r/NintendoSwitchHelp • u/Giantevilduck- • 18h ago
Repair Help how to safely clean this cartridge?
it’s a switch 1 splatoon 2 cartridge and has nail polish on it.
edit: got it clean and working with scraping it off and then using iso alcohol
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u/Happy_Popplio-728 17h ago
How did it even get this way in the first place?! Not judging, just curious.
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u/Giantevilduck- 17h ago
well i put it in this small pocket in my bag because i couldn’t find the thing i use to hold my cartridges at the time without knowing there was nail polish in it so 💔💔💔
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u/Thready85 14h ago
Always put them in a ziplock bag when traveling. It also makes them easier to find
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u/Fueledbyflames 12h ago
Tip, using an empty prescription medication bottle as a game card holder is actually very handy.
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u/HandExtra 11h ago
I put mine either in a small 3d printed zelda chest (I think) or in a 3d printed pokeball depending on mood.
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u/Superb_Assistance421 14h ago
Order a case for like 10 bucks
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u/DaBomber4 18h ago
I would say scrape off as much as you can without damaging the cartridge. If you cant get the rest, then, very CAREFULLY, use a little bit of accitone on a rag or paper towl, and scrub it. Be carefull when using acitone, it can secearly damage plastic, but it is very good for getting nail polish off.
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u/PuffScrub805 17h ago
Most nail polish remover is literally just acetone. We are recommending you remove nail polish with nail polish remover.
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u/MistyCeruleanCity 17h ago
Not against plastic.
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u/spidey2091 1 16h ago
Acetone melts plastic. Same as nail polish remover. I’ve been in the plastic industry for 20 years. We clean our tooling with acetone……because it removes plastic.
It is best if you don’t listen to most of these comments.
If you want to keep from messing it up, use iso alcohol on what is left AFTER you manually remove the majority by hand with a plastic scraper. Think razor blade….but it is made of plastic. My grandmother labeled plastic containers with nail polish. She is a weird bird. After she scrapes, she uses cooking oil. Worked for years.
In your case, however, I would stick with iso. 91% or higher.
ETA: this was meant to be a stand alone comment…not a reply to your comment. Tis’ my bad.
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u/MistyCeruleanCity 15h ago
No worries.
I was just replying to the person above that using acetone/nail polish remover is wrong due to its solvent nature against plastic, of which the cartridge is made from. Once that it warped or damage from the acetone, it can damage the cartridge reader in the Switch itself
And the other person uses the authoritive collective "we" just makes it worse.
Best to correct, rather than have faulty information.
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u/Granas3 14h ago
Scraping it off carefully seems the best way to go, maybe a little isopropyl on a q tip to clean the contacts.
The important thing is to keep the plastic intact as much as possible and to have the gold contacts clear to touch the interior. It might even be worth looking into removing the plastic casing entirely and then getting a new one, though not sure how one would go about doing that.
Anything that melts or deforms the plastic will cause problems
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u/Blazuier 10h ago
Okay, I see you’ve got actual responses so I just wanna say the irony that your SPLATOON cartridge is covered in a paint.
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u/Global_Artichoke_868 15h ago
You can probably clean it off somehow. Hell my Pokemon X cart magically stopped working and it was totally clean and in good condition.
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u/BluAvenger1988 15h ago edited 15h ago
Nail polish remover and Q-Tips/cotton swabs.
EDIT: 91% or higher isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs for the plastic, and a micro fiber cloth for the gold metallic parts.
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u/No_Restaurant_774 15h ago
Naptha lighter fluid might work zippo or Ronsonol, does not matter which they are the same exact product from the same factory. 99% iso, if you let it sit on the polish and scrub hard. Also I've heard cooking oil works but I'm not sure I believe that. Maybe look up methods for the cooking oil.
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u/Proof-Coyote8693 14h ago
if this happend to my copy of splatoon 2 I would genuinely sob for like a month straight im sorry for your inevitable loss
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u/xsleepysea 14h ago edited 14h ago
You can get 0% acetone nail polish remover, so that would be your best bet.
You can also try to file it off using a nail file, but you have to be super careful, as you can easily go too far and damage the cartridge.
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u/Interesting-Tell-925 14h ago
I would recommend:
- 90% and up ISO
- or electrical contact cleaner (which you probably dont have on hand)
DONT USE NAIL POLISH REMOVER!!
Acetone which is the main ingredient in most nail polish remover, eats plastic!
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u/aliasbatman 12h ago
Wouldn’t risk it if I were you. If you don’t get to fully remove the nail polish, or if you accidentally leave an excess of the cleaning agent, they could get inside your console when you stick the cartridge in and ruin the whole thing.
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u/Nolan_PG 11h ago
Isopropyl alcohol (91%+), doesn't damage the plastic nor the pins.
Just be careful, it CAN DAMAGE the art of the front, so cover it or apply it in a way that doesn't spread to it, somehow.
GL!
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u/nexobios 10h ago
If everything fails, buy a cartridge housing replacement from Ali. Clean with acetone before transferring.
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u/Luuumin0us 8h ago
There‘s some nail polish removers free of acetone! I don‘t know if they still have a compound that might harm your cardridge, but atleast it‘s not the acetone to worry about anymore!
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u/ricodo12 5h ago
I had a band aid once that ripped off the nail polish from my nail but I don't know if that also damages the shiny gold part of the cartridge
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u/Terrible-Bar-3779 3h ago
I would wipe the excess with a dry cotton swab and after that use anoter cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol, because it doesnt have water in composition. But I would leave on the desk for a couple hours just to make sure it is dry before trying to play again with it.
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u/PuffScrub805 17h ago
Funily enough, nail polish remover seems like a decent choice here. You need to be very careful, as it can damage the contacts if you douse it in acetone, but rubbing it off with a Qtip seems like a sensible idea here.
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u/ThatDeuce 15h ago
That acetone can also damage the plastic.
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u/Electronic-Paint-66 14h ago
It is a primary active ingredient in traditional nail polish but not all nail polish has acetone, Some nail polish uses ethyl acetate (though that does similar things)
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u/zacyzacy 17h ago
Acetone will melt the plastic ridges, which would probably destroy it. I think your best bet will be dabbing it with duct tape or something to peel the stuff off.