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- 1). Remove the power plug from the cassette deck.
- 2). Prop open the door of the cassette deck so you have better access to the deck’s interior. Use a small wooden shim placed at the far side of the deck to hold the door open. This allows you to clean the side of the deck opposite the shim.
- 3). Soak the cotton on the end of a swab in isopropyl alcohol. Make sure the swab is damp, but not so wet that the alcohol drips off the end.
- 4). Wipe the dampened swab over the record head, the playback head, the capstan, and all the guides on one side of the cassette deck. The heads are the parts of the cassette deck that press against the tape, reading the audio data. The capstan is the small metal spindle against the tape heads near the rubber pinch roller that helps move the tape through the machine. The guides are the small plastic and metal posts that guide the tape through the machine.
- 5). Rotate the swab as you push it along the interior deck parts to keep a clean surface constantly running over the parts as you wipe tape residue and dirt from them.
- 6). Pull the swab out of the deck after wiping each part and examine it to determine the level of dirt removed. If the swab appears dirty, switch to a new swab before continuing. Continue cleaning until the removed swab appears clean; the lack of dirt on the swab means you’ve finished cleaning the inner cassette deck.
- 7). Wipe away any excess alcohol on the cassette deck parts with a clean, dry swab.
- 8). Move the shim to the other side of the deck, propping open the door. Repeat the cleaning process on the second half of the cassette deck, switching swabs as needed. Allow 10 minutes for the alcohol to evaporate from the surfaces.
- 9). Soak a swab in the rubber cleaning fluid and clean the rubber pinch roller, using the same process as that used with alcohol on the metal parts. The pinch roller is the black rubber roller seated against the capstan. Allow another 10 minutes drying time, and then remove the shim to close the deck. Reconnect the power to the cassette deck for use of the deck.
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