Cleaning Your New Arcade

[Scott84]

Hey Guys,

Whenever you buy a new arcade how to you clean it?

Plexi? Vinyl on the sides? Rusty Coin Door? Wood?

I just got an arcade for the first time, and i want to give the entire outer part of the machine a good clean wipe down.

What do you guys do to make yours sparkle?

[Scott84]

Over 36+ Views and still no responses?

You guys have have some dirty games.

[Havok]

Warm water and mild dish washing detergent. Cheap, but effective. Use a clean cloth and don't oversoak the cloth when wiping the cabinet down.

P.S. Call it a cabinet instead of an arcade: some of the guys here will rag on you, most think of an arcade as a room full of games...

 

[Scott84]

Warm water and mild dish washing detergent. Cheap, but effective. Use a clean cloth and don't oversoak the cloth when wiping the cabinet down.

P.S. Call it a cabinet instead of an arcade: some of the guys here will rag on you, most think of an arcade as a room full of games...

 

Thanks i will take that into consideration   

[RayB]

Yeah, I've been biting my tongue...  ]

[Scott84]

I peeled off a piece of laminate on the control panel (since it was ripped apart), now my panel smells like glue and is sticky which i expected so its ok

What house hold products can get this off to make it nice and smooth? I dont have Goo Gone, or Goo Off or anything like that. What kind of house hold product?

[Mark70]

Go to your local hardware store and buy some Goo Gone or a similar citrus based solvent.  It IS a household item.

Alternatively some mineral oils will work to take adhesives off, but you have to know what kind of adhesive it is to know what to use; otherwise you're just dumping oil on your cab.  You can also use zippo lighter fliud to remove some adhesives. 

Most of these products are flamable and most of them can make a real mess or stain or generally F things up is you use them in the wrong application.  I won't be responsible for you lighting your home and yourself on fire.

Really, just go the hardware store and buy a citrus solvent.

[RayB]

Sorry Scott, I second the Goo Gone suggestion (Canadian Tire or similar place will have it). I also recommend using a razor scraper in conjunction with the Goo Gone.

[CheffoJeffo]

Sorry Scott, I second the Goo Gone suggestion (Canadian Tire or similar place will have it). I also recommend using a razor scraper in conjunction with the Goo Gone.

Thirded ...

Cheers.

[quarterback]

Yeah, I've been biting my tongue...  ]

Me too.  I read this thread last night when it was posted and decided it was better to stay silent instead of saying something like "Hire a cleaning service to vacuum the floors, clean the bathrooms and wash the windows so potential customers will be able to see all the games in your arcade as they walk down the street."

[Scott84]

Thanks for the help guys. Goo Gone is is.

[KevSteele]

One more "handy hint" -

I would recommend against a razor for getting the sticky residue off, just for fear of scratching something. A credit card works well, as do these "plastic razor blades":

http://www.pinrestore.com/Tools.html  (scroll down a bit)

There are a lot other very handy tools and cleaners on that site, including a "no smoke" spray which is very handy if your cab has seen route time in a bar!

Kevin

[quarterback]

Thanks for the help guys. Goo Gone is is.

FWIW, I didn't have the luck with Goo Gone that others have had.  I peeled a side-art-sticker off the side of my cab and tried GooGone to remove the rest of the sticky residue and it really didn't work.  I never got around to trying other solutions.

[RayB]

The trick to Goo Gone is letting it soak into the adhesive. Hard to do if the surface is not horizontal.

The razor advice above is true. Use it only on surfaces like your metal panel that you will end up resurfacing. It might scratch up things like your marquee. Sorry.

[Brunnen-G]

When I get a new machine home, it first gets a wipe down with Windex or 409 and paper towels to get the nasty black gunk that seems to collect on all arcade machines.

Once inside, I'll clean the side art with Windex, the control panel with 409, and if it has stubborn dirt in the vinyl, I'll use a couple of Magic Erasers.

For plexi or glass, Windex and a soft cloth.

For rust, a Dremel with a wire bristle wheel, followed by a polishing felt with rouge if it's chrome/steel or paint if needed.  Then a coating of CLP on bare metal parts to protect them.

To get the ^%#@ auction stickers off, I spray it with Goo Gone and leave it for about 10 minutes.

[Jess--]

I always use lighter fluid for glues.

for anything else I always end up using glass cleaner, seems to get everything but glue off and leaves no residue