Changed my mind about using compressed air to clean old consoles

A guy on the retrogaming subreddit told me to stop blasting my NES with canned air because it just pushes dust deeper. I didn't believe him until I opened up my Sega Genesis last month after blowing it out for years and found a thick layer of grime packed into the cartridge slot. Tried a soft brush and isopropyl alcohol instead, and the thing started reading games on the first try for the first time in maybe five years. Anyone else find out their go-to cleaning method was actually making things worse?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.willow20d ago

Oh wait, isopropyl alcohol can actually damage some old plastic shells if you're not careful with the concentration.

the_zara20d ago

On concentration" that's exactly right. Anything above 70% is risky for older plastics.