Chemicals for cleaning really vary in effectiveness.
For glass TV screens I LOVED Krylon Foaming Cleaner.
Took that nasty smokers residue & dirt right off. Worked great on metal cabinets too.
In the "good ol' days" I'd go on a sve call for a "Dark Picture". More than once I just cleaned the front glass and the customer was amazed at just how bright the picture was. Especially when they were expecting the CRT to be bad.
Fireplaces, wood & oil stoves and heavy smoking were the main causes of the dirt on the glass.
I don't know if its still available or not, but Windex
makes a fair substitute.
For plastic, Novus Plastic Polish
works OK. Use one with the mildest abrasive you can find. (Yeah, toothpaste can work too, but be careful. It can be too abrasive, and can leave your radio smelling "minty fresh'.
Dial covers with lettering on them- NEVER CLEAN THE LETTERING SIDE!
. You can remove the letters if it's the decal type on the inside of the dial glass or plastic. Got that tee shirt once. Learned my lesson on my own radio, not a customers, thankfully.. Just wipe carefully with a microfiber cloth, with VERY light pressure. If you notice the letters starting to lift off- STOP!.
Cleaning parts in the old days was easy. I used a Freon TF based cleaner. Unfortunately, the EPA nannys stopped the mfg. from making it. It just worked too good. It could discolor some plastics though.
(It could also drop a mad hornet coming at you at 5 paces, like it hit a brick wall.)
Now I use DENATURED alcohol- NOT rubbing alcohol, which contains oil.
Works well on rubber, metal, etc. Hygroscopic, so keep bottle tightly closed, or it will absorb water from the air- or evaporate. I have also used Platen Cleaner for typewriters on rubber too. Best cleaner is PRB Belt & Rubber Cleaner ˜ if its still available. Stinks horribly, but works well. Alcohol can dry out rubber parts, so use sparingly on them.
TIP: NEVER SPRAY ANY CLEANER DIRECTLY ON THE FACE OF A TV SET. Spray the cleaning rag, microfiber if possible, lightly dampened, not soaking wet. Wash in the laundry when done.
Use a special cleaner for big screen & flat screen TV sets. I found the best to be Screen Clean
brand.
(Can the site get a kickback for mentioning the brand names?
)
Be sure that when you use it, to wash out the special cleaning cloth that comes with it every usage, to keep dirt, dust & grit from damaging the screen.
I don't remember exactly how many circuit boards and keypads I replaced from the cleaner running down into the set.
It was known in the industry as the Windex
Syndrome.
Cat spray was another one that did the same damage, plus it really stinks when it gets warm.
(Besides my cat really got upset at me when I would come home with my clothes smelling of other cats urine).
It was easy to get the point across to the lady of the house when you showed her the badly corroded board.
Fire damage is the hardest to clean up & get rid of that smell. About the only thing I found that worked at the time was Simple Green˜. Used it on the cabinets primarily., and on the chassis if it was metal. Never used it on the PC boards, as I was too afraid of damaging them.