Best Electrical Cleaners in 2022

Last update: January 1, 2023

Can I use isopropyl alcohol to clean electronics?

You can use isopropyl alcohol to clean electronics, but you need to be careful. Isopropyl alcohol can damage some plastics, so it's important to test it on a small area first. It's also important to use a lint-free cloth to avoid leaving behind any fibers.

Can WD-40 cause short circuit?

WD-40 is a petroleum-based product that can cause short circuits. The product can seep into electrical components and insulation, causing a loss of electrical contact. This can lead to arcing and sparking, which can damage sensitive electronic components.

Can you use brake cleaner on electrical?

If you are having electrical problems with your car, you may be wondering if you can use brake cleaner on electrical components. The answer is no, you should not use brake cleaner on electrical components. Brake cleaner is a solvent that can damage electrical components and cause electrical problems. If you are having electrical problems with your car, take it to a mechanic to have it diagnosed and repaired.

Does electrical contact cleaner work?

Yes, electrical contact cleaners can work wonders in restoring electrical contact points to like-new condition. These cleaners are designed to remove oil, grease, and other contaminants that can build up on electrical contact points, and they can be very effective in restoring electrical connectivity.


Hosa D5S-6 CAIG DeoxIT 5% Spray Contact Cleaner, 5 oz. Review:


Since the middle of the 1970s, I've used this stuff in one way or another, and it's great.Back then, the equivalent substance was named Cramolin, and I had learned about it from a magazine called Audio Amateur. It was available in red and blue versions, just like DeoxIT. The red is/was a cleanser and preservative, while the blue is/was a preservative for recently made contacts. The red is better for cleaning and repairing contacts that are already corroded, while the blue may theoretically offer longer or greater protection.To achieve the best protection for already oxidized contacts, you can clean the contacts with the red, then remove it, then treat with the blue. However, in fact, the red alone works so well that it is incredibly effective to just clean and treat the contacts in one step using only the red. I therefore use around one blue can for every ten or more red cans. Most people only need the red (D) variant for the majority of uses. I don't want to sound like I use a ton of it, but because I work in the electronics industry, I do use a lot more than the majority of people.You just need a tiny bit of it to complete the majority of tasks, as has been highlighted in countless other reviews. Even for someone who is continuously working on a lot of equipment, one can will last a very long time.I showed it to my coworkers at the electronics firm where I worked after discovering how effectively it operated on audio connections and potentiometers. It astounded all of the engineers and technicians, and it quickly became standard. We created, produced, installed, and maintained several telemetry and process control devices. Many of the pieces of this equipment, as well as equipment made by others, that we were asked to repair were in corrosive environments, such as oil fields, refineries, water and waste water treatment facilities, laboratories, and other places where fumes of hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, hydrochloric acid, etc., are present and can cause numerous contact-related issues.Over the years, it has proven to be quite successful, and even if the product's name and formula have changed from the "Cramolin" era, the new formulation appears to be just as beneficial.I've also used it on very high voltage connectors, and one of its great features is that even while it dramatically reduces contact resistance and increases contact integrity when used on high voltage systems, it doesn't malfunction and lead to leakage or flashover. It has worked flawlessly for years on photomultiplier tube and Geiger tube devices (radiation survey and monitoring equipment). These systems typically run at bias voltages of 900 to 1500 volts, but they can occasionally reach 2500 volts.We did something many years ago where we had a batch of really old thermal self-resetting circuit breaker devices in a system, which is a good example of how it works. The issue was that their contacts were silver. Silver is the best conductor of all the elements, yet it oxidizes (tarnishes) quickly and is very reactive. These gadgets were "non-repairable" and sealed. Their contact resistance, however, was too high.I simply dropped these breakers into a glass jar filled with a mixture of Cramolin Red and a solvent (likely Freon TF back then), and kept them immersed until the bubbles stopped escaping to ensure they were completely flooded with the solution. Then, after removing them and allowing the fluid drain back out of them, we knocked them on a desk about a dozen times to cause the contacts inside to somewhat "jiggle." It was sufficient for the Cramolin to maneuver between the closed connections.The resistances started out between 100 and 200 milliohms when a number of these breakers were measured both before and after the treatment. The typical resistance was reduced to about 6 milliohms after treatment! The voltage drops across these devices had been unacceptable due to the high current and low voltage they needed to convey, but after treatment, they performed flawlessly. and remained so for a long time.Numerous other contacts that, before treatment, would heat up and cause other issues worked coolly and with incredibly minimal voltage dips.With this stuff, I have personally "repaired" innumerable potentiometers, switches, and different connectors throughout the years.It lives up to the moniker "Technician in a Can," as we call it. I pre-treat a LOT of contacts before crimping them to their wires since it reduces the mating forces and increases the dependability of almost any connector.It is in fact unique material. For technicians, producers, audiophiles, etc., it is essential. If I had a 55 gallon barrel of it, I could quickly fix all of the broken switch contacts and pots on complete pre-amps and other audio equipment by submerging it.The only slight drawback is that it will remove the sticky goo that is frequently used to give potentiometers a "silky" feel when spinning, as with any contact cleaner that contains (or is nothing but) a solvent. Therefore, if you want to keep the grease in that annulus after treating a pot, it's better to attempt to avoid letting any reach the shaft or bushing component of the pot.However, running a "scratchy" pot back and forth about a dozen times while it is on the resistive pad frequently completely resolves the issue.Manufacturers seem to enjoy making pot wipers with silver plating for whatever reason, as they do with so many other products. Poor idea! yet all too typical. The pot will sound terrible after that wiper tarnishes since silver oxide is an insulator. DeoxIT typically makes it possible to remove the oxide layer by simply rotating the pot about a dozen times. After that, it coats the wiper and the resistive element, preventing any more issues and leaving the pot running and sounding great.Whatever the case, all I can say is that this device has provided me with excellent service for almost 40 years and that I heartily recommend it.



Hosa D100S-2 CAIG DeoxIT 100% Spray Contact Cleaner, 2 oz. Review:


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WD40 Company 300554 Specialist Contact Cleaner Spray - 11 oz. with Smart Straw Review:


I usually have contact cleaner on hand for electrical systems. It's incredibly helpful when an electronic gadget isn't functioning properly, perhaps because an unseen oxidation is preventing the batteries from electrically connecting to the battery contacts within. This immediately resolves the issue. Spraying this on immediately fixes the problem when a charger isn't making touch with the gadget that needs to be recharged, like my cordless phone. The "straw" for aiming the spray at a tiny, focused area is integrated into the container with a hinge, setting WD-40 apart from most competing products. If you don't fold it up, a big spray comes out of the nozzle, which I very rarely if ever want. The "straw" only needs to be folded up and placed in place for me to use it. Much better than a separate straw that is attached to the can's side with a rubber band and requires usage of the nozzle. While standard WD-40 lubricant can clean electrical connections, I should point out that because it's a lubricant and leaves an oily residue, it's not usually what you want when you need to clean electrical contacts. WD-40 Electrical Contract Cleaner doesn't leave behind any greasy residue. Excellent stuff; I frequently use it. It maintains numerous electrical devices running and frequently returns non-working ones to full functionality. For instance, I've experienced battery-operated quartz clocks that stopped working and a new battery didn't fix the issue, but after cleaning the battery connections, the clock started up again flawlessly. What an amazing thing! If you don't want the substance to get all over the inside of a gadget, spray it onto a cotton swab and use that to clean a contact. A can holds its value for a long time.



WD-40 Specialist Electrical Contact Cleaner Spray - Electronic & Electrical Equipment Cleaner. 11 oz. (Pack of 6) Review:


I usually have contact cleaner on hand for electrical systems. It's extremely useful when some electronic gadget isn't working correctly because, say, invisible rust inhibits the batteries from making electrical connection with the battery contacts within. This immediately resolves the issue. Also useful, for example, when a charger isn't making contact with the gadget needing to be recharged, such as my cordless phone — spraying this on cures the issue at once. The "straw" for aiming the spray at a small, focused area is built into the container with a hinge, setting WD-40 apart from most competing brands. If you don't fold it up, a big spray comes out of the nozzle, which I very rarely if ever want. The "straw" only needs to be folded up and placed in place for me to use it. Much better than a separate straw held onto the side of the can with a rubber band that needs to be placed into the nozzle to use it. While regular WD-40 lubricant can clean electrical contacts, I should point out that because it's a lubricant and leaves an oily residue, it's not usually what you want when you need to clean electrical contacts. WD-40 Electrical Contract Cleaner doesn't leave behind any greasy residue. Great product, one I use all the time. It maintains numerous electrical devices running and frequently returns non-working ones to full functionality. For instance, I've experienced battery-operated quartz clocks that stopped working and a new battery didn't fix the issue, but after cleaning the battery contacts, the clock started up again flawlessly. What an amazing thing! If you don't want the product to get all over the inside of a device, spray it onto a cotton swab and use that to clean a contact. One can lasts a long time, too.



BW-100 Nonflammable Electronic Contact Cleaner aerosol Spray HFOs Quick Dry Upsidedown usable (16oz.) Review:


My 10-year-old motherboard's memory slot needed cleaning, so I purchased this. Recently, one of the memory slots quit functioning. I decided to try it out for myself. Sadly, it was unable to resurrect my vacant memory slot. However, I don't believe this cleaner's failure is to blame. Actually, it did a good job of cleaning both the memory and the memory slot. There was no need to wait for the material to dry because it did so rapidly.



CRC 05046 Battery Terminal Protector - 7.5 Wt Oz. Review:


I'm a Nissan master tech, and when customers come in and pay for a 30K, 60K, 90K, 120K, etc. service package, we utilize this on their cars (see before/after picture). Although we do much more than just visually check items, it costs roughly $300. With this product, I take great care to ensure that the battery terminals are spotless, and I also clean the top of the battery so it looks brand new.



MG Chemicals 401B Nutrol Control Cleaner, 340g (12 oz) Aerosol Can Review:


The best "all-in-one" product of its particular sort is this lubricant/cleaner from MG Chemicals called "Nutrol." I've been consistently using this product for almost 20 years. The product is analogously compared to a "more refined and electronics-oriented WD-40" by another reviewer named Oscar. Nicely put. I'll go a step further and say that Nutrol works considerably better on a wider variety of surfaces and items than WD-40. WD-40 can weaken or harm some polymers (WD-40 reportedly contains gasoline). Nutrol, however, is safe for all plastics (I can attest to that after 20 years). Nutrol is a metal-to-metal lubricant, according to Oscar. He is correct; the fantastic lubrication oils from Nutrol are highly refined. However, there's more. Nutrol is a superior plastic lubricant as well. While certain modern lubricants, such as high-tech paraffin waxes, lack the endurance, permanence, or waterproofness of Nutrol's lubricants, their oils won't immediately evaporate or stop lubricating. Furthermore, Nutrol has an excellent flushing action (for electronics, armatures, motors, etc..). In spite of the fact that Nutrol's highly refined oils are non-staining and extremely light to the touch, this product does start off as oily. It's important to note that Nutrol dries quite rapidly without significantly losing effectiveness; otherwise, it would stay a wet oil slick forever, attracting dust and creating filth. However, extra Nutrol should be cleaned up because it is oily. And lastly, Nutrol makes a great contact cleaning. Just be aware that Nutrol is not a quick-drying or drip-free cleaner like DeoxIT D5, electrical contact cleaner, or isopropyl alcohol. Nutrol is an oily contact cleaner spray, at least initially, and the spray container comes with a very convenient adjustable spray head. Numerous activities, like cleaning, lubricating, and restoring electrical fans, including computer cooling fans, are carried out by me using Nutrol. I'm continuously in awe of how each fan operates so quietly, cleanly, and effectively. For incredibly smooth connections and disconnections, I use Nutrol on my USB ports.


Does grease help electrical connections?

While a little grease can help keep electrical connections safe from moisture, too much can actually cause problems. When grease builds up on electrical contacts, it can insulate them, preventing current from flowing properly.

How do you clean electrical contacts with vinegar?

You can clean electrical contacts with vinegar by using a cotton swab or a toothbrush to scrub the contact points. Vinegar is an acidic substance, so it will eat away at the grime and build-up on the contacts.

How long does electronic cleaner take to dry?

After you spray the electronic cleaner on your devices, it will take about 30 seconds to a minute to dry.

Is there a spray to clean electrical connections?

Yes, there are sprays that can clean electrical connections. These sprays typically contain a solvent that can dissolve dirt, grime, and other contaminants that can build up on electrical contacts.

Is WD-40 a dielectric?

WD-40 is not a dielectric. It is an oil-based product that is used to lubricate and protect metal surfaces.

Is WD-40 flammable after it dries?

WD-40 is not flammable after it dries.