Cleaning battery/camera contacts and connectors etc.

I saw a recommendation for white vinegar to be used on battery contacts in the camera, especially if the battery has been leaking. I tried it on the contacts and other places in the circuitry where I saw corrosion throughout the camera (a Yashica Electro 35) and it worked spectacularly, a lot of fizzing.

I have used vinegar a number of times for repair of corrosion and never had any problems. You can also polish afterwards with steel wool to get a nice, shiny surface. To keep it from getting inside the camerra it can be applied with q-tips or cotton balls.

- Randy

An eraser (those in the top pf a pencil) is the best way for me!

When I was doing electrical maintenance on small equipment we were issued with fibre-glass pens for contact cleaning. They're like a propelling pencil with a fibre-glass 'lead'. When the tip gets dirty you cut it off and push out a little more.

For gold plated contacts I'd second Pablo's suggestion of a small pencil eraser.

Don't use anything abrasive - steel wool, sandpaper, plastic scrub pads, or even a common (pink) pencil eraser - to clean gold plated contact surfaces. You will damage the gold plating in several ways.

The most abrasive thing I would EVER use is a very soft white drafting eraser.

The best commonly available thing to clean the contacts with, in my opinion, is a little isopropyl alcohol on a clean cloth. Put the alcohol on the cloth first. You don't want it dripping, only damp. Then wipe off the contacts with the damp cloth. Then dry the contacts with a dry clean cloth. You want to avoid using a cloth that will leave lint behind.

Electrical stores sell products specifically designed for this. Even Radio Shack stocks them. I suspect that the alcohol treatment is as good as anything, but I often use a pencil eraser when I'm in a hurry. You can see that it is taking the finish off with the tarnish, but what ever. Nothing digital lasts forever (or even very long).