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Just got to “I started rubbing” (after being worried about all the dampness if he rubbed too much) Then at the end “some of them might need more blowing than that”
One problem with the hairdryer is that the plastic around the sticker will shrink a little. It is visible if you look from the right angle.For me thats a little bumper.
Oil dissolves the glue and is great for removing residue from plastic boxes. My trick is to apply some vegetable oil to the residue then after half an hour wash it away with some washing up liquid on a sponge.
Pink Gorilla in Seattle puts their price stickers on top of sticky notes and the sticky notes are what actually sit on the game. They pop right off and leave minimal residue.
As someone who’s been swearing by Goo Gone for years, I always let it soak for a bit before trying to get the residue off. If that top layer of the sticker is already gone, it works like a charm!
Theres something special about this video. Nowadays where it seems like physical games are actually in the early phase of...phasing out I guess its just nice seeing someone like john love physical games so much he even made a video about removing stickers from them. Its nice. That aside, hot dish soapy water and light scrubbing from the green side of a sponge has erased stickers and residue off of many game cases for me
I typically use 'Mr Sheen' multi surface polish, just spray some onto the plastic, let it soak in and most stickers will just slide off. The most stubborn ones may require a 2nd spray and some gentle wiping with a soft cloth. But when finished the sticker, and all the residue will be gone. I use a couple of yellow dusters, one to take off the sticker, or just clean a case and a 2nd duster to polish the box. Even if there's no residue, a quick polish can make the plastic case shine like it's fresh from the cellophane. For card slipcovers, or card boxes I wouldn't use 'Mr Sheen' for stickers though. Maybe for a quick clean, being sure to remove it all but not to soak into a sticker, as it will likely also soak into the card and warp it. I'd also be wary of using a hairdryer on plastic cases, as knowing my luck I'd warp the plastic. 'Goo gone' or similar products are probably what you'd want to use for those kinds of card cases or slipcovers, but using a furniture polish is a good option for plastic cases, as it's something many will already have at hand.
Gracias por los consejos; igualmente recomiendo: 1) Si hay que retirar etiquetas en estuches, aconsejo quitar la portada y el disco/cartucho para evitar maltratarlos. 2) Si aún queda pegamento adherido al remover una etiqueta en un estuche, les sugiero utilizar la misma etiqueta para retirar lo que resta pegándola y quitándola hasta que ya no quede nada. Esto también se puede hacer en juegos que vienen en cajas de cartón (por ejemplo juegos de NES, SNES, GBA, etc.) pero se debe tener mucho cuidado para no estropearlos. 3) Si aún se siente pegamento adherido en un estuche, también se puede utilizar cita adhesiva para remover lo que haga falta. En general, es una técnica efectiva cuando compras algún juego que venga con etiquetas mal removidas. 3) Y finalmente por higiene, al comprar juegos usados, considero indispensable lavar sus estuches con agua y jabón líquido ya que suelen estar muy sucios y tener etiquetas muy adheridas y la humedad facilita quitarlas. 👍
Disinfect wipes in my experience usually get the job done as far as stickers on cases. For the more stubborn to remove stickers with lots of leftover residue usually laying tape across it and peeling it back tends to pick it up and remove it from the case.
Interesting thing I found out today about stickers on plastic- if you get the sticker off but have residue, use the back of the sticker itself to grab the remaining “stickiness!” I just tried that with a PSP game- the sticker left a lot of residue but I put the sticky side of the sticker on it a few times and it all came off!
Great idea. Didn't think to try the hair dryer. I got most of mine of by peeling it very gently and slowly. And I mean like really slowly. Still residue on some but for most it worked quite well
i remember getting a simpsons season set from cex and peeling off the bottom sticker only to find it actually took off part of the cover design with it (it was one of the shiny ones with a pattern). there was also one where the sticker placement actively hindered the set from opening
These are great tips. Clan of the Grey Wolf, which hasn't uploaded in a long time, made a video years ago on how to clean up old cartridge-based games and cardboard boxes and a lot of the tips here are the same or similar. They mentioned that you do need to be careful with stickers on the labels of carts as you don't want those to peel off when applying heat with a hair dryer. They also mentioned that you can use Magic Erasers to remove any writing on the plastic of a cart. One tip they offered that I've never seen repeated is that if your game came from a smoker's house, wrapping the game in a fabric softener sheet can help eliminate that smell.
I remember that video and I remember Clan of the Grey Wolf. I used to be a regular on their forums, too. If they were still around nowadays, they'd probably have a Discord server. Just a shame they're not around anymore. I was rather fond of Roo's "16-Bit Gems" series.
@@KevinTheTimeGeek86 I really enjoyed 16-Bit Gems. I just rewatched the Actraiser 2 video, the last of that series, and he mentioned doing Robotrek in the future which I was excited about because I remembered my dad would play that when I was a kid, but I was so young I couldn't even read yet.
My preferred method. Some people will say you can warp a box but it hasn't happened to me. You just have to go slow and not blast it with high heat way up close.
I personally prefer to gut the game if possible and just wash them with warm water and soap. It’s time consuming, but it gets them clean without damaging the case.
Yes heat helps, but if you want to know the real secret... Rossignol lighter fluid will dissolve the glue used on stickers/tapes without damaging plastics (like acetone will). After the sticker has been removed use 90% Isopropanol alcohol to remove the lighter fluid residue.
Correction: Not all Sega Saturn cases in Europe are just cardboard cases entirely. There are some that are hard plastic clamshells. So it's most, but not entirely all.
I know for a fact the sponsor of this video is fuming thinking Jon would have voiced the advertisement only to have him talking the whole video EXCEPT for the sponsor part 😂
You can also remove the slip in cover, and use rubbing alcohol on the affected area. Just make absolutely sure that you remove the artwork and keep it far away or you may ruin it.
idk if Un-Du is available in the UK but that stuff is magic. You can even use it on cardboard/manuals and anything in between and there will be no damage even though it is a liquid based product. I used it to remove an insane gamestop sticker off my Metroid Zero Mission box.
I loathe stores with stickers. Once I had one where the sticker was perforated so trying to take it off it would just split into tiny pieces. I once asked Target for a copy of the game without a sticker on it. One time they actually provided me a fresh box, another time they wouldn't so I left and bought it elsewhere.
I used a hairdryer for a long time on a lot of my games, but the damage it seemed to do to the plastic under the sticker, however small, just got to me after a while Also one time I used the hairdryer a little too long on a Switch case and now my copy of Team Sonic Racing will be slightly bent forever
GAME used to write on the box itself with a purple marker the letter P (for preowned) in the corner of the box, I have straight up refused a sale from them because of this even when it was the only copy, I'd rather be without than a buy a box of P rubbish.
That moment when you realise you're six years older than Jon... In other news, I have a date with a hair dryer, some Goo Gone and a big ol' stack of games!
Yes, the stickers really annoy me with CeX games! I usually try to take them off quickly after purchase before they can set in. I also sometimes just switch the boxes over for other games I'm trading in or care less about :)
I absolutely detest having stickers on game cases, to the point of refusing purchase in some cases. IPA also works well on plastic if you soak it well, I'm not sure if I'd attempt it on cardboard as it could remove the printing also.
My Saturn collection is 90% PAL European releases, so I can understand this! Luckily I don't have games witch stickers, maybe because I had them (almost all) from France, and some PAL Saturn games do have different plastic cases like Gamecube and PS2 DVD cases The problem for some games is, that sticker is on the freaking cover itself! Can you believe that? What's wrong with those store guys!
switch was the first time i started collecting physical games and prior it was either digital or i threw away the cases, but ive been buying replacement cases directly from nintendo when i started collecting swtich games
There’s nothing worse than the Gamestop stickers on my gamecube spines. Not just on the plastic but they took the actual box art out of the sleeve and put bright yellow stickers on the gamecube logo on the spine. genuinely don’t think there’s any hope salvage for these
feel like for paper it's the same logic as with cardboard jon showed here. try heat and if that fails then _gently_ dab it with some goo gone and baby wipes
Totally agree I can't stand there stickers I've been going to Cex in the last year to pick up all the DS and 3DS I missed, as I only played Pokemon/Mario up to the Switch. I usually take the stickers off then use baby wipes to clean. But this looks so much better.
Hmm, next try just placing the boxes next to your PS5/x series and use that room heater to do the intensive work for you. Be nice to see if you can remove stickers from games by unlocking achievements
I peel the cex sticker off and then use tge sticker itself to take any residue or little bits left by dabbing the sticker on the residue works great 😊 that's on Wii cases on other games I don't know as I don't buy other games except N64 games now and again and they tend not to have stickers on them in Cex 😊 good vid will have to try the hairdryer technique, what about sealed games does tge hairdryer damage the plastic cover ? Etc
I always thought this was a commonly known thing, been using it to remove nasty stickers for decades. Almost all of them CEX as they are the absolute worst!
Thanks to HelloFresh for sponsoring today's video. Go to strms.net/hellofresh_gvg, use my code GVGSEP10, and receive 10 free meals + free breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active if you’re in the US. The link and code are valid in all countries and the respective local discount will apply.
"A bunch of my games are just branded with sex" - Jon Cartwright.
"It can get far worse than just being a little bit sticky" - Also Jon
“It needed it bad” again Jon
(bonus about not liking to do it “raw” cos messy results lol)
Just got to “I started rubbing” (after being worried about all the dampness if he rubbed too much)
Then at the end “some of them might need more blowing than that”
the makers are at it again
As soon as I heard that I went to find this comment lmao
I love how you can tell when it's a Jon video before watching
I knew it was a Jon video cause I saw him post about hair dryers on bluesky.
I thought this would be a Daniel video actually
7:22 "Let's put fear to the side for now." Wise words to live by.
"Destroy All Stickers" has been my motto since I was 4.
You were the type to peel labels off cartridges weren't you... lol
@@inspica380 no, as i never had those type of cartridges
If you don’t want to get goo gone, you can also somewhat quickly apply and peel of tape on the residue until it comes off with the tape
I use one of those art erasers
One problem with the hairdryer is that the plastic around the sticker will shrink a little. It is visible if you look from the right angle.For me thats a little bumper.
Yeah, hairdryer and heptane for cardboard/paper, goo gone or heptane for plastic
This. It's clear there was some damage on the plastic in the video. I use low heat and from a longer distance for plastic
also a very low chance of burning the paper art, but still a chance
Oil dissolves the glue and is great for removing residue from plastic boxes. My trick is to apply some vegetable oil to the residue then after half an hour wash it away with some washing up liquid on a sponge.
yeah but then you're stuck with that liquid and oil scent permanently
@@JeskidoYT That's what the washing up liquid is for. Dish soaps are specifically designed to clean greasy oily things.
Pink Gorilla in Seattle puts their price stickers on top of sticky notes and the sticky notes are what actually sit on the game. They pop right off and leave minimal residue.
As someone who’s been swearing by Goo Gone for years, I always let it soak for a bit before trying to get the residue off. If that top layer of the sticker is already gone, it works like a charm!
This has changed my life irrevocably. It will never be the same again.
"Let's try, BLOWING. I'm gonna blast..."
This is the moment I lost it.
Cex, sticky, blow and raw? I haven’t even finished the video yet!
Don't have to. The video finishes you.
now that gives me good vibes
should definitely do that to my own boxes
The heat from a hairdryer often will warp the plastic on the game art sleeve
Theres something special about this video. Nowadays where it seems like physical games are actually in the early phase of...phasing out I guess its just nice seeing someone like john love physical games so much he even made a video about removing stickers from them. Its nice.
That aside, hot dish soapy water and light scrubbing from the green side of a sponge has erased stickers and residue off of many game cases for me
By reading the title alone I knew this would be a Jon video!
This has got to be a Jon video
Edit: Yep, it is
feels like jon's the only one to do nifty stuff like this
I typically use 'Mr Sheen' multi surface polish, just spray some onto the plastic, let it soak in and most stickers will just slide off. The most stubborn ones may require a 2nd spray and some gentle wiping with a soft cloth. But when finished the sticker, and all the residue will be gone.
I use a couple of yellow dusters, one to take off the sticker, or just clean a case and a 2nd duster to polish the box. Even if there's no residue, a quick polish can make the plastic case shine like it's fresh from the cellophane.
For card slipcovers, or card boxes I wouldn't use 'Mr Sheen' for stickers though. Maybe for a quick clean, being sure to remove it all but not to soak into a sticker, as it will likely also soak into the card and warp it. I'd also be wary of using a hairdryer on plastic cases, as knowing my luck I'd warp the plastic.
'Goo gone' or similar products are probably what you'd want to use for those kinds of card cases or slipcovers, but using a furniture polish is a good option for plastic cases, as it's something many will already have at hand.
This has been my go-to combo for many many years, some heat and some Goo Gone does wonders. GameStop stickers were my CEX.
Gracias por los consejos; igualmente recomiendo:
1) Si hay que retirar etiquetas en estuches, aconsejo quitar la portada y el disco/cartucho para evitar maltratarlos.
2) Si aún queda pegamento adherido al remover una etiqueta en un estuche, les sugiero utilizar la misma etiqueta para retirar lo que resta pegándola y quitándola hasta que ya no quede nada. Esto también se puede hacer en juegos que vienen en cajas de cartón (por ejemplo juegos de NES, SNES, GBA, etc.) pero se debe tener mucho cuidado para no estropearlos.
3) Si aún se siente pegamento adherido en un estuche, también se puede utilizar cita adhesiva para remover lo que haga falta. En general, es una técnica efectiva cuando compras algún juego que venga con etiquetas mal removidas.
3) Y finalmente por higiene, al comprar juegos usados, considero indispensable lavar sus estuches con agua y jabón líquido ya que suelen estar muy sucios y tener etiquetas muy adheridas y la humedad facilita quitarlas. 👍
Disinfect wipes in my experience usually get the job done as far as stickers on cases. For the more stubborn to remove stickers with lots of leftover residue usually laying tape across it and peeling it back tends to pick it up and remove it from the case.
Interesting thing I found out today about stickers on plastic- if you get the sticker off but have residue, use the back of the sticker itself to grab the remaining “stickiness!”
I just tried that with a PSP game- the sticker left a lot of residue but I put the sticky side of the sticker on it a few times and it all came off!
I use Scotch Magic Tape or normal sellotape to remove sticker residue from plastic game cases. I obviously wouldn't use on cardboard boxes
Great idea. Didn't think to try the hair dryer. I got most of mine of by peeling it very gently and slowly. And I mean like really slowly.
Still residue on some but for most it worked quite well
i remember getting a simpsons season set from cex and peeling off the bottom sticker only to find it actually took off part of the cover design with it (it was one of the shiny ones with a pattern). there was also one where the sticker placement actively hindered the set from opening
These are great tips. Clan of the Grey Wolf, which hasn't uploaded in a long time, made a video years ago on how to clean up old cartridge-based games and cardboard boxes and a lot of the tips here are the same or similar. They mentioned that you do need to be careful with stickers on the labels of carts as you don't want those to peel off when applying heat with a hair dryer. They also mentioned that you can use Magic Erasers to remove any writing on the plastic of a cart. One tip they offered that I've never seen repeated is that if your game came from a smoker's house, wrapping the game in a fabric softener sheet can help eliminate that smell.
I remember that video and I remember Clan of the Grey Wolf. I used to be a regular on their forums, too. If they were still around nowadays, they'd probably have a Discord server. Just a shame they're not around anymore. I was rather fond of Roo's "16-Bit Gems" series.
@@KevinTheTimeGeek86 I really enjoyed 16-Bit Gems. I just rewatched the Actraiser 2 video, the last of that series, and he mentioned doing Robotrek in the future which I was excited about because I remembered my dad would play that when I was a kid, but I was so young I couldn't even read yet.
@@TheRealSwood Yeah... Clan of the Grey Wolf was a positive influence on the kind of gamer I wanted to be online.
My preferred method. Some people will say you can warp a box but it hasn't happened to me. You just have to go slow and not blast it with high heat way up close.
Bold of you to assume I own a hair dryer.
Pulling out the Goo Gone and doing a little cleaning has become a ritual any time I buy used games. Gonna try that hair dryer trick text time.
Nintendrew had a really good video
on box restoration and such like this.
I bet Jon is a Sticker Star fan, he even brought things along too
IT WORKS!
John dipping in to his box of tricks 👍💯💥
I personally prefer to gut the game if possible and just wash them with warm water and soap. It’s time consuming, but it gets them clean without damaging the case.
Yes heat helps, but if you want to know the real secret... Rossignol lighter fluid will dissolve the glue used on stickers/tapes without damaging plastics (like acetone will). After the sticker has been removed use 90% Isopropanol alcohol to remove the lighter fluid residue.
I remember when my dad first showed me how to use a hairdryer to take off stickers. I saved so much money when buying games off Ebay after that!
Correction: Not all Sega Saturn cases in Europe are just cardboard cases entirely. There are some that are hard plastic clamshells. So it's most, but not entirely all.
For me, it's usually the bottom sticker with the price that refuses to budge
I know for a fact the sponsor of this video is fuming thinking Jon would have voiced the advertisement only to have him talking the whole video EXCEPT for the sponsor part 😂
For plastic cases I use Mr Sheen. The cleaning varnish not an actual fella called Mr Sheen.
I'm going to give this a go. Thanks for the tip!
So THAT'S how you use those damn haidryers.
Thanks for the tip!
That’s funny that you put up this episode because I literally just bought goo gone for some games I bought at Goodwill a week ago
for non paper covers, i have been using an electronic circuit cleaner to remove the stickers and it works flawlessly. but its a bit expensive.
Take the cover out of the case and use vegetable oil! My life changed when I started using that to get stickers and tape off of N64 carts lol
Now try to remove the Italian SIAE stickers on game cases
Great tip!!!!!! Thanks Jon!!!! I also suffer from these damn stickers
I’ve personally never had a problem with the cex stickers. I use the peeled stickers to pull off any residue too.
You can also remove the slip in cover, and use rubbing alcohol on the affected area. Just make absolutely sure that you remove the artwork and keep it far away or you may ruin it.
idk if Un-Du is available in the UK but that stuff is magic. You can even use it on cardboard/manuals and anything in between and there will be no damage even though it is a liquid based product. I used it to remove an insane gamestop sticker off my Metroid Zero Mission box.
The sticker makes it thicker. 😮
I was hoping this video was sponsored by a hair dryer
Isopropyl alcohol works really well also, I just use a little on an earbud and the stickers don't stand a chance.
‘Goo Gone’ is a very fun name to hear repeatedly
They say we will declare war on Sea Bass…
I say we declare war on stickers on game boxes.
LGR did a video about fixing up big box PC games way long ago. Iirc he got his cardboard games looking great.
*squints eyes at video title*
........This is a Jon video isn't it?
*plays video, sees Jon a second later*
Yup. lol
Don't use Goo Gone on cardboard cases. It will stain them yellow. Use lighter fluid instead.
I loathe stores with stickers. Once I had one where the sticker was perforated so trying to take it off it would just split into tiny pieces.
I once asked Target for a copy of the game without a sticker on it. One time they actually provided me a fresh box, another time they wouldn't so I left and bought it elsewhere.
You can also remove glue residue using WD40. Just don't use it on paper.
I used to work for a company that fixed used routers and I worked with cleaning them and this is pretty much what I did everyday lol
I usually just clean them with isopropyl alcohol and works great
Stickers add the value to physical media
Good Vibes Hairdryers
I used a hairdryer for a long time on a lot of my games, but the damage it seemed to do to the plastic under the sticker, however small, just got to me after a while
Also one time I used the hairdryer a little too long on a Switch case and now my copy of Team Sonic Racing will be slightly bent forever
The demon of CEX can be exorcised!
I normally wouldn’t like using heat on something but if it’s only for a few seconds, it probably won’t damage anything
GAME used to write on the box itself with a purple marker the letter P (for preowned) in the corner of the box, I have straight up refused a sale from them because of this even when it was the only copy, I'd rather be without than a buy a box of P rubbish.
Coming soon: Good Dries Gaming
Monetising cleaning your collection, nice
That moment when you realise you're six years older than Jon... In other news, I have a date with a hair dryer, some Goo Gone and a big ol' stack of games!
John, doing the lords work
Yes, the stickers really annoy me with CeX games! I usually try to take them off quickly after purchase before they can set in. I also sometimes just switch the boxes over for other games I'm trading in or care less about :)
We also have CEX in Australia and oh my god the stickers are such a pain in the ass
I absolutely detest having stickers on game cases, to the point of refusing purchase in some cases.
IPA also works well on plastic if you soak it well, I'm not sure if I'd attempt it on cardboard as it could remove the printing also.
sticker makes it sicker (unless its CEX)
Damn. I wish we had Cex shops in America...
Wait a minute 😏
My Saturn collection is 90% PAL European releases, so I can understand this!
Luckily I don't have games witch stickers, maybe because I had them (almost all) from France, and some PAL Saturn games do have different plastic cases like Gamecube and PS2 DVD cases
The problem for some games is, that sticker is on the freaking cover itself! Can you believe that? What's wrong with those store guys!
layers of fear
Instead of paintings, it's video games in Jon's case.
As long as they're not from Gamestop, I leave the stickers on.
heat+solvent (alcohol is better as more gentle)
Question: doesn’t the heat from the hairdryer cause the plastic and paper cover art underneath to wrinkle?
It does
God we need the Nintendo Direct
switch was the first time i started collecting physical games and prior it was either digital or i threw away the cases, but ive been buying replacement cases directly from nintendo when i started collecting swtich games
There’s nothing worse than the Gamestop stickers on my gamecube spines. Not just on the plastic but they took the actual box art out of the sleeve and put bright yellow stickers on the gamecube logo on the spine. genuinely don’t think there’s any hope salvage for these
Blow dryer works for those, but you have to heat for longer and keep the pressure spread evenly on the art so it doesn't rip when pulling the sticker
@@elazulgaming8877 I appreciate the advice. gonna try it tomorrow on a game I don’t care about see how I make out 🤞
feel like for paper it's the same logic as with cardboard jon showed here. try heat and if that fails then _gently_ dab it with some goo gone and baby wipes
Totally agree I can't stand there stickers I've been going to Cex in the last year to pick up all the DS and 3DS I missed, as I only played Pokemon/Mario up to the Switch. I usually take the stickers off then use baby wipes to clean. But this looks so much better.
Hmm, next try just placing the boxes next to your PS5/x series and use that room heater to do the intensive work for you. Be nice to see if you can remove stickers from games by unlocking achievements
imo, CEX and Game Mania were really bad game stores here in the Netherlands, I’m kinda glad Game Mania went bankrupt 😅
I knew this was going to be a Jon video before clicking on it
Lucky the Goo Gone worked -- otherwise you would have had Panzer Dragoon Gun Gone.
Adhesive remover from the hospital first time every time
Goo gone and a plastic razor blade works well
I peel the cex sticker off and then use tge sticker itself to take any residue or little bits left by dabbing the sticker on the residue works great 😊 that's on Wii cases on other games I don't know as I don't buy other games except N64 games now and again and they tend not to have stickers on them in Cex 😊 good vid will have to try the hairdryer technique, what about sealed games does tge hairdryer damage the plastic cover ? Etc
Now try to remove **random local variant** sticker!
Damn i didnt know jon was that young
I always thought this was a commonly known thing, been using it to remove nasty stickers for decades. Almost all of them CEX as they are the absolute worst!
Fair warning to adults out there who have dirty minds lol >_
Just starting this video; if this video means I've been using goo gone unnecessarily this whole time... haha