I typically use a xylene based solvent for cleaning off thermal grease, pads, or other really sticky stuff. 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner works really well. Just be careful because it is nasty stuff (work outside, wear gloves). I know alcohol is generally recommended for cleaning, but I find it takes way too much time and effort where the xylene cuts right through.

Rubbing alcohol wipes, wet naps, Goof-Off, and arctic silver thermal compound cleaner to name a few.

My Artic Silver Cleaner didn't do anything. I'll try rubbing alcohol though.

Nail-polish remover? Just moisten a cloth, don't saturate it because you don't want it to run all over the PCB surface. If it's stubborn then hold the cloth against the thermal material for a bit to soften it, first. I wouldn't suggest this method for a CPU with printed on markings on the heat-sink contact area.

I use an old plastic phone card for that as I found liquid cleaning agents don't do very well to remove that stuff.
An old bank card or other plastic card also works fine, but are a bit thinner.

The remains I kinda wipe off as usual (paper towel and cleaning alcohol).

I just use alcohol and toilet paper.

brostenen wrote:

I just use alcohol and toilet paper.

I use them too but for a whole other occasion 🤣 😘
Mostly the alcohol first and then I need the toilet paper later on 😲 😵

But on a serious note, I have quite some plastic spatulas to get it off the top of the cpu. No need for alcohol usually.
If they are old and half sticky half dried out heating a bit and then using some cleaning paper works wonders too.

I'd try the Xylene too. Goof Off has Xylene in it.

I don't recommend Xylene. It's petroleum based and it or it's additives may eat the PCB material.
If you do use it rub the PCB down afterwards with isopropyl to remove any residual hydrocarbons and solvent additives.
Goof Off contains Xylene and 2-Ethanol. One of 2-Ethanol's trade names is Poly-solv.
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I'd use ~91% isopropyl alcohol. Let it soak a bit (maybe 5 minutes) then attack it with one or some of: a fingernail, old credit card type card, wooden popsicle stick, plastic scraper, soaked Q-tips or something like that. Nothing too hard. Nothing hard enough to scratch it.
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