Cleaning a Pinball Machine: The Complete Maintenance Guide (Playfield, Rubbers, Switches)
Cleaning a pinball machine regularly is the easiest way to preserve its value, restore fast and smooth play, and avoid costly breakdowns. In practice, pinball maintenance comes down to four actions: dust it, clean then polish the playfield, replace worn rubbers, and check switches and ball. This expert guide shows you how, step by step, without risking damage to your machine.
- How often should you maintain your pinball machine?
- The tools for cleaning a pinball machine
- Cleaning the playfield step by step
- Maintaining and replacing the rubbers
- Cleaning switches and checking contacts
- Ball, mechanisms and backbox
- Mistakes to avoid
- FAQ
How often should you maintain your pinball machine?
Regular upkeep beats one big yearly clean. Simply wiping the machine with a microfibre cloth every two weeks already transforms how it plays. Here are the frequencies recommended by collectors, to be adjusted to your usage: the more you play, the more you maintain.
| Maintenance task | Recommended frequency |
|---|---|
| Dusting / microfibre wipe | Weekly or before each session |
| Full playfield clean (Novus 2) | Every 100 to 200 plays, or every few months |
| Waxing / carnauba wax | Once or twice a year (every 30 to 60 plays under heavy use) |
| Replacing the balls | Once or twice a year (up to four times if you play often) |
| Replacing the rubbers | As soon as they harden or yellow (systematically beyond 10 years) |
| Checking switches / contacts | At every full clean |
These figures are orders of magnitude shared by the community (Pinside, Pinball Adventures): a heavily played home machine needs more attention than an occasional one.
The tools for cleaning a pinball machine
Before you start, gather the right materials. The goal is to clean effectively without attacking the varnish, the screen printing or the rubbers:
- Clean microfibre cloths (several) and soft cotton.
- Novus 2: the reference polish for playfields. Novus 1 is mainly a light cleaner; Novus 3 is too abrasive for routine use — keep it for extreme cases.
- Hard carnauba wax (quality car wax) to protect the playfield and let the ball glide.
- A mild cleaner: glass cleaner or soapy water for light cases; a degreaser such as Zep only on plastics away from printed areas.
- A small vacuum with a soft brush and a narrow nozzle for the corners.
- Isopropyl alcohol and an abrasive eraser for the contacts.
- Bags, boxes and a camera to organise the teardown.
Caution: on a playfield that is “planking” (varnish lifting in flakes), avoid any water-based product, which can swell and crack the wood. When in doubt, always test on a discreet area first.
Cleaning the playfield step by step
The playfield is the centrepiece. A deep clean — what enthusiasts call “shopping” the machine — happens in three stages.
1. Tear down and dust
Switch off and unplug the machine, remove the ball, then gradually remove plastics, ramps, guards and detachable parts. Photograph every step and store the screws in labelled bags: that is the key to a mistake-free reassembly. Then vacuum the dust from every nook (around the bumpers, under the slingshots, in the ball trough) with a soft brush.
2. Clean and polish with Novus 2
Spray Novus 2 onto the cloth (never directly onto the playfield) and work area by area, from the bottom of the playfield upwards. Focus on the ball lanes, the inlanes/outlanes and the trough, where dirt builds up. Novus 2 also removes ball marks and micro-scratches. You are done when the cloth comes back clean.
3. Wax (carnauba)
Once the playfield is clean and dry, apply a thin coat of hard carnauba wax in circular motions. Let the haze form, then buff with a clean microfibre. The wax protects the varnish from wear and restores the ball's original speed. While the plastics are off, take the chance to replace failing bulbs (or switch to LED).
Maintaining and replacing the rubbers
Rubbers (rings, sling, flipper) harden, yellow and crack over time and with light exposure. For a light clean, dampen a cloth with a little mild cleaner and rub gently. Avoid aggressive products (strong solvents): they change the structure of the rubber, which ends up breaking.
In most cases it is better to replace than to struggle cleaning. A set of new rubbers costs little and literally “wakes up” the machine: livelier rebounds, a crisper playfield. If your rubbers are more than ten years old, replace them systematically during the clean, while the plastics are already off. A rubber stuck or melted onto the playfield is removed carefully, without scraping the varnish.
Cleaning switches and checking contacts
On a vintage pinball, many “gameplay faults” (a target that doesn't score, a soft bumper, an ignored shot) come from oxidised contacts, not an electronic failure. Clean the switch blades with a contact cleaning card or a piece of thin paper passed between the blades, plus a little isopropyl alcohol. Check the alignment and gap of the blades.
That leaves the question: is the problem mechanical (dirty contact, tired spring) or electronic (board, driver)? This is where a diagnostic tool changes everything. On a Gottlieb System 80, 80A and 80B, the Lisy80 board features a test mode that lets you fire coils, lamps and switches individually to isolate the fault — you know immediately whether to clean a contact or replace a component. Let's be honest: an electronic board does not repair a mechanical defect, but it saves you from dismantling at random.
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Ball, mechanisms and backbox
The ball is often the neglected link. A rusted or pitted ball acts like sandpaper and wears down your playfield with every game — it costs far less than a new playfield. Replace your balls once or twice a year (more under heavy use) and never clean them to “rescue” marked ones: change them.
For the mechanisms, a few drops of light oil on the flipper shafts and pivots is enough; avoid any excess that attracts dust. In the backbox, dust it, check the connectors and above all watch the battery that powers the NVRAM: it is the leading cause of board destruction. A leaking battery causes irreversible corrosion. We detail this crucial point in our guide “Leaking battery on a pinball machine: dangers and definitive solution”. For a full refresh, follow our complete guide to restoring a vintage pinball machine.
Finally, the environment matters as much as cleaning: avoid humidity, direct sunlight, excessive heat and sudden temperature changes, which damage varnish, rubbers and electronics.
Mistakes to avoid
- Spraying product directly onto the playfield: always apply to the cloth.
- Using a water-based product on planking varnish or on the screen printing.
- Using a strong solvent on rubbers or printed plastics.
- Keeping a rusted ball “to save money”: it is the playfield you sacrifice.
- Reassembling without photos or labelled bags: a source of errors and lost parts.
- Confusing a mechanical fault with an electronic one: diagnose before replacing.
FAQ — Cleaning and maintaining a pinball machine
Which product should you use to clean a pinball playfield?
Novus 2 is the reference: it cleans, polishes the varnish and erases ball marks without attacking it. Novus 1 is a lighter cleaner, Novus 3 is too abrasive for routine use. Always finish with a hard carnauba wax to protect the playfield.
How often should you wax a pinball playfield?
For home use, once or twice a year is usually enough. Under heavy use, waxing every 30 to 60 plays keeps a playfield fast. A light microfibre clean every two weeks already makes a big difference.
Can you clean a pinball machine with glass cleaner?
Yes, for light upkeep on a playfield in good condition, sprayed onto a cloth (never directly). Avoid it, however, on flaking varnish (planking) and on screen-printed areas, where water can swell the wood or attack the ink.
How do you clean pinball rubbers without damaging them?
Use a cloth with a little mild cleaner and rub gently. Avoid aggressive solvents that weaken the rubber. Beyond ten years, or as soon as they harden, it is better to replace them: a new set is inexpensive and transforms the play.
How often should you change a pinball's balls?
Once or twice a year in normal use, up to four times if you play a lot. A scratched or rusted ball wears the playfield like sandpaper: replacing it costs far less than a new playfield.
My pinball has a switch that no longer responds: is it mechanical or electronic?
Most often it is mechanical (oxidised contact, misaligned blade): a clean with isopropyl alcohol fixes many cases. To settle it, a diagnostic tool such as the Lisy80 (Gottlieb System 80/A/B) fires switches, lamps and coils individually to isolate the cause. A board does not repair a mechanical defect, but it tells you where to look.
