Classic Game Room - HOW TO CLEAN GAME CARTRIDGES! 

Great demonstration. Really love the old cartridge systems, they just don't make 'em like they used to. I remember my SNES taking a few tumbles and still working perfectly fine. Ah, the golden age of cartridge gaming. Thumbs up if you remember blowing into your cartridges and the cartridge slots before using them!

Been gaming since 1979. Have used alcohol and qtip for decades. I still buy N64, Snes games, and always clean them first with this method. Awesome vid for those who may not know. I also use the 1up console cleaner cartridge for my N64 and Snes. Bought on Amazon, $19.

Good video! Isopropyl alcohol works well for cleaning other gunk off of games too. Another useful feature for it is wiping off permanent marker ink and BlockBuster labels as well. Getting off the clear tape is a whole different headache

Always use isopropyl alcohol when cleaning electronics, as it doesn't conduct electricity, other types of alcohol are usually ok, but if you don't allow it to evaporate completely, it has the chance of causing a short. My rule of thumb is isopropyl alcohol, because it's almost impossible to screw anything up with it.

all of Mark's vids are awesomely enjoyable, even a cleaning tutorial is entertaining to watch!

i'm going to do this with my prized earthbound cartridge. i am trusting you here.

2:34 epic moment in music perfectly timed with video

A 2011 demonstration of a cleaning technique me and my friends did back in 1987. This is so nostalgic and non-applicable to today's gaming, but that's usually what CGR is all about, and it's awesome.

Thanks so much, I got my 19 year old Pokemon stadium cartridge to work smoothly and clean just like back in the day!

I used to do this all the time, it works great.Rubbing alcohol is great for all kinds of stuff, it's like a miracle potion.

fun facts: the reason why cartridges often got dirty is due to the connectors on the game oxidizing, creating a patina buildup or in the worse case scenario, corrode the pin connectors. consumers were also supposed to clean the games regularly to avoid this as it was stated on the warnings on a back of a snes cartridge. also the reason why blowing on the cartridges seemed to work is the moisture in your breath moisturized the cartridge, encouraging conductivity.

this helps me sleep. I watch this whenever I take a nap

you want to use the highest concentration to prevent possible oxidation from the water used to dilute it. Actually, the true secret is to use a white pencil/pen eraser as it prevents any moisture from touching the contacts.

It's so simple, yet so many people still think blowing inside the cartridge is the way to go. +1 for spreading the word.

Dude you rock! thanks a bunch. It worked like a charm.

Mr clean magic eraser is a god for games with permanent marker

Don't use isopropyl alcohol, use name-brand Nintendo "cartridge cleaner", made up entirely of isopropyl alcohol, but at a cost that drains your wallet.

Just got Pokemon Snap again for n64 and thought the buyer sent me a bunk unit, after a quick cleaning we're golden! Thanks mate!

Alcohol is like duct tape. It fixes everything!

Yes I always use either isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab or dioxit d5 on a cotton swab to clean up the contacts on my Atari video game cartridges and/or my Nintendo video game cartridges. This is good advice in most cases, for a few minor cases one will need to clean up the contacts in the cartridge slot of the video game consoles instead. In those minor cases I have a cleaning kit, but they are no longer being made so use non magnetic strip end of a expired credit card with either isopropyl alcohol or deoxit d5 on it.

Isopropyl alcohol will only do so much. For games that are really stubborn, try Brasso metal polish. It is more effective, but it will leave a residue. so be sure to clean it off with alcohol afterwards.

Man, he could talk about a plain cardboard box and the logistics of it even existing and I'd still watch it and be entertained.

Is this also safe for the contacts inside the console? It probably is but I like my Megadrive too much to put that to the test

That's a pretty swaggy q-tip holder, you've got there. I can see you went all out on this video.

The mistake must people make is using their medical grade isopropyl alcohol which is typically a 70% mix, leaving 30% water and other mixes. Water can cause both immediate and long term damage from shorting your electronics to corrosion. In the video, he's using 91% isopropyl alcohol which is considerably better, but I would only use it in a pinch. Every pharmacy carries 99% isopropyl alcohol for less than a couple bucks, so don't be cheap(er) and skip the pure content because it not only cleans thoroughly, it evaporates quickly and completely.

As many have said Mark could do a cooking show and everyone would watch it

HOW TO CLEAN EARTHBOUND CARTRIDGE, GET A COPY OF SOAPBOUND AND SMOOSH IT INTO THE PINS. THE END.

didnt even use water, I just cleaned it with an old tshirt and the arm of my sunglasses. Works 100%. Using the methods I did when I was a kid and I still own the same games as I was a kid. Games back then were meant to last, they were tough and still are to this day

AVGN's glitch gremlin: "ohh not the q-tip!"

i look away for a second and this is suddenly a drawing channel

1:04 "It's for cleaning wounds." NO!!!! Isopropyl alcohol should NOT be used for cleaning wounds! It will make them heal slower. That is like... 1980s first aid. Newer techniques say to clean wounds with warm water.

lol I did that when I had the nes cartridges. wow such old school methods is still in use today.

I tried this and my cartridge turned into a Giraffe!

Thanks! Can't wait for my wife to come home so I can tell her all about it!

will 70 percent isopropyl work?

I never had to clean my cardridges Since 16 Years they play like a champion :D

BLowing the cartridge slowly destroys it. Search for it.

I thought this was knowledge that was born/imprinted into every gamer.

I used water and a paper towel and now I learned how to save many of my cartridges. :D

I have close to 1000 games in my collection, I clean all cartidges before they go anywhere near one of my consoles. Rubbing Alcohol works on Atari/Coleco games that can't be opened, but games like NES/SNES/Genesis, I open them with the security bit, and clean the contacts using a Technical Eraser (white vinyl rubber). Works MUCH better than Alcohol, and can clean up even the dirtiest games.

I am friends with a owner of a mom and pops gamestore and the preferred method is 50/50 water and ammonia. That is best for a standard cleaning. Now if you have a badly corroded cartridge,fear not, get yourself some brass/copper polish and rub that in, the clean it off with VERY light amount of water. Repeat till there is no corrosion left. Now for getting stickers of games and packaging and sticker residue, use lighter fluid, takes it off nice and clean.

It's always nice to see these kinds of tips and pointers. I know AVGN already did this in his game glitch video with the similar procedure.

can u understand there is not even a single day i don't visit Classic Game Room and watch your vids? gosh, you're a religion. Oo

I love the backround music in CGR videos.........

Big Thanks...just cleaned my Xavix Power Boxing cartridge and its working fine now!

Kotaku.com had this on their front page yesterday... All I saw was a screenshot of hands and an N64 cart and I knew it was Mark. You're awesome Mark.

Wieman's glass stovetop cleaner is the best stuff around for this.

Back in the days, we just blew into the cartridge and it worked fine!

Congratulations, if you've watched this video, then you know how to clean cartridges, LIKE A BOSS.

It's worked well for me. Though I'm running out of it to clean games now that you mention it.

at the end you mentioned that a faulty console could prevent a game from working. however it can also be deeper in the game. like broken parts inside that might requires soldering

yay...the first cleaning video that shows you dont have to take your game apart to fully clean it lol......only when games are TRULY not working, after doing THIS, then you have to use a 3.8 mil screw driver to open her up, and really get in there and clean the full contacts. BRASSO BEFORE THE ISOPROPYL REALLY HELPS TOO!

man i knew this technique a long time ago, but its good that you made this mark, im surprised at how may ppl didnt know this

Rouge Squadron! That game was so fun

This is really funny, just earlier today I got the urge to clean out some N64 cartridges and after I'm done here's this vid. Good to see that I did it correctly!

ahh... Star Wars Rouge Squadron...love that game, especially using the cheat to get the Naboo Star Fighter.

If you don't have access to pure isopropyl, Windex is a great alternative that most of us have readily around the house. Due to chemical variations and proprietary information on chemical makeup, I won't use any other window cleaners as a substitute.

Great selection of music. I am glad to see that I clean them correctly.

i dont even have an old school game console why i watch this? BECAUSE ITS AWESOME XD

Star Wars Rogue Squadron was such an epic game!

@Ralkila some games have a battery inside. When they wont save means the battery is dead. Most carts need a special tool you can find them on ebay.

I love the fact that the ONE cartrige game that isn't working for me after buying from ebay is Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. I'll be trying this tonight.

Isopropyl alcohol is quite corrosive - I'd recommend light cleaning be done w/ something like Windex and a Q-tip instead. If you're looking for a deeper cleaning due to corroded contacts, use a metal polish like Brasso with a washcloth to clean and polish the contacts - works GREAT for NES games, I've cleaned most of mine that way. Some of which were unplayable even after changing my 72-pin connector.

Rubbing alcohol will oxidize your contacts much more quickly than a less aggressive solution such as windex. It may work, but using windex or electrical contact cleaner is easier on the pads and prevents oxidation for longer. Simply put, you will have to clean your games more often if you use alcohol. When I don't have windex, I just use the blood of any unicorn... works like a charm.

Rubbing alcohol only is tempory fix, what works best is metal polish (for the contacts). because unlike the rubbing alchohol which will require multiple cleanings, and cleaning many times after played. I use Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish. Rubbing Alcohol works best for cleaning the plastic sections.

@Bourryk Over 10 years ago actually, N64 was the last cartridge based console. Still many people still have older consoles, espectially if they're watching this channel.

God I loved Rogue Squadron I played that game to death when I was kid.

it works amazingly! you have no idea how happy this makes me

is it just me or is it really exciting to see a CGR video in my Sub box?

I prefer to use an eraser to wipe over the contacts firs. Then get about 3 Q tips & wisk them back & forth on the contacts fast. Works every single time :)

Way easier to use a q-tip & spray it a couple times on one side, don't soak it like Mark did, scrub the same way, then take the dry side of the Q and do the same thing then just blow out the " fuzz if there is any from low quality q-tips" works great learned it from MMN12BIRD

I totally miss rogue squadron. played the hell out of that game as a kid

That music sounds like the Sonic Unleashed Apotos hub world. Very peaceful music, both songs. c:

I used to do that to my NES, SNES & Genesis cartridges to keep them running.

i record gabeboy games with the gameboy player for the GCN and one day it wouldn't play them but i used this tip and it works just fine now thanks

I've cleaned Blast Corps with a Q-Tip first; it didn't work, so I used a soft bristle toothbrush. Seemed to work after that.

@TheKaiserJack I've been using water for years. Doesn't seem to harm them, one bit. But, I use a Q-Tip, dip it under the tap for a second or two, dry the tip on a towel, THEN proceed like as seen here in the video. It makes the tip as filthy (or worse) as seen in the video. Kind of makes me hope my tap isn't x% alcohol!

Mate try wanting to learn a speedrun on one of these old games only to find out non of your N64 games seem to be booting up even though there is power to the system. Though sometimes depending on how long it has been sitting there you might want to use the rubbing alchohol on the side of the N64 where you put the games in as the dusk cover seems to only be a suggestion if left for so long like a year or two without use or repeatedly putting gunked up games in it as then some of that gunk might remain in the pins that you have to clean out. Honestly i would suggest a case that covers the bottom part of the games when they are not in use instead of just putting them somewhere that way you do not have to clean them as often since the pins would not be exposed to the natural elements anymore, which is also why some people would say keep the cases to old stuff like DS games as they are better than after market cases and you literally do not have to clean them for years

Thanks man , video helped. I forgot this method decades ago. Got my hard to find Chrono Trigger working on my SNES!! cheers.

I had to clean a bunch of SNES and N64 games I bought at Sally Ann not long ago, some of them two or three times before they started up properly. :p

Good ol nes days! I blew into my games as a kid....nothing bad ever happend

The cheapest way to clean the cartridge contacts is the open the cartridge and use a rubber to clean them. In the mega drive cartridges the 47uf cap goes bad and leaks. Best to open the cartridge and check before you test it.

Mark should chug the rest of the rubbing alcohol and then play Rogue Squadron for our amusement :p

I want one of those cute little qtip cases haven't seen those before.

Use Microfiber cloth instead of cotton swabs! As @Bazuna said, cotton leaves fibers which can contaminate your cartridge port. Nothing potentially damaging here, but in time, that cartridge port can require cleaning, which can be a pain for an average user to do. For the same reason don't use dry parts of your cleaning fabric, it is important to dry when you clean with water based cleaners but not with high concentration alcohol, since it evaporates in a matter of minutes. :)

I have folded up paper and shoved it into the slot the game goes into and rock it back and forth and if it is a tight enough fit, and it looks dirty, get new paper and do it again, and keep doing it until there is none or very little. Q-tips + 91% alcohol is king for cleaning cartridge games. NES games seem to have issues no matter what you do, idk why.

i did this to my sonic & knuckles game and then locked on the sonic the hedgehog 3 cartridge to sonic & knuckles game... after the cleaning all my data was lost.. i was pretty pissed but the games start up on the first time tho. i'd be weary if you have any cartridges with saved game data on them because this cleaning might erase it

I already knew this, but I watched it anyway because I love CGR.

Some people that are really hardcore about cleaning their cart contacts hit it with a little bit of Brasso. I've never tried that but my carts arent really in dire need of a nuke-from-orbit approach.

Awesome Q-tip case bro.

@Bazuna You are supposed to use a soft white regular eraser. I think that was what's the SEGA guy talking about.

@gunblade007 I would contact the super glue manufacture (should be a number on the bottle) and ask them to mail you the adhesive remover. Basically it's designed to remove there product from unwanted areas and usually they provide it no charge minus shipping.

@huynherexpress Rubbing alcohol is used to clean contacts all the time, not just on cartridges. I don't see a reason why it *should* damage the contacts (they're pretty firmly positioned anyway and can't just be randomly rubbed off). Old (S)NES cartridges usually warned about never using alcohol to clean your cartridges, but that was most likely to just boost their own cleaning kit solutions.

Thank you i bought a game today an it didnt worked now its working😃

based on the games in this video.... I predict a Rouge Squadron review coming up Which would be amazing considering i love that game.

ah this would be so useful back in the days.

awesome now I can play that game that was awesome back in the day pit fighter! Omg I can't wait XD

Aah, good old gaming.

@mymovienerd Right on man. I'm not sure what I would use an entire gallon for though... lol. I like windex because it just happens to be around the house more often than not.

mark just reviewed cleaning....and it was AWESOME!!!