Cleaning the exterior of a 4500 system

Dear BeoWorld members,

I have a full 4500 system that I purchased new in 1992.  It is flawless - no scratches or dings.  Unfortunately, it's quite dirty from being in storage a long time.  The mirrored surfaces are caked with dust, and the red touch panels are dusty too.  I think at one time, someone must have licked their finger to try and remove a smudge, so they have some swirls as well.  That said, I'm positive the surfaces underneath are flawless.

What would be the best way to lean up these surfaces without causing any harm?  I imagine the mirrored ones would be easy, but I don't want to try and clean the touch panels without knowing exactly what to do and what to use first.

Thanks so much...

It may be the other way around! The mirror panels can be the difficult ones and the glass, easy.

If these have been in storage, beware, as the adhesive tape holding the glass touch panels in place is probably just about useless and about to fail, leading to the panels dropping out with the risk of them breaking. Refitting them has been covered before and you can search for the threads on that. If you do take them off, or they fall off, don't touch the rear side.

A gentle wipe with a clean, soft cloth which is damp with a bit of detergent should be fine.

For the mirror panels - that's also recently been covered (search again). They are stainless steel but I think have a coating too. This will mark at the drop of a hat and are very easy to mark. Do not do anything in a circular motion, always work in long straight lines. I seem to remember a plastic cleaner mentioned but can't search via my iPad. At worst, you can replace the panels. You may be able to remove some dust by blowing it off first with an air line. Or again, use a very soft cloth. I'd be tempted to use some broad sticky tape in long strips, gently laid on the dust and the peeled off as a last resort.

Due to storage, once cleaned, you can also expect to possibly have to do some other work due to failed components. Don't be upset if you connect it together and some things don't work.

Good luck with whatever you try.

Dave.

Thank you very much.  They have actually been on display, just not used, for years.  So there have been no climate or exposure issues.  They just need to be cleaned.  I of course made the mistake once of using a wet finger to test the process, and noticed how easily the surfaces streaked.  I'm quite certain though that there is no damage or wear.  Are the red touch panels truly glass, or are they covered with some sort of film?  If they're glass, I'll feel much more comfortable about cleaning them.  I've always been worried though that there was perhaps a plastic film overlying the glass.

The glass is just glass. There is printing on them so no abrasives. Just use a simple and mild detergent. Unplug them first otherwise as you wipe, it will try turning things on and off, change stations etc, play a tape or CD. It's also safer.

Just be aware that the glass panels may be loose after time and can fall out. There are threads on reattaching them here on Beoworld. If you break one, they can be difficult or expensive to replace.

Dave.

That sounds great - thank you so much.  I've used these (http://weiman.com/Products/Electronics/E-Tronic-Wipes.aspx) on my more ordinary equipment, but have never tried them on anything as upscale as my B&O components.  Do you think they would be ok?  What I like is that they're moist enough to loosen dust, but don't streak as the surface dries.  Not sure if they could cause harm though.  Thanks again.

Unfortunately, they will not tell you what is in these sp you don't know if the ingredients will be harmful or not.  The only way would be to try one on a very small area first.  I'd stick with the easy option of detergent and water.  In theory, they should be OK as they are designed for use on screens etc. Depends how brave you are?

Because the metal has a coating, you won't know if the ingredients react with it - make it dull for example?

Dave.

Agreed.  Is there any sort of specific detergent you recommend?  Sorry for all the questions...

Preferably a neutral ph and no salt.

Dave.