How to clean a cassette player

Learn how to clean a cassette player. Cassette players may be outdated, but if you've still got tapes, you're going to want to keep them in good condition.

Step 1. Open the player

Open the door to your cassette player by pressing the eject button.

These tips apply to freestanding players. To clean a car cassette player, you’ll need to buy a specialized kit.

Step 2.

Dip the tip of a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol, also known as isopropyl alcohol.

Step 3. Clean the tape head

Clean the metal tape head with the tip of the cotton swab, rubbing it both horizontally and vertically.

On some tape decks, you can extend the head to make it easier to clean by pressing the “Play” button.

Step 4. Repeat

Keep cleaning the head with new alcohol-dipped swabs until a fresh one comes away clean.

Step 5. Clean guides and pins

Clean all the tape guides, rollers and plastic and metal pins the same way you cleaned the tape head.

Step 6. Wipe the reels

Wipe the reels with a rubbing-alcohol soaked cotton swab. This time, a black residue on the swab is acceptable. Now pop in your favorite mixtape.

FACT: In 1963, the manufacturer of the first tape recorder let others reproduce the technology royalty-free, making cassettes the global standard in audio recording.