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So, I tried asking this question on Reddit, and all I got back were trolls and unserious replies. 😒
So, does anyone know how I can remove the sticker residue on these games without accidentally rubbing the factory codes off?
I would press my thumb hard on the card resting on a flat surface and slowly roll the remnants of paper and glue into a small sticky ball - essentially rubbing it clean. It's really rough on the skin, but for such a small surface, that's what I'd do.
Maybe do the same thing with a rubber eraser?
Check out plastic razor blades. They’re cheap and usually found at hardware or craft supply stores. They work well to scrape off old adhesives and won’t mess with anything printed on the surface
I generally recommend Goo Gone for stuff like this (NOT Goof Off!), but it may remove the original printing (it's a very light solvent).
I think the idea from other posters - WD40 and a plastic razor blade is probably the best approach. It's good at softening adhesives, and the blade won't damage anything.
I used to be a professional sticker remover at a used textbook company, and we used Goo Gone and heat guns
Impressive on textbooks, that's really tricky.
I'm continually surprised at what Goo Gone can remove without damaging the surface.
Yeah, you obviously wouldn't want to use it directly on the paper, but we'd use a rag covered in Goo Gone to clean/polish the laminated covers of books before shipping. Worked very well.
The heat gun was able to remove most stickers, but some of the more stubborn ones we'd soak in Goo Gone and scrape off with a plastic scraper.
WD-40. Use q-tips to scrape around the serial. Then lightly dab where the serial is. It won’t 100% remove the adhesive but will be an improvement and you’ll be asked to see through the white stuff.
Yeah WD-40 does do wonders removing stickers without damaging the surface.
I’d be careful about it damaging the plastic.
Did anyone say "carefully" yet?
Friction and stickers,
The idea here is to pull the old glue off with the fresh sticker. Look at the cart. at an angle to see where you still have glue.
I've done this with many things and it works well, usally, but there has been things that don't work on. Better than using solvents, oils, or alcohols that will wipe off the ink or worse yet melt the plastic.
Personally, I would try just a bit of Windex and a fingernail to start. Any other solvent has a chance of removing the printing.
Mineral or baby oil.
Oil is my go-to.
You can get food-grade mineral oil in a pharmacy, it’s used as a laxative.
You can then use it to oil any of your wooden cutting boards or wooden food tools.
Homemade goo gone with coconut oil and baking soda (and citrus oil if you want the citric acid factor, but not needed)
Plastic scraper or very carefully with a razor/safety blade.
isopropyl usually doesn't wipe lettering unless it was a cheap ink which I've seen for stuff like expiration date stamps. If you're unsure, just lightly dampen with water instead.
So, I tried asking this question on Reddit, and all I got back were trolls and unserious replies.
After you scrape it off, replace it with a knockoff R4 sticker lol
A razor blade should get most of the physical residue off, especially if you hit it with a hair dryer. Warm adhesive is easier to scrape off than room-temperature. If you don't trust your manual dexterity, then try one of the other methods described by other commenters.
Flat Razor blade always works for me, just be careful
QD electric contact cleaner
Oil on q tips or cotton balls. You're going to be dabbing a little bit of oil on the adhesive and paper in order to loosen the adhesive and then rub your fingers on the paper. Try not to get any on the contacts as I'm not sure what that'll do. After the stickers are removed you can clean the whole cart with some 90% isopropyl alcohol on a rag to remove the oil.