This might be a stupid question but I just want to be 100% sure.

A lot of people tell me to use Windex when cleaning cartridge slots and games but Windex is not available here.

I have Ajax, Cilit Bang and something else called Vim. Can any of these be used as an alternative for Windex?

Also they are made for different purposes. Like there is Ajax for kitchen, Ajax for bathroom, Ajax for glass, Ajax for windows, etc. Which one is the best to use for cartridge slots and games?

Sorry if this might be a stupid question. Just don't wanna take any risks.

I think Rubbing alcohol is the standard more than windex. I can't recall why, but something about windex makes some people frown upon it. I use rubbing alcohol and it works great!

NO NO NO! PLEASE DO NOT USE INDUSTRIAL CLEANERS ON YOUR GAME CONTACTS!!!

Some people swear by spraying all kinds of sh!t in their cartridges. Most industrial cleaners will corrode the contacts or leave some sort of residue. Try to use 91% Isopropol rubbing alcohol if you can find it. 70% will work, but the higher the percentage, the safer. Alcohol will not corrode the contacts as it has a neutral Ph, and it actually helps remove oxides because it is also reduction agent. For carts, get a cotton swab and wet one end with alcohol and rub it across the contacts, then again with the dry end. Repeat this process until there is no more gray/black metal oxide residue on the swabs. For the game connectors, it's a little more difficult. I recommend wrapping an old credit card with a coffee filter. Dampen the coffee filter with rubbing alcohol, and slide the end of the card up and down along the contacts, but not side to side. Rubbing from side to side will cause the filter to shed paper material on the contacts, which is why you use up and down motion only. The filter will pick up dust and debris out of the connector slot.

Also, the ZIF connectors in the NES toasters tend to wear out over time, so they may need to be replaced after 20+ years to ensure adequate connection. The new connectors require you to tug on the cart to get them out, but they do an excellent job of maintaining a good electrical connection with the NES carts.

Yes, I would recommend alcohol over Windex, stardust4ever has a pretty good explaination of why. I am also curious as to what that Clit Bang stuff is. That sounds like it would be found in a porno shop, not in the household cleaners aisle.

I tell you what I do personally. Each cart I get, I take apart and clean the contacts with one of those pink wedge erasers. It will get any corrosion/dirt off the contacts, gently. Then I go over the contacts with a q-tip and 91% rubbing alcohol. This works perfectly, and will not harm your carts. Far as cleaning contacts in your machine, I normally dont have to. BUT, I have put rubbing alcohol on a cart I dont use much, and inserted it in the slot back and forth. Basically like those old school cleaning kits did.

Okay, so it seems like by all of the replies that I should go with 91% isopropol rubbing alcohol when cleaning my cartridge slot?

I want to clean the cartridge slot in my N64, and I was following this guy's video on how to clean it throughly:



Around 10:07 he explains that you can use a credit card and wrap it in and spray windex on it and then use it to clean the cartridge slot.

@laserman81: Cilit Bang has been mocked a lot on the internet in the past for it's rather unusual name.

I guess it's not available in the states.

A new 72 Pin connector will break in over time. I replaced mine about 6 months ago, and it took about 4 months before i could pull out a game without any strain. The new contacts are tight, but they do expand over time with regular use. That is why the 72 pin connector needs to be replaced over 20 years later. A new pin connector should last you for at least another 20, perhaps more if you take care of the system, and dont shove it in like i did when i was a kid. The things we did to our games and systems i be most of us regret, and probably cringe over just thinking about it.

Another thing I did with my Atari, since the connectors have trap doors that are nearly impossible to open, I sprayed electronic contact cleaner into my Atari cartridge slot and worked my E.T. cart in and out of the cartridge slot like it was a porno shoot. You could also try that technique with the NES. Rubbing Alcohol is cheaper than electronics cleaner spray, but both are relatively safe for circuit boards and plastics. Also it's a good idea to keep a compressed air can or CPU duster can to remove dust particulates which collect in the crevasses. It's far more effective than human breath at "blowing" the cartridges, no pun intended!!!

As for the 72-pin connectors, don't put a Game Genie in them, or forcefully cram carts into the slot, or you may bend the pins and damage the connector. Since I replaced my connector for the second time, I've only used the Game Genie on my NES clone top-loader.

Use alcohol

I use a few things.

1. Magic eraser and water/alky(note, alky and QD will eat up the erasers faster) on cart contacts.
2. 91% isopropyl alcohol
3. QD electronic cleaner(from auto parts store). You could use other brands of electronics cleaner, but this is what I've found locally for a good price.

This will clean 99% of all cart slots and cartridges.

I also have other methods of cleaning but they are more involved, and I pretty much never use them since they don't seem to work any better.