage anything on a cartridge based game with ISO near the contact pins. As for dilution, if you buy a lower percentage than 99% it IS being diluted with water. So, once again, buy 99% and dilute it yourself. I've been using 99% for years on cart based games with no ill effects and I wouldn't expect there to be any. You're certainly overthinking this.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

The correct answer is 99% Isopropanol, not rubbing alcohol.

[Gameguy]

The correct answer is 99% Isopropanol, not rubbing alcohol.

Isopropyl alcohol is called rubbing alcohol in certain areas, I have a bottle marked this way and see it sold like this in stores.

It's used to clean CD laser lenses and cassette player heads, it's safe for connectors on electronics. It doesn't really matter what percentage you use for games, even plain water could be used for cleaning connectors if dried thoroughly after cleaning. The real problem is with dirt left on the connector, if there's dust or dirt then it absorbs moisture and keeps it against the connectors or board which can eventually cause damage. I've seen games with damage around the traces right where the plasic ridge in the case supports the bottom edge of the board, that's where dirt tends to build up. The damage was usually minor but it's just where that plastic ridge is, not beyond it.

[thegamezmaster]

I myself use electronic contact cleaner that cleans the contacts and some condition the contact to prevent getting dirty or whatever as fast.

[bb_hood]

The correct answer is 99% Isopropanol, not rubbing alcohol.

Same thing as Isopropyl alcohol, different common names. One reason its so good to use is that it evaporates so quickly and 99.9% of Iso evaporates completely, leaving no residue. You would want the higher concentration because it lacks water, which isnt horrible but could leave said residue.

[wiggyx]

We should really avoid using the term "rubbing alcohol" as it can refer to either ethanol or isopropyl.

Ethanol shouldn't go near any of our games, while isopropyl is pretty damned harmless.

[recorderdude]

I've been able to bring games back from the grave with various concentrations of alcohol myself, but due to what we actually have I mostly use 70% and it does the job. Regardless, the others here are correct in stating that pure rubbing alc is going to be the best for games since it's more customizable, but pretty much any concentration CAN do the job if you do it well enough and properly dry it too.

[needler420]

Having just cleaned my games I think I'm going to stick with what I read in the video game collector magazine about using a 2:1 ratio.

This happened to my coffee table in a matter of minutes. Mind you this damage happened in a matter of minutes using 50% concentrated



Now I know rubbing alcohol is extremely corrosive against wood and paper products but it is also corrosive against plastics and rubbers. And the game boards are not 100% metal. I am a bit pissed now that I ruined my coffee table. It's not the first thing I have ruined with rubbing alcohol.

I am almost certain you can damage your games now using too strong of a solvent. Those pre-caution labels on NES games saying not to use alcohol wasn't pulled out of someone's ass. Those Nintendo kits that contain rubbing alcohol aren't near 100% concentrations.


I'm guessing that pre-caution label on the back of old NES games is not a joke when they say don't use solvents. If I do I will dilute it for now on.


I am actually going to put it to the test and purposely let different dosage concentrations get corrosive with whatever it can on the game board.

I want to test which will ruin it faster. I will use a cheap dunk hunt or something.

[Polygon]

Having just cleaned my games I think I'm going to stick with what I read in the video game collector magazine about using a 2:1 ratio.

This happened to my coffee table in a matter of minutes. Mind you this damage happened in a matter of minutes using 50% concentrated



Now I know rubbing alcohol is extremely corrosive against wood and paper products but it is also corrosive against plastics and rubbers. And the game boards are not 100% metal. I am a bit pissed now that I ruined my coffee table. It's not the first thing I have ruined with rubbing alcohol.

I am almost certain you can damage your games now using too strong of a solvent. Those pre-caution labels on NES games saying not to use alcohol wasn't pulled out of someone's ass. Those Nintendo kits that contain rubbing alcohol aren't near 100% concentrations.


I'm guessing that pre-caution label on the back of old NES games is not a joke when they say don't use solvents. If I do I will dilute it for now on.


I am actually going to put it to the test and purposely let different dosage concentrations get corrosive with whatever it can on the game board.

I want to test which will ruin it faster. I will use a cheap dunk hunt or something.

For starters, wood and plastic don't corrode. You're confusing what is really happening here. Next, I have proof to the contrary. I've been using 99% ISO on all my cartridge based games for years with no damage. The only thing I could think you could potentially damage on the cart would be a cap or a resistor, and that's pretty slim to be honest. I've used 99% ISO on the plastic case as well with no damage.

But it's up to you.

[needler420]

For starters, wood and plastic don't corrode. You're confusing what is really happening here. Next, I have proof to the contrary. I've been using 99% ISO on all my cartridge based games for years with no damage. The only thing I could think you could potentially damage on the cart would be a cap or a resistor, and that's pretty slim to be honest. I've used 99% ISO on the plastic case as well with no damage.

But it's up to you.

It's not going to damage if you let it dry obviously. The theory is for someone who uses it frequently and uses a lot leaving it on for a prolonged time. This is not about that 90% won't work either. It's what works better and more efficient and why.

I have used 90% on the plastic to and ruined a few labels doing it.

Ever since I just use a toothbrush and soap and water. A high concentration of isopropyl will instantly eat the labels if you get the slightest drop on it.

If using it on the plastic I would recommend using a ratio of like 3:1 water to isopropyl. As careful as I am, I have ruined and faded labels with isopropyl.

[Polygon]

Interesting.

Just used 99% ISO to remove crap from labels recently with no damage to the label. Are you sure you're not using acetone or something? Because ISO is actually pretty benign and will not just eat labels, plastic, or wood like that.

[needler420]

Interesting.

Just used 99% ISO to remove crap from labels recently with no damage to the label. Are you sure you're not using acetone or something? Because ISO is actually pretty benign and will not just eat labels, plastic, or wood like that.

This is a pic I just took of a old project I did months ago. I realized the pattern of what it was. Look what I put next to it for reference.

I am 100% sure if you put 99% ISO on a video game paper label you will eat through the color of the label instantly. Even if you wipe it on then right off, do it with a clean napkin. Notice how the napkin won't be white. That is the color of your game label coming off.

[A.C. Sativa]

I have done tests with my bong using the different alcohol percent and of course found the highest best for cleaning. But that is a glass pyrex bong. Not fragile computer chips that contain different types of metal along with other non metal material which IS corrosive with rubbing alcohol.

I just don't understand why people spend $10-12 on that Formula 420 stuff when rubbing alcohol works better and costs... what, $2? Really, if you don't let it get too gunked up then hot water should be enough.