How I cleaned my NES cartridges in 1998 vs how I do it now, and the q-tip guy at the game store would cry

Mason Singh · 2026-09-25T19:05:04.459533+00:00

Back in 1998 I'd just blow into the cartridge like everyone else, which my dad swore was fine because his Atari survived it. These days I use a $6 bottle of isopropyl alcohol and a box of q-tips from the pharmacy on 5th street, one swipe each direction, and it works way better. The funny part is I still catch myself doing the blow thing out of habit sometimes, and it never helps. Last week I picked up a copy of Excitebike at a yard sale for $2 and it fired up on the first try after a proper cleaning. Anyone else keep a junk cartridge around just to test a console before you trust it with the good games?

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How I cleaned my NES cartridges in 1998 vs how I do it now, and the q-tip guy at the game store would cry | Antique Tech Support - HW Forums