Cleaning consoles

[swolgam]

I scored a few consoles through craigslist and they are extremely dirty. I want to clean them up and wanted to know what is the best things/methods to clean these consoles without taking off the finish or messing up any decals. Seems like previous owner of these systems was a smoker so i would like some suggestions on how to get rid of the smell. Im not afraid to open them up to clean them out. Here is what i scored, xbox, 2 dreamcasts, gamecube w/ gameboy player attachment, PS1, and a NES.

Thanks

 

[Law_Professor]

I have used alcohol swabs to clean a Dreamcast and a NES. They are not completely saturated and they are textured which is nice for getting the stubborn dirt off. Additionally, you can fold them into a sturdy triangle and get into tight spaces (such as raised/lowered logos).

Of course, a very mild soap and water solution would work on the outside as well. The important thing is to keep your cloth/tissue only slightly damp.

 

[pyoobez]

Yeah, rubbing alcohol is the best for general cleaning as well as anything metal.

If you wanna get sharpie markers off or even yellow from smoke, try getting some lighter fluid (Zippo or Ronosol are the major brands). It works really well with some elbow action and dries up almost instantly. It doesn't have much of a smell either, well nothing that can't be temporarily masked until it does go away if it does bother you.

Both of these pair really well with those Mr. Clean magic erasers for large surfaces and q-tips for smaller.

Finally for controllers... take them apart and take all the plastic buttons and put them in an onion bag or something with a similar mesh netting. Put them in a dishwasher (the little silverware spots are the best). If you don't have a dishwasher, soak them in the sink in a pot of hot water (not boiling but too hot to keep your fingers in) with a dab of dish detergent. Let the water cool off some and then clean them up with a dishrag.