I’m going to go through my knowledge of cleaning and maintaining PS1 cases.

Plastic Cases

Most cases released for the PlayStation will be constructed from a clear polystyrene known as “jewel” cases. This plastic is very brittle and prone to cracking on impacts or when pressure was applied. Due to this, cleaning these cases can be a tricky and fragile task. Be careful when applying force as you can easily damage the plastic. Additionally, due to the brittle plastic and the design of the cases, the weakest point are the hinge teeth. These can easily snap, breaking the hinge of the case.

What You’ll Need

Before you start cleaning, gather these materials:

Essential:

  • Microfiber cloth - Soft, lint-free cloths for general cleaning
  • Isopropyl alcohol (90%+ recommended) - For tougher grime and adhesive removal. Higher concentrations work better and dry faster

For Sticker/Adhesive Removal:

  • Plastic spudger or opening tool - Never use metal tools as they will scratch the plastic
  • Paper towels - For cleaning and wiping away loosened adhesive and excess alcohol

Optional but Recommended:

  • Novus #1 Plastic Polish - Anti-static polish that leaves a protective finish
  • **Polish cloth - simple dry polishing cloth

What NOT to Use:

  • Acetone or nail polish remover
  • Abrasive cleaners or scouring pads
  • Metal tools or scrapers
  • Harsh chemicals or bleach
  • Knives

Acetone Warning

Acetone products like nail polish remover are not to be used with PS1 cases! This chemical will react with the plastic and cause it to dissolve, making the clear plastic appear cloudy and rough. If you use enough acetone, you’ll even start to turn the clear plastic into a glue! Cases damaged like this are difficult to restore so it’s best to consider cases with this damage likely not worth restoring.

Microfiber Cloths

The main tool in your arsenal should be a simple microfiber cloth. This should be dampened and won’t need anything more than plain tap water. It might be worth removing paperwork from inside the case before you use one as water ingress could cause water damage. You can use the cloth to go over the entire surface of the case. Make sure to spend a little more time on the top and bottom - the frosted effect will hold more dirt. If you want to clean the inside - it would be worth removing all game content beforehand so that there is no risk of moisture damage. The spine and opening also have sharp lips that can gather dirt so it’s worth getting into these parts while you’re cleaning.

Isopropyl Alcohol

Sometimes it might be necessary to employ something harder on the case to lift dirt buildup. I would highly recommend hitting harder tasks with isopropyl alcohol. This will not react at all with the case plastic and can lift a lot of grime that microfiber cloths can’t without a degree of pressure that you cannot apply to these fragile cases. In most instances, you’ll want to apply some alcohol to a paper towel and work the surface with this.

Removing Stickers/Residue

First off, you need to ask yourself if this sticker really needs to be removed? Question whether this is something that should be preserved instead? We don’t want to remove things that have survived 30 years! But maybe you have a sticker that does need removing - or you have the remnants of a sticker and glue that could do with being cleaned off. This glue will not come off easily with soap and will require a lot of work, increasing the risk of damage to the brittle case plastic. I would recommend removing all game content before taking this step - keep your paperwork and art inlays away. With your case on a flat surface, target area facing up, you will need to soak the area with Isopropyl alcohol and work the glue off with a plastic spudger tool. It might be a good idea to let this soak in for 1-2 minutes. Very stubborn areas might need a mixture of soaking and agitating the glue with the spudger, working the alcohol into the residue. Make sure to only apply enough pressure to work the alcohol into areas needed. Once you’ve loosened enough glue, you can clean the area with paper toweling and repeat with alcohol until you’re happy the area is clear of glue.

Light Polish

A final step I would recommend would be a light polish when you’ve finished cleaning the case. Novus #1 is really good for this as it will reduce static and dust build up and give the case a lovely “like new” feeling You’ll only need a few drops on the surface to get the job done. This product is very watery so do this on a flat surface, and have a paper towel ready. Work the product over the surface of the case and move to the other sides. Once you’ve gone over the entire case, allow to dry and go over with a clean, dry polishing cloth to finish.

Cardboard Cases

There is not much you can do to the cardboard cases. Water and Isopropyl alcohol will quickly damage the cardboard and I wouldn’t even recommend using a damp microfiber cloth on these. These cases had the artwork on the case surface, so any kind of cleaning on these surfaces, would risk damaging the artwork itself. Additionally, stickers applied to this surface are very difficult to remove. My recommendation is to not clean cardboard releases as they are too fragile to apply anything to.