How to Clean a Cassette Deck

Last Updated: May 25, 2023 Approved

If the deck is just eating your tape and you can't rewind or fast forward, cleaning the deck as follows may help the tape start playing smoothly again.

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Press fast forward and rewind so that the heads move. This will allow you to clean the heads more evenly.
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Press play so the roller is moving when you clean it. This part tends to be very grimy.
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This will also move when you press play. The capstan is the thin metal roller to the left of the pinch roller.
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This will smooth out the tape and any wrinkles that occurred when the tape came out should go away. Rewind and fast forward until the tape plays smoothly.
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Question

What is a suitable cleaning alcohol?

Community Answer

You can use rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol, which can be found at your local drugstore.

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Question

What's wrong when I put a cassette in the deck and it won't close?

Logan Adams

Community Answer

It may be in the wrong way. Check if there is something to hold the cassette.

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Question

I have a tape deck in my car that spits the tape back out. If cleaning doesn't work, does anyone have any other suggestions?

Community Answer

You might have to check the condition of the injector/ejector mechanism, or the control servo may have become damaged or misaligned. If you can't fix it yourself, it might be just as cheap to find another tape player from eBay, or a local junkyard.

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Tips

Manually rewind the tape several times. This will work out any kinks.

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If nothing else works, you may need to invest in a demagnetizer. This will help the cassette to play smoothly.

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Check the actual tape first. If it is torn, stretched, or broken, you will need to repair that.

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Warnings

Never put magnets near your tape. This can erase it.

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NEVER FORCE ANYTHING! This can damage both deck and tape.

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Don't be too rough with the tape. This can permanently damage it.

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How to Clean a Cassette Deck

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