I’m assuming an eye glass microfiber cloth is the way to go? Just want to make sure before I make an attempt.
It’s definitely a great way to start, a picture may also help us know what type of smudge you’re talking about, like do you mean a fingerprint smudge? Just make 10000% sure NEVER to use any solvents or SANDPAPER, no matter what other members say here.
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Agreed. Depending on what the smudge is or what caused the smudge would be important to know.
I found a hidden fates rayquaza at a local flea market thats in pretty good shape except for this small smudge. No idea what cause it but it looks like it isn’t a scuff but some sort of gunk.
Is it apart of the sheen/gloss of the card? it could be a minor printing defect. A very light wipe with a micro fiber cloth shouldn’t damage it.
Microfiber cloth, light touch and back and forth or circular motion. Can use water on the microfiber cloth. Just a drop or two and it will stay In the cloth and not damage the card. But if you haven’t done that before may want to practice on some modern bulk first. Put a sleeve under the other side while you do this and don’t let the card shift around on the front side so you don’t scratch the holo.
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Definitely practice on cheap cards. There are many different things you can use depending on whatever is on the card. You are unlikely to find a PSA 9 or PSA 10 card with a foreign substance. For PSA 7 or 8 cards (or anything below) you should be able to clean the card without lowering the grade further.
I also found that a few drops of a light cleaner (Windex without ammonia, dilute solutions of dish washing cleansers like Dawn or Joy in distilled water, etc.) applied to a paper towel can remove stains. But you need a lot of patience and very light wiping actions.
On early Magic cards I could be more aggressive on white borders, but on dark colors (card backs) gentle touches are key. For light borders I could use those orange-scent organic cleaners. (like DeSolve It or Goo Be Gone). But the key was to never apply the cleaner directly to the card, but instead to the cloth or paper towel. I was even able to remove heavy cigarette tar stains on early (expensive) MTG cards.
Another key is to not let anything dry on the card surface. Which means a light dry wipe immediately after cleaning with whatever you are using.