“Throw out your isopropyl! Pencil erasers are here!” That was my intro to this quick video on cleaning game carts, including Mega Drive/Genesis, NES, SNES and Famicom. An eraser can remove grime, but it is abrasive and can wear thin gold plating. A gentler method appropriate to the particular connector should come first.

And blowing on your carts is still a bad habit. A damp, mouldy basement in winter is hardly the atmosphere I’m after! Nintendo specifically warns against blowing on Game Pak contacts or getting them wet.

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