48g over-zealous cleaning

[robve]

IPA can accidentally spread and flow into cracks and other spaces where you don't want it.

To remove stubborn stickiness from bare plastic or metal, I use hand sanitizer gel with 60%-70% alcohol instead of IPA, because it is a lot easier to locally apply on small spots and to wipe excess off. It works well with q-tips too. Great way to remove ball pen paint and other streaks from plastic without using heavy-duty stuff. Then wipe the surface clean afterwards with microfiber cloth. I never had any damage from using this method.

Higher quality electronic wipes appear to work OK to remove surface fingerprints and modest grime. Be extra careful with surface-printed lettering etc.

Plastic cleaner, such as Novus 7020, works well to clean plastic surfaces and is generally safe.

Do not use Windex, because it can strip paint and damage surfaces (e.g. it can even damage car clear coats and paint). Only use Windex on plain plastic surfaces. I only used Windex once to clean a dirty plastic keyboard frame that had no lettering.

To clean leather and soft vinyl calculator cases and protective covers, I use Leatherique Prestine Clean. It is very gentle on leather and vinyl, yet cleans surprisingly well. Experienced vintage car restorers use it for a reason.

- Rob

EDIT: mention plastic cleaner and warn about Windex. RE-EDIT: mention Leatherique.