LGR - Cleaning Up & Restoring PC Game Boxes 

To make it 100% clear: LGR episodes like today's, even though it features commercial products, are not sponsored. Not by Goo Gone, not by anyone. Unless you count Patreon backers. In that case I'm sponsored by love, man.

As a note on the security stickers: If the box you have isn't the kind you can "flatten", what you can do is fill it up with books/magacines/paper that will prevent it from "caving in" when you're working on removing the sticket :)

Clint's voice makes even the most menial and mind-numbing of tasks sound delightfully soothing and relaxing.

A tip for removing tape and large labels is to (very) slowly unpeel them by wrapping them around something like a pencil. It can be a lot gentler than hand peeling.

That was a very satisfying video to watch.

That dry-erase method is brilliant. Never would have thought of it in a million years! Time to go restore a couple of old games. Thanks, LGR!

Man, LGR is such a loveable and wholesome character :) Such a relaxing channel to follow!

Hey Clint! I’ve been waiting for this video! I work at a used game shop and oddly, restoring and peeling stickers is one of my favourite parts of the day. One thing I would recommend after using the goo gone is to wipe it down with a little windex on a paper towel and wiping the goo gone away as I’ve noticed that over time, the goo gone residue likes to break down and eat certain materials. It’ll also help you get a bit more of that gloss back. This video was really great though! You’ve made my Monday a whole lot better. 😊

You can straight-up feel the love and commitment during certain parts of this video, especially the cardboard fab parts. You're something else, Clint. In a good way.

The funniest thing is when you carefully peel off the sticker from the box, so now the whole area of the boxart looks yellowed or discolored except under the sticker, if you compare (excuse me for my english)

This was like ASMR for my eyes.

This video speaks to me in a way almost nothing else can. I hate when I get a game that spent some time at gamestop for this reason. They will have to answer for these transgressions against defenseless games at some point. My favorite is the stack of paper stickers that they put on old games when the price changes. They almost never come off smooth.

I can't help but be amused by the fact that the ad for this video was for Loctite super glue.

My Gamestop used to take the art sleeve out of games and place the stickers STRAIGHT ONTO THE BOX ART. It is the most annoying thing. My copy of Devil May Cry forever has a big "USED" sticker plastered on it.

Great video, Clint! I'm a librarian and have to mend books all the time, and Goo Gone is one of our favorite things! Purell is great for taking Sharpie off the front of laminate or DVD cases, but I had no idea that a dry erase marker would take Sharpie off a cardboard box! A lot of donated books on CDs have writing on them, that will be incredibly useful! Thanks for the tip!

One thing I've found very useful for making boxes with crisp edges is getting an inexpensive bone folder. If you don't want to spend a few dollars on one, the edge of a credit card can also work decently. Set the ruler a tiny bit off from a line you want to fold. Firmly press the folder into the cardboard and run it along the edge of the ruler. Ta-da! A nice crisp crease for the fold.

For those like me who repair and collect old books for a hobby, a lot of this advice is extremes helpful!

I also like to use Elmers white glue to fix torn cardboard and compress foxed corners. A set of multicolored Sharpies can be used sparingly to color in little chips of ink that are missing due bumps and rubs.

Stickers in general are just a disaster. I get that they don't want prices and other identifying markers to be removed easily, but is it ever a pain in the ass to try and fix them up for either display or resale. Sometimes I swear retail workers are smashing the price tags onto the boxes. P.S. Cutting up those cardboard boxes for framing is some serious dedication, way to show how it's done.

I never would have thought about adding my own cardboard inserts into boxes. Pretty cool idea! Pro tip for sure!

But, wow! I never would have thought about adding cardboard to the inside of the box to reinforce it and keep it un-squished! Brilliant!

Great tips LGR. A couple of suggestions though that may help: 1. Instead of using your finger nail, use the edge of a plastic credit card (or similar - I use an old hotel room key). The plastic card should be orientated at a slight angle to the box and then just gently push the edge of it against softened (heated / Goo Gone) sticker residue. 2. If you have an absorbant box that Goo Gone may damage, then I use lighter fluid. Just make sure you do this in a well ventilated space. Saturate the sticker residue with it and leave for a minute. You may need to repeat this several times before the glue is soft enough to remove using a credit card. Although the lighter fluid spreads everywhere and darkens big areas of the box making it look like you've damaged it, the lighter fluid completely evaporates and, for me, leaves the box without a trace of it whatsoever.

Yes, Anti-Theft thing at 2:43 is called RFID (Radio-frequency identification) - first widely used standard was Tris, developed by Texas Instruments. Nice episode, Thanks !

I also love Goo Gone, a lot. Rubbing alcohol works excellent against permanent marker markings of any age. It just shouldn't be used on plain paperback surfaces that can get wet, or else it will smear. Just try it for glossy.

I collect toys and I keep the original price tags on vintage toys. If it's been on there 20+ years it is part of the package now. And seeing now defunct toy stores is nostalgic.

Now, that's very handy. I've had console games that I bought from flea markets in the past that had price stickers and stuff on the paper cover for some ungodly reason, so maybe I can try that sometime. I assume that a good number of people here have probably already seen the cartridge restoration video from The 8-Bit Guy, but one recommendation for stickers on plastic that I'd like to forward to everyone is applying a bit of WD-40 to the sticker and letting that soak in. Then they come right off, even without leaving any glue residue if you let it soak in properly!

This was surprisingly useful. And the time, patience and careful effort you apply really displays the passion you have for preserving these big box pc games. I am, in a weird way, genuinely moved. Thank you. Keep doing what you do !

I used the same method back when I had old box games. My father taught me how to de-sticker books/clean up old books. Same old methods, tried & true! Thanks Clint! Awesome stuff as always!

Thanks for that! I honestly didn't know you could use dry erase marker to help remove writing on boxes. 👍🏼

Great video! I have a bunch of old boxed PC games with price stickers of probably every type you mentioned. I've always wanted to do something about that but never looked into how to go about it. This will help a ton!

A tip for hard to remove labels: roll a cotton swab impregnated with a solvent that solves the glue (usually methanol or isopropyl) over the label and wait a few minutes. This is a method used in art conservation as well. Sometimes it might make sense to impregnate with just water. This will remove the label but leave the glue on place. The glue can then be cleaned with another solvent.

No padding between the blade and table, a bold man. Also the way he sprays Goo Gone looks awkward, but those stupid bottles are like: gentle squeeze…geeeentle squeze…SPURT!!!!

FINALLY! Been waiting for this video for 2+ years now (as I asked about how you do this around then) and you finally decided to make one.

Thank you so much for this! Since getting into retro game collecting I've made some blunders trying to restore things (my biggest regret is using packing tape to restore a torn Police Quest 1 map, and then making the problem worse by trying to get the tape off), so I'll be sure to reference this video when I want to try some of these things! Might actually get the million stickers off of my copy of Riven.

That is the most care a FOX Sports Golf '95 box has ever gotten. I love it.

A lot of these tips work well on more modern games too. I've been doing similar things to remove stickers from PS3 games bought from pawn shops. The plastic case makes it a lot easier, but it's still really messy.

one of my favorite videos you've made. the less glamorous side of making the collection look so glamorous

Only Clint could get me fascinated with a 12 minute video of peeling stickers off of boxes.

You have to be SUPER careful if you want to remove a sticker from certain types of glossed boxes. The shiny finish can sometimes be a thin layer on top of the cardboard that bonds more to the sticker than to the box itself, so it ends up tearing off with the sticker and leaving a spot where the box is now matte. You can tell if this is happening if the sticker starts pulling up far too easily, as that means you aren't pulling against the stickers adhesive, it's simply the thin layer of gloss on the box coming up. At that point, I haven't found any great solution though and normally just leave the sticker. So I guess I'd just recommend using heat, even if you don't think it's needed, as it can happen regardless of how careful you are being.

I watched this video years ago and thought "Neat". I have recently started "collecting" big-box games. I now have a very small collection of games that I'm nostalgic for and this video provided solid insight!

For the boxes you can't take apart I used to just find a book and a bunch of plain paper to match the inside height of the box then stick it in there and go to town on the stickers so I don't damage the box or crush it. It's always worked a treat for me.

we own a record store so we deal with this all day- here are some of our tricks. goo gone has oil in it which can get under the slick ( the fancy printed part) and stain, what never leaves a ring and is good at removing adhesive is actually lighter fluid or in essence naptha. it can remove sharpie too but is agressive enough to remove color so be careful. the best trick i have is to fix a split on a seam. trick is walpaper tape. its pre scored down the center for your seam and its white so it hides well. glue stick that and it will hold for good!

I really appreciate your meticulous approach with your collectibles. Very nice.

I have so many game boxes with residue left by stickers, I even have some that were left on manuals too. Great video LGR.

You apply Goo Gone the exact same way I do by barely rubbing the tip of the nozzle on the box. I use these same methods for DVD's and blurays I buy secondhand as well. While they obviously don't have the same cardboard issues, they absolutely DO have those sticker problems.

Just spent twelve minutes watching someone remove stickers... LGR is awesome!

Yessssss. LGR!! Monday's ain't so bad after all. You fingered those game boxes real well.

Instead of googone you can use conventional petroleum, which is the main component of Googone. Advantage: Costs only a fraction and has the same effect. Petroleum is oily, it does not attack any surfaces

I've saved so many gunpla boxes from terrible packaging decisions because of this video thank you very much.

I think this subject deserves its own RU-vid channel just like your LGR Foods channel. Uploads every week or you peeling stickers

6:20 My experience is that you want to peel towards the edge, not away from it. Start at the edge that's in the middle and peel towards the edge. Also when peeling, pull parallel to the surface, so the tape folds over 180 degrees. Pulling perpendicular to the surface seems to make it lift the printing more often, because it's pulling away from the surface rather than the opposite direction.

A few tips Clint, I'm a manufacturer of self adhesive materials and it does frustrate me that companies don't use removable adhesives on boxes like these. Removable adhesives are more expensive than permanent adhesives which somewhat explains it. A little technical understanding for you. Some of the labels use hotmelt adhesives, the same as in glue guns. Hotmelt adhesives are very aggressive and you'll find the security labels favour this chemistry. As you've found, if you get the adhesives up to 160°c they will reflow and should remove fairly easily. The most popular, lower cost adhesives are acrylic, water based adhesives. These will soften with heat but not reflow. Soaking the adhesive with an orange based degreaser is the best way to clean off the adhesive in a non destructive way for the boxes. I'm not familiar with Goo Gone as I'm in the UK, but this may well be an orange, citrus based degreaser and, if so, is what we also use in our manufacturing process to remove adhesives. A bit of IPA Alcohol is also very useful but use it carefully and for only very stubborn residues. Regarding the tapes, these are often solvent based adhesives and the orange, citrus based cleaners may work, but often only another solvent will work. Again, IPA Alcohol will break the solvent based adhesives down. The boxes with a very shiny varnish are usually UV varnishes. These are actual pretty robust and are quite resistant to solvent and hard rubbing. Where the box has a lower shine varnish, then they're generally acrylic, water based varnishes. These are less robust and share a similar chemistry as the acrylic adhesives. You need to tread more carefully with these as the degreasers will also break down the varnish and leave a matted area where you've removed the varnish along with the adhesive.

You even make peeling stickers off of boxes interesting. You have a talent, my bespectacled, wood-grain-loving friend.

I commend your dedication with all the time and money you spend on the boxes. Truly a labor of love.

Just a FYI the part of the dry erase marker that is removing the permanent marker is denatured ethyl alcohol. Isopropyl also works fine if you are careful. I've used both several times on refinished wood , books, family photos, etc when my son or wife gets ahold of the permanent markers. And as you can see from using your dry erase, it doesn't damage the box any worse than the permanent marker did.

3:00 Those stickers are actually little RFID tags used, for example, in the library collections. The RFID based system prevents thefts and mitigates some of the most typical library environment chores of the library staff & patrons. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequency_identification

It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one neurotic enough to spend hours of my life removing stickers from twenty year old video games. Thank you LGR.

I've been using Goo Gone recently to take off stickers on old cartridges, super easy! Thanks for the additional tips

Oh man, I wish a video like this had come out around 6 months ago. I got Hearts of Iron 1 & 2, both were taped excessively and the top of the second game is now entirely ripped off because they'd used thick packaging tape. And there's marker on the one box which I'm not sure I'll be able to get out all the way because of how long it sat in the store. Either way, thank you so much for the video. I'll definitely be coming back to this when I get back into thrifting

Thanks, Clint! Never thought of the cardboard idea. Great stuff!

Never thought a video about removing stickers could be so entertaining

This was amazing!!! Now I just have to plan time to remove way too many stickers. Thanks for such an informative video!

For boxes you can't break down, you can find a block of wood or similarly-firm object to put into the box in the meantime, Maybe a book or something. A small, teflon 'spatula' of sorts is also extremely useful for slipping in under troublesome stickers.

Good techniques for removing gunk and keeping boxes clean, learned some new ones here too, thanks!

Isopropyl alcohol breaks down Sharpie pretty well, although YMMV depending on brand and surface.

I really want to thank you for this. I buy books and DVDs from thrift stores once in a while and I have read every wikihow on trying to get the stickers off. This was the most helpful. Thank you again.

For residue, I like to use a microfiber cloth. It takes a little elbow grease but you don't have to worry about chemicals. Most of my sticker removal is on comic books so I really don't want to use a heat or chemicals.

Yeah man, I've pretty much had to use every method you mentioned for stickers and tape, but I had no idea on the dry erase marker trick for getting sharpie ink to come off! That was an awesome trick! Thanks for that!

I used to collect PC and Console games. I used a lot of these techniques such as Goo Gone, but I never tried heat. Smart !

One video is about the history of LEDs and the next is complaining about stickers. truly a variety channel!

I used to work in an electronics store, and what we did to remove those loss prevention stickers was spray an upside-down can of air on to it. The carbon dioxide freezes it and then the tag comes right off!

For any Australian viewers out there; our regional equivalent is called De-solv-it. There is nothing more satisfying that just wiping away decades of gunk in a few swipes of a paper towel and some De-solv-it.

I just watched 12 minutes of someone peeling off stickers..

Just want to say I love your intro, its one of the most warm and inviting of any regulars on YT. Nothing makes me feel more welcome and comfortable than "Greetings, and welcome to an LGR thing"

Hey Clint, hello from r/gamecollecting. Here is a tip for you. When folding cardboard, crease the cardboard with the back of a pen. Like, push into the cardboard a good bit. You will get much better results than bending it over an edge of by hand.

Use a needle applicator squeeze bottle for precise application of goo gone or other solvents. Making light cuts with a blade helps to get the solvent to soak into the sticker. Some will respond to lighter fluid. Both will eventually evaporate.

LGR: only guy I know that can hold your attention by narrating a video of watching glue dry.

Dude I've recently found some of my first big box pc games in the wild and i think everything you covered in this video is going to come in handy. Thanks a bunch!

If you want to invest in a heatgun vs. using a hair dryer, you can just apply a massive amount of heat (well short of causing the box to melt/catch on fire) and then any sticker will just fall off very easily, even off of a non-glossy box. I do that to remove shipping stickers from cardboard boxes and it works like a charm.

Very nice videos. I was never keeping the boxes of my computer games during 90's and I regret that a lot.

Thanks for posting this, as a collector of vintage tat. I've often wondered if Goo Gone actually worked and was non destructive and it appears it totally does what it's supposed to. Time to grab some and put the harsher chemicals in reserve.

Thank you for providing metric conversions in your videos.

When Goo Gone came out, man it was like the holy grail for us collectors. I haven't found any residue I couldn't remove with it.

Don’t listen to the haters, this was well done! Do your thing LGR!

I LOVE seeing people restore older stuff, I just want like, a playlist of just this.

Man, I can't believe LGR stooped so low to have Conair sponsor one of his videos. What is this world coming to? ;)

The dry eraser marker trick is new to me. I'll have to try that out.

Quick tip FOR REMOVING STICKERS OFF OF BOXES. Works most of the time. Either blow on it with your mouth, like with your breath, as if trying to blow on your glasses to clean them. Do it several times. Then attempt to peel slowly. I would recommend blowing periodically while peeling untill all the way off. Your warm breath, along with the small amount of warm condensation your breath has, really loosens up stickers. I find this method works MOST of the time, and SOMETIMES, leaves you with ZERO residue of glue or anything....SOMETIMES lol also, may be overkill, but using a clothes steamer works under the same principle, however that may be much too much condensation. You may risk water damaging the box as a steamer, while may do a much better job, uses alot more water than what you can do with your breath. Still, something to keep in mind. Also, that goo gone is a great tip! I am a professional window tinter, and it is one of the best adhesive removers i have found. Love your channel man, keep them coming!

Wow that Dry eraser marker trick was awesome... Thanks Clint...

Hey cool! Nice to see your process for preparing to add new games to your collection. I hate the stickers and the residue on items too. My biggest pet peeve is when I use a Goo Gone product, or some off brand, and it clouds the plastic under it! Did it to a nice cup of mine. Bah.

Getting stickers & gunk off of something is a very gratifying experience. I swear by Goo-Gone myself to get gunk off of vintage Wacky Packages I acquire via eBay. 😀

I have seen a few box resto vids recently but you touched on things no one else did so good work sir

I tend to actually use cooking oil to get the sticker gunk off the boxes. actually works really well believe it or not

Here in the UK, i cant find Goo Gone in many places so i use "Sticky Stuff Remover" its basically Goo Gone but in a screw cap bottle

Your best video so far. I have been collecting big box pc games for years and I still learned a lot.

I have never restored a game box like that, and i likely wont ever because im not a collector. But this was really interesting to watch. Great quality videos as always from LGR. Keep em coming, bud!

as someone who collects records i know allot of this pain. a suggestion for another product to use is screen wipes - there are ones you can get from staples which come in a plastic drum and are great for cleaning records/ game boxes and can be used on stickers as well

That's very cool. It's obvious you've been doing this for a while. In a way though it's like getting to see the magician's tricks, now we have a glimpse at why your collection looks so nice :D

Quick advice: if you can't lay the box flat you can cut and put pieces of wood with a similiar height into the box to avoid dents.

For old video game cartridges use a white eraser for stickers, it works great and it even gets off those old “void void void void void” stickers