How much time do you spend cleaning?

[MFoolsRun]

I'm lazily anal about my games; I really don't like spending the time it takes to clean things up the way I like, but it bugs me to death to have stuff shelved which isn't clean.

 

I disappoint myself

 

So how much time do you spend cleaning when you get new stuff? Is there a level of non-damaging dirt or gunk that will cause you to pass on something? Do you clean immediately when you get new stuff or do you work through the dirty stuff over time?

[shadow460]

I clean immediately, removing as much dirt and gunk as I can, cleaning cart contacts and removing excess buffing fluid CDs if they need it, removing ALL stickers from carts, labels, boxes, jewel cases, etc. I also repair if needed, that includes buffing discs, patching labels and shells, and reflowing cart boards. I attempt to clean all stray markings from my games, and sometimes I remake labels for games I'm going to keep.

 

Barring repairs, the process can take up to 10 minutes per game. Usually it takes less than one.

[Rev]

I clean immediately, removing as much dirt and gunk as I can, cleaning cart contacts and removing excess buffing fluid CDs if they need it, removing ALL stickers from carts, labels, boxes, jewel cases, etc. I also repair if needed, that includes buffing discs, patching labels and shells, and reflowing cart boards. I attempt to clean all stray markings from my games, and sometimes I remake labels for games I'm going to keep.

 

Barring repairs, the process can take up to 10 minutes per game. Usually it takes less than one.

 

 

do you make house calls??????

[Lemmi]

im on and off when it comes to cleaning my games

my 2600 collection hasnt been cleaned in along time, mostly because i havent played a 2600 game in many many years

ive cleaned a few NES carts that were just disgusting over the years.

 

i will look at them if i plan to play them and i will clean them before putting them into the system. but since ive mostly played CD games the past 8 years cleaning isnt a hassle with CD games unlike carts. all you need is a soft cloth for most CD games

 

i will clean off stickers and gunk off carts when i buy them, but i wont bother fixing labels or buffing CDs because i wont buy CDs that have major scratches/scuffs. i have very few scuffed up Cds and most are from the early days of collecting and most are on my Sega Cd system

[Longhorn Engineer]

Everything gets cleaned. Circuit boards, cases, contacts, controllers (hmm everything starts with "C"...), cables, carts....

 

I even go as far as replacing old electrolytic capacitors with newer ones.

 

I use a circuit board cleaner for more of the electronics cleaning and I use a mild soap and tooth brush for the cases and rubber things in controllers.

 

I don't clean them often because I try to keep everything under or inside dust covers. NO dirty carts in the NES!!

Edited May 13, 2008 by Longhorn Engineer

[madhatter667]

I fall into the same camp as pretty much everyone else. I clean the stuff as soon as I can. I don't let gunk just sit. I am waaaaay anal about markings and or rental stickers (or even engravings... THAT seriously torques me the wrong way... particularly if it was an eBay seller who DIDN'T mention it in the auction....ex rental IS ok, but it should be listed!)... that stuff has to come off, and as completely as possible! I'll sit there, peel the old sticker, little bit by little bit, and then goo gone, or goof off to get rid of the residue. I've done the goo gone thing to a CD that was ex rental. Peeled the sticker off, and it left a bunch of silver VOIDS across the disc. Took about 10 minutes of elbow grease... but it looks nice now. If I had the right gear, I'd reproduce my labels... but I have to do the best I can without.

 

Magic Sponges are awesome for getting rid of grunge that has accumulated on system casings.

[fdurso224]

Hi guys:

 

Yes, almost instantly!!! I get games & systems that are so repulsive, that you have to leave them on my terrace. But I do give them a good rub-down & shine them babies with 70% rubbing alcohol, STP's "Son of a Gun" high gloss protection spray. I try to keep them spic & span.

 

Ditto with my german novelty cuckoo clocks!

 

Anthony....

[Dain]

I'm the kind of collector that cleans games once I play them. When I sit down to devote time to a game, it's almost ceremonial: I'll clean the the outside, inside, remove any stickers, goo, etc. Only when the game is cleaned do I find comfort in playing it. It's sort of like that feeling you get when your living room has to be cleaned in order to enjoy watching movies (ok, maybe that's just me).

[madhatter667]

No Dain... not just you. I clean after acuisition, and test after cleaning.

[Ghost Soldier]

I'm in the same boat Dain. I cannot fully enjoy a experience like playing a game, or watching a movie in a messy room. My games get there first cleaning before being played. Once a year I go back through the entire collection and clean every contact and wipe off every case. CD games get inspected and the one's that have marks get put on a list for eventual replacement with a better copy. I'm fanatic about having a scratch, scuff, fingerprint on a disc. About 95% of my CD/DVD/Game Discs have no scratches, scuffs, or fingerprints. I normally don't buy a game if it has issues. The only exception is normally harder to find systems like saturn, sega cd, and dreamcast.

[hex65000]

I'm with most of you in that I won't put a game in my systems until it's clean. My problem is keeping up with the acquisitions v/s cleaning. I have piles and piles of uncleaned untested stuff just waiting to get dealt with. One day I hope to catch up... before I lose interest or am dead. It is incredibly overwhelming though.

 

Hex.

[ Yes sir, I'm a slacker sir... ]

[MFoolsRun]

I'm with most of you in that I won't put a game in my systems until it's clean. My problem is keeping up with the acquisitions v/s cleaning. I have piles and piles of uncleaned untested stuff just waiting to get dealt with. One day I hope to catch up... before I lose interest or am dead. It is incredibly overwhelming though.

 

Hex.

[ Yes sir, I'm a slacker sir... ]

 

That's exactly my situation; when I pick games up 10 or more at a time, it's tedious to scrub each one right when I get home.

 

I've resolved to try cleaning while watching TV and movies; the wife and I try to sit down for a movie once a week --she knits, and I'm going to see if I can bring myself to scrub some games while we watch.

[Reaperman]

wow, I'm a terrible collector...

I clean carts/cds when I can't get them to work right. Of course first I try to reseat the cart a good half dozen times hoping the system pins will scrape through enough gunk to make contact...

[phaxda]

 

How I spent part of my morning. The Q-tips are AFTER the soaking in detergent and scrubbing of the shell. Smokers.

 

I clean everything pretty well. I think my systems are cleaner than anything in the house!

Edited May 13, 2008 by phaxda

[hex65000]

You should probably clean the cart contacts at least if only for this reason:

 

If the contacts are dirty, then your console connector will get dirt on it. If it has crud on it, your console will then contaminate anything you have that is already clean(er).

 

Sometimes I'll 'cheat' and just clean the contacts properly and wipe a cart down to the point where I'm willing to handle it. Then I'll test it out, if it fails it's not so bad. It then just lands in the scrap pile. It really depends on what it is and my level of motivation. I actually have a small pile of psx games and carts just waiting for the final wipedown or desticker job and they go in the collection. I thought I was doing pretty good on my Genesis stuff until I found a cache of loose cases and a ton of SMS stuff. I don't even have a known working SMS to my name (I do have a power base though).

 

This is why I'm trying to throw online at least 8-16 auctions a week on CTCW... I need to get rid of all this extra stuff! AIGH!

 

In response to the original post, it's not that any cart is too crummy to handle, it's how much am I being charged for said crummy cart. I've passed on a really cruddy $7 Kaboom for the 5200, I wanted it, but weighed my time to clean the nasty thing up and the cost and just found myself turning my nose up at it.

 

On the other hand, a good deal on something in crummy shape is more of a challenge than anything and is something I will take on if the price is right... and the wife isn't looking If it's especially gross, I'll quarantine stuff and wait until a nice day to clean the item outside. Especially if I expect anything exceptionally nasty (bugs) inside.

 

I was burned once by the reverse bug-bomb, I got very lucky and stopped that problem before it got out of control. That is some solidly scary shit in my book. UGH!

 

Hex.

[ One day hopes to show off his fairly mighty collection of neat items... ]

[Rick Weis]

It's sort of like that feeling you get when your living room has to be cleaned in order to enjoy watching movies.

 

 

Rick

[BillyTR]

Complete system clean once a year on all systems approx (6 hours)

Game cart cleaning twice a year every game I own approx (1 day)

[Mark Wolfe]

I remember Albert telling me years ago at Philly Classic 4 I think, that he used to open up all the consoles and remove all electronics and put the plastic case parts in the dishwasher.

 

If you've ever been to an AtariAge booth and seen the pristine consoles, then you know how damn clean they are

 

I don't clean very much unless I'm about to play something or sell something but I do take great care in getting storage bins for everything to keep it from getting any dirtier or damaged.

[PsychedelicShaman]

I really don't clean anything unless it doesn't work. If I get something that is completely trashed, but it still works, I like it more than something I get that is meticulously kept. I sort of enjoy when things don't work unless you have the power cable situated in a certain way (unless it resets during a game of course). This gives character to the systems imo. And I enjoy having wires absolutely everywhere. Anyone else?

[MFoolsRun]

I really don't clean anything unless it doesn't work. If I get something that is completely trashed, but it still works, I like it more than something I get that is meticulously kept. I sort of enjoy when things don't work unless you have the power cable situated in a certain way (unless it resets during a game of course). This gives character to the systems imo. And I enjoy having wires absolutely everywhere. Anyone else?

 

Not me; I like impressing people with how well my old systems work.

 

Of course I don't tell them it's because I ripped the region lockout pin off the NES motherboard...

[Ze_ro]

The good thing about all of this, is that if we ever decide we don't want to collect video games anymore, we can all get jobs as museum curators without much difficulty!

 

--Zero

[BillyTR]

Never ran the plastic shells through the dishwater but that is a great idea have had people ask me how my atari 2600 still looked new my secret is carefully use krudkutter followed by orange windex it shines just like new smells good to lol. If only someone could release another wood paneled console.

[hex65000]

Never ran the plastic shells through the dishwater but that is a great idea have had people ask me how my atari 2600 still looked new my secret is carefully use krudkutter followed by orange windex it shines just like new smells good to lol. If only someone could release another wood paneled console.

With a generous coating of 'Armor All'...

 

<running away!>

 

 

Hex.

[ You just can't let some jokes die in the ditch, they must be brought back from the dead to terrorize the villagers so that they have good stories to tell. ]