Cleaning a "snakeskin" type Gillette case

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Picked up a cased Gillette Aristocrat #66 Coronation set which was totally black and scummy. The razor has come up like new. The case however is a faux snakeskin or crocodile skin surface, and though it has cleaned up a bit using water and washing up liquid and toothbrush, it is still pretty grotty looking in the grain of the surface.
I don't want to be too aggressive as although the surface is robust, the Gillette logo and crown are depicted in a silver stamp on the lid and may be more fragile.
Has anyone got the magic formula for cleaning these dirty little blighters?
 
Picked up a cased Gillette Aristocrat #66 Coronation set which was totally black and scummy. The razor has come up like new. The case however is a faux snakeskin or crocodile skin surface, and though it has cleaned up a bit using water and washing up liquid and toothbrush, it is still pretty grotty looking in the grain of the surface.
I don't want to be too aggressive as although the surface is robust, the Gillette logo and crown are depicted in a silver stamp on the lid and may be more fragile.
Has anyone got the magic formula for cleaning these dirty little blighters?
Try a little bicarbonate of soda on a damp soft tooth brush and gently rub over the case, this should remove most of the grime. P.
 
Struggling to think of anything to actually clean with, I can say Dodo Juice Supernatural Glaze (in the 100ml tub) is super stuff for giving it a shine after cleaning and drying. Although designed for car detailing work, I had some kicking about and it gives a lovely shine to these old cases. It'll do the same magic on dull bakelite, too.

Good luck with the cleaning. I've not personally ventured into case restoration much, other than ruining a couple by over-vigorously scrubbing.
 
Struggling to think of anything to actually clean with, I can say Dodo Juice Supernatural Glaze (in the 100ml tub) is super stuff for giving it a shine after cleaning and drying. Although designed for car detailing work, I had some kicking about and it gives a lovely shine to these old cases. It'll do the same magic on dull bakelite, too.

Good luck with the cleaning. I've not personally ventured into case restoration much, other than ruining a couple by over-vigorously scrubbing.
Thanks Paul. Never heard of the Dodo Juice. The problem with the Lizardskin leatherette is that the grime gets into the grooves and is hard to get at.
 
I just happened to have some in from my car detailing hobby days ... and it works a treat.

Hey! What about one of those micro-jet sprays, you know for cleaning teeth? I was thinking about some kind of compressed air blaster (you can even get it in cans, for spraying out keyboards) but whether that would shift adhered dirt it another matter. How about steam cleaning? At home, perhaps just guide some steam over it from a kettle to loosen the dirt and gently (microfibre towel) wipe away?

Nothing tried and tested there, but a couple of ideas. I suppose the key is: gently does it.
 
I just happened to have some in from my car detailing hobby days ... and it works a treat.

Hey! What about one of those micro-jet sprays, you know for cleaning teeth? I was thinking about some kind of compressed air blaster (you can even get it in cans, for spraying out keyboards) but whether that would shift adhered dirt it another matter. How about steam cleaning? At home, perhaps just guide some steam over it from a kettle to loosen the dirt and gently (microfibre towel) wipe away?

Nothing tried and tested there, but a couple of ideas. I suppose the key is: gently does it.
Thanks Paul.
I eventually got quite good results using some Peek and a car wheel brush (the one for removing brake dust from alloys). The leatherette is remarkably robust, and I avoided the silver crown stamp and Gillette logo, so all is well.
 
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