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Best Practices for
Kurt's Card Care Products

Modern Era Cards

Modern Era Sports Card Cleaning

Please use the tips below when working on your modern era cards.  If you have any concerns, please reach out before working on your card.

 

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Waking up the Polish and Recovery when you receive your package

Our polish is moisture-based; cards can become slightly damp during the process. If a card is placed in a penny sleeve immediately without drying, the sleeve will wrinkle. To avoid this, cards should sit out for about an hour after polishing to ensure they are 100% dry before being sleeved.

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Top Fixable Issues on Modern Era - Plastic, Prizm and Chrome

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  • Surfaces - Including finger prints, dirt, ink removal, and age spots that just happen over time. 

  • Bring a dull finish back to life 

  • Light edge and corner fixes 

  • Soaking to remove indents on the back of the card is an option - Must practice this because results will vary based on year and card condition 

 

Top Permanent Issues on Modern Era - Plastic, Prizm and Chrome

 

  • Scratches, print lines, dimples, separation or surface peeling. Bent corners - Plastic is not very forgiving 

Top Fixable Issues on Modern Era Paper Cards - like Upper Deck, Topps, Hoops, and Donruss

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  • Surfaces - Including finger prints, dirt, ink removal, and age spots that just happen over time. 

  • Light edge and corner fixes 

  • Smaller dents, and dings

 

Top Permanent Issues on Modern Era Paper Cards

 

  • Bent corners

  • Creases

Modern Era Card Cleaning Do's and Don'ts

Polish Do's

  • The Polish is perfect on these cards that have a shiny plastic front and back. Whether it’s '90s Fleer Metal or a Luka Prizm Rookie the polish will shine the surface and clean it at the same time.

  • The polish is not a scratch remover but apply it to all surface issues. I find that there are two styles of surface issues on these types of cards. Some are scratched into the card and those are permanent. Others are superficial and right on top of the card and many of these can be cleaned off or reduced. It's always worth a shot, no matter what you see on these cards.

  • Use clean applicators every new session and if you need to order more, I have Amazon links for the applicators here: Polish/Spray Applicators

  • Keep the polish between 68-72 degrees for best performance. 

  • When applying polish to an applicator, do it softly, like spreading butter on bread.  Do not smash it up and dig into it. Gentle.  

  • Do allow your card to sit for about an hour before sleeving.

  • To keep it fresh keep it out of light and the lid on tight.

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Polish Don'ts

  • Do not use on autographs or serial numbers.

  • Certain foil accents are easy to remove too. If polish ever dries on your card. Don’t try scratching it off. Just apply some more on top and it will remove all of it. This happens when you don’t remove it fast enough. 

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Spray Do's

  • Use the spray before the polish to remove ink spots, stuck on stuff, heavy finger prints…whatever “stuff” happens to be on your card. Spray is great at getting the surface back to factory like by removing whatever happens to land on the card. 

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Spray Don'ts

  • Do not spray directly on the card.

  • Do not use on autographs or serial numbers.

  • Certain foil accents are easy to remove too. 

 

Additionally, regarding soaking modern cards (such as Topps Chrome or Prizm), this should be considered a "Hail Mary" move for severe damage on the back of the card. Not all Prizm/Chrome cards can handle a soak. I recommend practicing on a base card of the exact same type first. In my experience, cards from 2018 to the present generally handle soaking well, while cards produced before 2018 are more susceptible to damage and turning BLUE.

 

Card Tool Do's

  • Use the tool to help get the edges and corners back in place. This works well in combination with humidity treatments. Use for indents on the back of cards such as “nail marks” .

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Card Tool Don'ts

  • If the front surface or corner of a modern card is bent its likely a permanent issue. Once the plastic bends it will usually stretch the plastic a bit. Hard to restore 100%. Don’t push hard and always use a penny sleeve in-between the surface of the tool and card for added protection.

 

Bottom Line: To AVOID any potential mistakes test everything on a base card before you go for the Mike Trout Refractor Rookie. Base cards from the same set are made of the same material and they will teach you how to successfully work on your best cards.

 

Recovery Do's

  • Use clean applicators every new session and if you need to order more, I have Amazon links for the applicators here: Polish/Spray Applicators

  • Keep the polish between 68-72 degrees for best performance. ​

  • Always test on base cards.

  • Use Kurt's Card Care Polish first.

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Recovery Don'ts

  • Do not use on autographs

  • Do not use on serial numbers.

  • Removable blemishes usually go away between one and three applications.  Do not overuse.

  • Do not use on paper cards.  Recovery is only for cards with a plastic finish.

Kurt's Card Care Kit Overview

Paper and Vintage Cards

Vintage and paper cards best practices

Please use the tips below when working on your vintage and paper cards.  If you have any concerns, please reach out before working on your card.  

Send us a message.

Top Fixable Issues on Paper and Vintage Cards

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  • Surface cleaning and stain removal - Including wax, gum, pencil and non-permanent marker

  • Edge and corner fixes 

  • Dents and dings

 

Top Permanent Issues on Paper and Vintage Cards

 

  • Missing paint on corners, edges, and wrinkles

  • Too many creases or wrinkles

  • Permanent markers

  • Ballpoint pen ink

Vintage and Paper Card Cleaning Do's and Don'ts

Polish Do's

  • Many Paper cards have a protected clear coat on the front but not always on the back. If the front of the card needs the shine restored you can use the polish. 

  • Use clean applicators every new session and if you need to order more, I have Amazon links for the applicators here: Polish/Spray Applicators

  • Keep the polish between 68-72 degrees for best performance. 

  • When applying polish to an applicator, do it softly, like spreading butter on bread.  Do not smash it up and dig into it. Gentle.  

  • Do allow your card to sit for about an hour before sleeving.

  • To keep it fresh keep it out of light and the lid on tight.

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Polish Don'ts

  • Do not use polish on unfinished cardboard. It will soak into he card and likely ruin it.

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Spray Do's

  • Use the spray to gently remove surface dirt/age spots. The spray works great at removing small dents and creases on paper cards. The spray can also be used lightly on edges and corners to get them back to their original shape. When using the spray to remove dents/creases keep it light. After dent or crease fixes I suggest letting the card rest between plexiglas discs available here: Plexi Glass Round

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Spray Don'ts

  • Do not spray directly on the card. Apply with an applicator. 

  • Do not scrub the surface with force. You will remove or break the paint. Just dab the trouble areas lightly and have patience. Some card fixes take 5 minutes. Some take 5 days. 

 

Card Tool Do's

  • Use the tool to help get the edges and corners back in place. This works well in combination with the spray or humidity treatments. 

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Card Tool Don'ts

  • Do not press hard ever. Its not a force this its more of a repetition and patience. If you push hard you will remove paint or potentially indent the card. 

 

Bottom Line: To AVOID any potential mistakes test everything on a base card before you go for the Mickey Mantle or Michael Jordan. Base cards from the same set are made of the same material and they will teach you how to successfully work on your best cards.

Recovery - Do Not Use Recovery on Paper and Vintage Cards.

    Trading Card Game Cards

    Pokemon Card Cleaning

    Please use the tips below when working on your vintage and paper cards.  If you have any concerns, please reach out before working on your card.  

    Send us a message.

    Top Fixable Issues on Paper and Vintage Cards

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    • Surface cleaning and stain removal - Including wax, gum, pencil and non-permanent marker

    • Edge and corner fixes 

    • Dents and dings

     

    Top Permanent Issues on Paper and Vintage Cards

     

    • Missing paint on corners, edges, and wrinkles

    • Too many creases or wrinkles

    • Permanent markers

    • Ballpoint pen ink

    TCG Card Cleaning Do's and Don'ts

    Polish Do's

    • We have found that almost all Pokemon cards from 1996 to current (this includes but is not limited to Bandai, Carddass, Topsun and other different language cards.) you can use the Spray and Polish successfully.

    • Use clean applicators every new session and if you need to order more, I have Amazon links for the applicators here: Polish/Spray Applicators

    • Keep the polish between 68-72 degrees for best performance. 

    • When applying polish to an applicator, do it softly, like spreading butter on bread.  Do not smash it up and dig into it. Gentle.  

    • Do allow your card to sit for about an hour before sleeving.

    • To keep it fresh keep it out of light and the lid on tight.

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    Polish Don'ts

    • We have found when it comes to the newer sets of Pokemon they have changed their top coating/layer to have a light powder coating of some sort on the top of it. (Such as some of if not all the amazing Japanese Promos.) We are talking about the Stary Holoing on the top of the card, the ones such as the Triple Beat Set of Pokemon (mainly the ex’s) also Scarlet & Violet.  These cards you can use the spray on without any issues, but when it comes to the polish due to them having no protective layer on the top of this fine powder coating. The Polish tends to completely take this off leaving only what is covered by a clear coat behind. So these cards we'd recommend you stay away from when using the Polish. These are very beautiful cards so lets keep them that way.

    • Certain foil accents are easy to remove too. If polish ever dries on your card. Don’t try scratching it off. Just apply some more on top and it will remove all of it. This happens when you don’t remove it fast enough. 

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    Spray Do's

    • Use the spray before the polish to remove residues, stuck on stuff, heavy finger prints…whatever “stuff” happens to be on your card. Spray is great at getting the surface back to factory like by removing whatever happens to land on the card. Pokemon cards from 1996 to current (this includes but is not limited to Bandai, Carddass, Topsun and other different language cards.) you can use the Spray successfully.

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    Spray Don'ts

    • Do not spray directly on the card.

    • Do not scrub the surface with force. You will remove or break the paint. Just gently wipe the trouble areas with spray applied to a cotton applicator. lightly and have patience.

     

    Card Tool Do's

    • Use the tool to help get the edges and corners back in place. This works well in combination with humidity treatments then resting between discs. Most TCG cards are thin and rigid. Sometimes just letting them rest between discs after humidity is the best option for lifted edges or corners. 

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    Card Tool Don'ts

    • Don’t push hard and always use a penny sleeve in-between the surface of the tool and card for added protection. The paint is easy to remove on TGC cards so take your time and do not use force. If you create friction you will move the paint. 

     

    Bottom Line: To AVOID any potential mistakes test everything on a base card before you go for the 1st Edition Charizard. Base cards from the same set are made of the same material and they will teach you how to successfully work on your best cards. 

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    Recovery Do's

    Recovery can be used on TCG cards, however, you need to be very careful.

    • Use clean applicators every new session and if you need to order more, I have Amazon links for the applicators here: Polish/Spray Applicators

    • Keep the polish between 68-72 degrees for best performance. ​

    • Always test on base cards.

    • Use Kurt's Card Care Polish first.  Standard cleaning polish can take care of 90% of the issues when it comes to the surface cleaning.  If you are left with any light scratches on the card 1 to 3 applications of recovery can be used.

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    Recovery Don'ts

    • Do not use on autographs

    • Do not use on serial numbers.

    • Removable blemishes usually go away between one and three applications.  Do not be heavy-handed.  Do not scrub.

    • Do not use polish anything with a third layer of holographic accents, such as repeating patterns and extra embellishments like the cards above.

    Do Not Use Polish or Recovery On the Following Pokemon

    • Stary Holo Surfaces

    • Pokemon 151 Reverse MasterBall Holo Variants

    • Awakening Legends Shining

     

    Always Practice On A Base Card First!

    Before you polish your cards, check for "Top-Layer Embellishments"

     

    • Identify: Look for cards where the glitter or texture feels raised or looks like a "third layer" applied over the clear coat.

    • The Risk: Card polish and Recovery act as mild abrasives that can easily dissolve or scrub off these surface-level accents.

    • The Result: You will lose the "sparkle" and texture, significantly devaluing the card.

    • Rule of Thumb: If the texture isn't under the plastic layer, keep the polish away!

    Pokemon card collection
    Pokemon card collection
    Pokemon card restoration
    Pokemon card cleaning
    Pokemon card restoration

    Avoid on Card Embellishments

    Critical Tips Before Grading Your TCG Cards

    Important Tips for Pokémon Collectors: Card Care Before Grading

     
    1. LET THEM DRY!
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    It is vital to understand that cards get wet when using card polish. If you put them in a sleeve or bag immediately, you won’t notice the moisture right away, but after a couple of hours, the bag will wrinkle and look ridiculous.

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    This could cause a card to be rejected from grading for looking "fishy." There is absolutely nothing wrong with your card, but because you put it in a case while it was still wet, the polish couldn't evaporate. This causes the sleeve to wrinkle as it tries to evaporate.

     

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    2. Using Recovery Products

    For TCG collectors, if you plan to use recovery, you need to get good with it, practice with it, and understand that it is not designed to be wiped all over your cards or buffed so hard that they shine more than they did originally.

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    If a card is all beat up but has a holographic area shining like a disco ball—more than it did even when it was brand new—you went too far. That is a card that is never going to get graded.

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    3. Product vs. Process

    Using card spray or polish to clean and shine a card is satisfying. It is quick, reliable, and predictable, and you can get your cards graded without second thoughts.

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    However, if you are going to start using card spray, humidity, or getting gaming cards wet for dent removal, you better commit to the process. You need to work on a bunch of cards and learn how to do it. If you are testing a method you watched in one of my videos for the first time, do not do it on your best stuff. I do this every day, and I still have cards that don't do what I want them to, but I know how to make sure I don’t make mistakes.

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    The more cards you work on, the better you will get. I suggest learning how to clean your cards first to get comfortable handling and cleaning them. Also, remember that most creases and structural problems are typically permanent, so there is only so much room for improvement. Spend your time wisely; don't mess anything up except for your base cards, because that is how you learn to do everything properly.

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    To Review:

    • Clean up your cards: Let them dry… Then put them in a case, and get them graded.

    • Using Recovery: Learn how to use it and make sure you are only going for light scratches—one or two coats tops on a TCG card—especially if you want to get it graded.

    • Creases and Bends: If you are going to work on creases, bends, and beat-up cards, enjoy and learn the process. It is a process, and you will have to learn it through your experience. I have many demos to inspire and assist you. 

     

    Peace, Love, and Card Care. -Kurt 

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