Stop blowing on video game cartridges! Let's learn how to get them cleaned properly.

in #gaming6 years ago

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Stop blowing on cartridges!

That blinking screen is a nagging problem that’s well known to any retro game fans. If you’ve got game carts, you’re eventually going to have to do some maintenance to get them up and running again as they accumulate gunk. Luckily, cleaning them is pretty easy, so lets take a look at how to care for your carts properly.

The wrong way

Blowing on your game cartridges is a big no-no. While it does seem to get them running, here’s what its actually doing. You’re not blowing away dust particles, your breath is adding moisture to the contacts which helps to bridge the connection and get your games running.

The problem with blowing on your carts is that every time you do so, the moisture from your breath sticks to the carts and corrodes the contacts. This makes the carts harder to read every time you pop them in.

The right way

If you’ve got carts that give you the dreaded blinking blue screen (or other problems), here is what you need to clean them the right way.

  • Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
  • Cotton swabs

Simply dip the cotton swab into the alcohol and run it across the contacts on the bottom of the cartridge. I like to use a back and forth motion, followed by up and down motion to make sure the contacts are cleaned from every angle.

As you do this, you’ll start to see your cotton swabs turning black. You need to repeat this process until the cotton swabs aren’t picking up any more black filth from the contacts. Give the cartridges at least 15 minutes for the residual alcohol to evaporate before trying the game again. This method will get all but the most filthy carts back into shape.

What if they’re still not working?

If that method fails, another thing you can try is using a standard pencil eraser on the cartridge contacts. However, this involves opening up the cartridge and that requires special proprietary bits to remove the screws that hold the cart together. These can be purchased on eBay and other online retailers.

What about markers and stickers on cartridges?

Every collector ends up with games on their shelves that have “Property of Bobby Simpson” written in marker or “Food n’ Stuff” stickers from their days as rental carts. In most cases, these can be removed fairly easily.

Removing marker residue
Names written in marker are common on old game carts, but its usually pretty easy to remove. The first thing to try is more of your rubbing alcohol combined with a tissue or cotton balls. This can remove lighter marks pretty effectively. If this isn’t strong enough, you’ll need to use a product called a “Magic Eraser” which is found in the cleaning aisle of most grocery and department stores. Be careful though, as the magic eraser is a very fine abrasive and if overused can leave an unwanted smooth area on lightly textured plastic.

Removing stickers
This is a bit more tricky, because if the sticker overlays the game label you’re pretty much out of luck. If not, they can usually be removed using a product called “Goo Gone”. Simply follow the directions on the bottle and most stickers can be scrubbed away pretty effectively using this stuff.


Using these simple techniques, you can get all but the most funky game cartridges cleaned up and working like a champ!


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Thanks for reading. As always, upvotes, resteems and comments are appreciated!

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Great tips! Also, don't hit your console if it isn't working. Retro console violence it a crime. ;)

Joking aside , corrosion on cartridge pins is not the easiest thing to clean. Preventative care is the best approach.

I always wondered about this when I come across consoles with broken cartridge doors, chipped corners and busted buttons!

They have to be pretty neglected to have any significant amount of corrosion on the pins. Like you found a cartridge under a jar of leaky Apricot preserves in a dusty old fruit cellar. Keeping them inside their just jackets or boxes really helps keep the contacts clean and well-preserved.

Agreed and it's not often I see them but I've lived on the coast for many years and have come across some pretty gnarly carts. Boxes of games sitting in the open salty sea air at flea markets and such were always the biggest culprit.

Oh god, just realized how many cartridges I must have ruined by doing this haha!
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You would have to do it a lot to ruin a cartridge, but for the average person its not enough to push it beyond the point of salvage.

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