How to remove cat urine smell from a Sega Dreamcast Console.

Submitted by No_need_for_that99 t3_yqk1cm in consoles

Hi guys,

I don't want to make this story too long, but I lent my sister dreamcast like over a decade ago, because growing up, she loved playing with mine and asked if she could borrow it. She was a regular player on it for about a year, but since she lived at my parents... I figured it was no issue if I ever forgot to pick it.

Well, sadly my sister passed away this summer (F32) from what most would call an "suspect overdose".... so we had to clean out my parents basement and such, because she was storing everything there.

Unbeknownst to me, it turns out my sister was a very bad CAT horder, and despite my console being in the basement, it was stained yellow on one half from being exposed to all that amonia (cat pee) and I can tell from the greasiness that I will have to take it all apart... find a way to clean it, deoderize it and retro bright it.

My controllers and memory cards are in the same state....

How do get rid of the stains and cat pee smell.... I have no idea how long my poor baby has been in this state. I don't mind if I have to buy a third party shell... but the internals reek of cat piss. :(

Quite a depressing year...
Has anyone ever succesfully removed cat oily cat pee and smell from a console?
All the help would be awesome.

I'll post pics later if it helps, I'm at work right now, and didn't think to take pictures.

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LiteratureNo4594 t1_ivots4b wrote

Sorry for loss dude, when I lost my sister 15 years ago I never got over it, even now! Different situation completely but still losing your sibling is the hardest thing I'm dealing with.

As for your dreamcast I'd disassemble everything into individual stages. All cables I'd run through a dishwasher or soap and hot water but thoroughly dry with warm air, or ebay spares are plentiful, maybe a donor DC that's not working?

For the Power supply I'd replace it as the urine is slightly corrosive and could cause damage later on. They're quite cheap and easy to replace. As for the other boards I'd get some iso alcohol and a few tooth brushes and get scrubbing.

You mentioned retrobrite for the case so I'd stick with that and once applied get it in the sun or UV box which can be easily be knocked up, youtube is king for these kind of things.

Good luck with everything and I hope your family celebrate your sisters life, not everything is defined by what we do and I'm sure your sister loved you all and her cats. Remember her and celebrate everything she loved.

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No_need_for_that99 OP t1_ivov9k9 wrote

Thanks a lot.
We already had her funeral in october and it was hard.
I'm over what happened, but not over how much I miss my sister. We had the rockiest relationship... but the Pandemic brought us closer together and we finally became a family. SO it's really hard to accept, that only after 3 years of being real friends and family.... she had leave us in such a way... so in the end, I might not ever trully get over it.

I'm in my Male in my 40's, so she really was baby sister! :(

I will try as much as I can to save the dreamcast... maybe the best thing will be to replace parts from scrapped dreamcasts on Ebay... and maybe even replace the Disc reader with one of those SD card things... maybe.

But i'll start with the basics.

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VicisSubsisto t1_ivpeqmm wrote

Color and odor are the least of your concerns with liquid stains on electronics. I'd be more worried about corrosion and contamination on the circuitry.

That said, Retr0bright is hydrogen peroxide based, which means it should work very well on cat urine, which is ammonia based.

Where are the stains? The disc drive will probably be much harder to clean than the motherboard. If the motherboard is dirty, you could try removing the battery and putting it in a dishwasher (sounds crazy but that's actually a thing people do, and apparently it works). There are also spray-on PCB cleaners that are designed not to damage the electronics, but I don't know how well they work on cat pee.

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No_need_for_that99 OP t1_ivpop2o wrote

The stains are all over.
Every corner... the only thing that is untouched, is the inside of the disk tray. Because the cover was closed.

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VicisSubsisto t1_ivq3aq9 wrote

Look up "Dreamcast teardown", open it up and check the rest of the interior. If there's no sign that it got inside, then hopefully you're safe and some Retr0brite should be all you need.

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ArugulaZ t1_ivonjz2 wrote

Fabric softener sheets are the go-to for removing odors from game systems. I know people use them to take the stench of cigarettes out of used items. You put the system in a plastic bag with the sheets and give it three days to absorb the offensive aroma.

After that, you should take the system apart and thoroughly clean the plastic shell. Retrobriting may also be worth considering. Hopefully the cat pee hasn't destroyed the internal electronics. Also, my condolences on your sister.

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No_need_for_that99 OP t1_ivot367 wrote

I haven't turned it on yet, because i'm afraid the internals might be oily as well.
Lord only knows if cat pee is conductive, so I would have to take it apart first.

So i guess I will take it apart, wash it, and then store individual parts in bags with fabric softner sheets best i can.

But I will have to take even the lazer and disc reader apart as well....Every inch stinks.
I don't want to have to get a new dream cast, this is an original that reads the blank cd's.

I will give it try this weekend, I will leave an update. thanks.

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Ne0nN1nja t1_ivql9n0 wrote

yea I wouldn't turn it on. If it got inside you will blow it up. Like the other comment says you'll need to take it apart and check the interior. Clean it well especially if you have any cats.

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TrefoilHat t1_ivovx1j wrote

I have a cat that pees on stuff. It’s awful, can’t find a way to stop it. Cat pee reeks.

A mix of about 25% vinegar and 75% water is amazing. Wipe off any urine or grease, I’ll usually use a Clorox wipe. Then put the vinegar solution in a spray bottle and spray it on then let it dry. The vinegar seems to neutralize the uric acid and stops the smelling. When dry, it doesn’t smell like vinegar either.

Good luck.

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No_need_for_that99 OP t1_ivowel6 wrote

I'll give that a go as well, thanks.
Problem is, I think is't been sitting in this kind of mess for like at least 9 years... slowly soaking in everything and and being peed on multiple times.

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frankthetank2023 t1_ivpss23 wrote

I would do two washes.

Use pure deionized water.

Take the entire thing apart snd gently wash the electronics with that to get the dirt off.

Before it dries use hydrogen proxide on the electronics and let it sit for like 2 minutes.

Hydrogen peoxide kills cat pee smell and everything.

Before it does against submerge and rinse well with deionized water.

Let air dry in dust free area.

Now take a tub and use soap water mix on exterior scrubbing.

Rinse off.

Take a lot of hydrogen proxide and let the exterior casting soak for a few days it might remove any aged yellow plastic look.

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[deleted] t1_iwrtd37 wrote

[removed]

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No_need_for_that99 OP t1_iwrvqeq wrote

I'll give it a try for love of the hobby, but you're probably right in the longrun

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