Owning Pokémon cards is like owning gemstones. And the worst enemy for gemstones is surface scratches. Throughout the years’ scratches present on the surface of Pokémon cards have made them less valuable. Over here, I will guide you on how to remove scratches from Pokémon cards and some essential factors/steps:

Essential factors

Here are the steps you need to look into to  know if your favorite Pokemon card Charizard Pokemon is now a damaged Pokémon card

A. Examine the damage:

It is essential to know if the damage is present on your Pokémon card or the sleeve before taking any further steps to make your Pokémon holo scratches less visible.

Steps to clean sleeve:

  1.     Take the card outside the sleeve
  2.     Put toothpaste, clear plastic cleaner, or clear plastic polish on your sleeve.
  3.     Using a toothbrush to scrub the material.
  4.     Slowly add water to dilute the toothpaste on the sleeve.
  5.     Use a wet microfibre cloth to wipe the surface of the sleeve.
  6.     Either use another cloth to dry off the sleeve or let it sit for a while

Another solution to avoid this is to buy a Pokemon binder.

B. Examining the damaged Pokémon

  • Eye to eye

Close up on your favorite Pokémon card, or maybe even with goggles to examine the surface. Light scratches may appear faint on the surface, while deep scratches have a dark appearance with greater depth.

  • Touch:

Touch the surface of your Pokémon card to know how deep the scratch is.

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Once you are confirmed that the Pokémon card e.g. your favorite Charizard Pokémon card (Legendary Pokemon card), is damaged, it is time to take action.

Materials needed:

  1. Water: To wash off or dilute any substance.
  2. Microfibre cloth: It is delicate and is the best choice to use when cleaning your Pokémon card.
  3. A toothbrush or small brush: To scrub any material on your sleeve.
  4. Clear plastic cleaner, or clear plastic polish: To polish the surface.
  5. Windex: Used for cleaning
  6. Toothpaste: It is useable to clean the surface of the Pokémon holo scratches.

Steps to clean:

  1. Dust cleaning: Use a microfibre cloth to gently wipe the surface of your Pokémon card to remove any sort of dust particles that could be present on your card. Without removing the dust from your card, it can create a texture when you put on any polish or cleaner.
  2. Use Clear plastic cleaner or clear plastic polish: Use cleaner or polish for a card. It is necessary to apply it in a very small quantity. Using small quantities can help prevent any further damage to the card. However, it is to be noted that Pokémon cards are made up of holo material, too much quantity of any sort of cleaner could ruin the base such as the color or texture of your card. Further, if the color or texture of the card is damaged the initial value of your collectible is lowered.
  3. index: Applying a small amount of Windex on your card, with the help of a piece of microfibre cloth, can also work as a form of cleaner.
  4. Toothpaste: Applying toothpaste to the card is the best alternative to any polish or cleaner. The toothpaste needs to be applied in a diluted form.
  5. Small brush or toothbrush: After applying toothpaste to your card with a small brush or a toothbrush gently scrub the surface of your card. But! if you are using any sort of cleaner or Polish avoid scrubbing too much.
  6. Cleans: Once you are satisfied with scrubbing the surface of your card, you can use a piece of clean cloth to wipe the surface of your Pokémon card. If you are not satisfied after rinsing it, you can reapply the toothpaste or cleaner and repeat the step.
  7. Dry: Once you are satisfied with the cleaning, use a dry towel or piece of cloth to dry off your Pokémon card, or let it sit aside for a while.
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Important note: It is necessary to know that some Pokémon card’s surface scratches cannot be cleaned by just scrubbing and wiping.

For such deep-damaged Pokémon cards, the only solution is to cherish or sell them off at a lower price.

Conclusion:

Lightly visible scratches can easily be removed from the card’s surface using toothpaste, Windex, and even clean surface cleaners and clean surface polish. Unfortunately, deeper scratches are more permanent and can lower the value of your Pokémon card (new cards are easily available in stock in Walmart and even online).