Cleaning Game Cartridges and Discs: Why Rubbing Alcohol Causes Permanent Damage

Never use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) on game cartridges or optical discs. It dissolves plastic housings, corrodes gold edge connectors, leaves conductive residue, strips protective lacquer from discs, creates micro-scratches, degrades the reflective layer, and causes read errors.

Safe Cleaning Methods

Cartridges (NES, SNES, N64, GB, GBA, DS, 3DS)

1. Blow dust from the connector with compressed air.
2. Gently wipe contacts with a dry microfiber cloth.
3. If necessary, use 99% isopropyl on a cotton swab only on the gold contacts—immediately dry with a clean swab. Never apply to plastic.
4. For professional results, use DeoxIT D-Series gold contact cleaner.

Optical Discs (GameCube, Wii, PS2, Xbox, DVD, Blu-ray)

1. Wipe with a microfiber cloth using radial strokes (center to edge)—never circular.
2. If needed, lightly dampen the cloth with distilled water, wipe radially, and dry immediately.
3. For deep scratches, use commercial disc repair kits (SkipDr, Aleratec).
4. Never use alcohol, window cleaner, abrasives, paper towels, or tissues.

Storage Prevention

• Keep all media in cases or sleeves.
• Store in a cool, dry, dark environment.
• Handle discs and cartridges by the edges only.