How to Clean a Cassette Player

If you still have music cassettes laying around, chances are that your player is older than the cassettes. Rejuvenate a cassette tape player to get better quality sound and to keep the player from eating the tape. With a few simple supplies, and less than 5 minutes, you can have your cassette player clean and groove to your favorite '80s hit songs.

Things You'll Need

• Rubbing alcohol
• Cotton swabs
• Cassette player cleaning tape (optional)

Instructions

1. Clean the cassette player every 1 to 2 months depending on usage. Clean the player immediately when you notice diminished sound quality or when the player begins eating the tape.

2. Moisten a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol. Let excess alcohol drip from the swab or gently rub the swab against the inner bottleneck to remove the extra liquid.

3. Rub the moistened cotton swab over all of the player parts that come in direct contact with the tape. Clean the guides, the pin and head surfaces.

4. Turn the cassette player on and press the play button while the player door is ajar. Lightly rest the moistened cotton swab on the rolling pieces to clean their circumferences.

5. Remove any cotton fibers left on the player parts. Use tweezers to remove stubborn bits of cotton. Let the cassette player dry completely before playing a cassette tape.

6. Purchase a cleaning cassette tape if you prefer not to clean the player with cotton and alcohol. Put the cassette in the player and follow the manufacturer instructions for cleaning.