Time to re-define permanent!

I bought a bunch of used games, and some of them are a mess. Stickers on every side, gum and dirt sticking out, etc. Filthy (but cheap!). I’ve been able to clean the sticky stuff really well using Goo Gone, and rubbing alcohol for the contacts (to prevent the “red blinky square of death”).

But I didn’t know what to do about the labels. Some labels had the previous owner’s name in permanent marker, like so:

After doing a bit of Googling, I read a suggestion to use a light amount of Goo Gone. So I sprayed a Bounty paper towel sheet about 1-2 pumps full of Goo Gone, then lightly tried to rub the permanent marker off. And it came off, without pulling away the rest of the label. Happy happy!

If you look closely at the “After” photo, you’ll notice a darker spot where some Goo Gone seeped into the side of the label. Once it dried (about an hour later), the discoloration left, and the label looked perfect. I try to avoid the edge of the label where possible, but sometimes I miss.

So far, I’ve tried it with NES and SNES cartridge labels with great success. I tried it with an N64 game too (Diddy Kong Racing), and unfortunately the ‘Gone caused the label colors to bleed. So I’m a bit apprehensive about trying to clean up another N64 game.

If you try this yourself:

• Avoid the edges of the label where possible, to avoid discoloration (even though it’ll probably go away when the Goo Gone dries
• Don’t use too much ‘Gone. Try a spray or two into paper towel, and see how that works. If you think you’re getting the label too wet, dry off the excess liquid! Take your time .
• Don’t spray the label directly. Spray into your paper towel.
• If this is your first time, you might want to practice with a label that you don’t care much about.
• If you’re worried about the color bleeding, try wiping a small area that you don’t care about first. Also look at your paper towel as you clean. If you’re wiping up black marker, your towel will be black. If your towel turns the color(s) of your label, it might be time to stop before you smear it all to pieces!

Obligatory Flickr shots:

• SMB3 Before
• SMB3 After
• Super C Before
• Super C After