On Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:38:28 -0700, Don ǝʇoɹʍ:

I thought I'd post this, as it is an example of a "worst-case scenario"
situation. A few months ago I acquired a rather high-end Mitsubishi VHS
VCR from eBay for not much money. The seller said the VCR was in
excellent condition, and very clean. I'm sure everyone has heard this
before... LOL. To make a long story short, when I received the VCR it
was an absolute disaster from a aesthetic and cleanliness point-of-view.
Obviously, the original owner was a heavy smoker, and the VCR
absolutely reeked of smoke, and nicotine stains were the worst I've ever
seen inside and out the unit. To put it mildly, it was horrible, and I
almost felt I needed to put on rubber gloves just to touch it!

Strangely, it worked fine, but otherwise it was a real mess. So, I
decided to disassemble it and clean it manually. It didn't take long to
realize that this was hopeless. Thus, I did the unthinkable,especially
for a VCR. Once disassembled, I put each board and the
chassis/transport into the dishwasher taking care to cover and protect
the video head drum. No dish washing detergent, just the water. After
a full wash, rinse, and dry cycle, I removed it, and gently dried it
with compressed air, and then placed it into a 100 degree oven for a
short time.

After 3 months, the VCR is still working fine, and it looks (and smells)
like new. Realistically, I had nothing to lose by trying this
worst-case cleaning method, but it worked. It sounds like this would be
an absolute disaster for a VCR, and I must admit, I am surprised that it
was successful.

I have used this method for cleaning other types of electronics in the
past, but not a VCR.

Flux stripper spray and 90% Isopropyl on pc boards and other things that
won't be damaged by chemicals. Window cleaner on the outside.