connector cleaning / deoxidising

[tyefighter]

hey guys 

i know this may seem like a simple question but i thought it best to seek advice from some of you guys that have been around the block and must have come across this before so any help will be greatly appreciated 

i have just picked up a couple of second hand mains cables and the prongs on the silver plated plugs are all dirty and tarnished. I took a look inside and although nowhere near as bad, could do with a freshen up too. Not looked inside the IEC plug yet, need to look it up to make sure i dont damage it on disassemble. 

so my question is what is the best way of bringing the cables back to their optimal best?

do i simply give the prongs a gentle rub over with Silvo and assume the wire connections are ok at their contact points?

do i disassemble the plugs completely and clean them up with Silvo or similar (recommendations welcome) 
maybe even clean any silvo residue off afterwards with isopropyl alcohol?
i have a sonic cleaner but i dont think the silver plating will like that too much

alternatively "insert your best solution here"

thanks again and excuse my ignorance   

[Rufus McDufus]

I wouldn't touch it with Silvo! It's probably OK but I don't know what's in it. Isopropyl alcohol is probably fine. Possibly very fine metal abrasive paper if it's really bad?

[Davyboy]

"Silver plating" suggests a thin coating so I wouldn't be aggressive on any rubbing. Also I believe any silver corrosion/tarnish isn't a problem regarding electric conductivity.

[tyefighter]

thank you for your input guys

i'd imagine the plating wont be too thin seeing as the mains sockets have a fairly robust sprung contact mechanism

i think i will use a small amount of silvo and a gentle rub on the earth prong and see how it works
that way if all goes wrong it wont effect the performance of the cable at all

[Antoine]

Caig Dexoit and plain old isopropyl alcohol are popular options.

[tyefighter]

ive tried the isopropyl alcohol on the prongs but they seem to be caked in cr@p and it only touches the surface
i will use the isopropyl alcohol on the inside of the connectors where a light freshen up is all thats needed

thanks again for your input guys

[Divasson]

ive tried the isopropyl alcohol on the prongs but they seem to be caked in cr@p and it only touches the surface
i will use the isopropyl alcohol on the inside of the connectors where a light freshen up is all thats needed

thanks again for your input guys

I second Antoine - Caig Deoxit works wonders to clean the gunk and dirt in connectors.

[tyefighter]

cheers guys, ive done a great job with the power cables gently using silvo but will pick up some Caig Deoxit for future