Cleaning Guide — Every Technique, Tool & Speed Tip
The complete cleaning guide for ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs — brush, canned air and Sonic Bath techniques, hidden dirt, the stuck-cleaning bug, night grinding for clean-only jobs, and the cleaning achievements.
Overview
Cleaning is the heart of ReStory. Most "broken" symptoms — dead buttons, distorted screens, failed boot, crackling audio — are actually dirt, corrosion, sticky residue or dust. The fastest way to burn through your yen is to replace parts that only needed a scrub.
Cleaning is also your most profitable activity: the tools are reusable, and a clean-only restoration is nearly pure profit. This guide covers the mechanics, the tools, the hidden-dirt problem, and the fastest cleaning routines confirmed since launch.
How Cleaning Works
Cleaning is part-by-part, not whole-device. You disassemble the device, identify which individual components are dirty (the notepad tells you), and clean each one:
- Drag a dirty part to the cleaning supplies on your workbench.
- Move the brush (or tool) directly across the visible grime.
- The cleaning percentage only increases while the tool touches an area that is actually dirty — waving it over clean surfaces does nothing.
The Three Cleaning Tools
| Tool | Use For | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brush | Routine cleaning of individual parts | Free (reusable) | Your default tool; upgrade it early — it appears in almost every job |
| Canned air | Large shells, panels, awkward pieces | Consumable | Saves time on big surfaces; reserve it — don't waste it on tiny buttons |
| Sonic Bath (ultrasonic) | Automated cleaning of up to 3 parts at once, ~30 seconds | One-time purchase | Run it while you hand-clean another part; cheapest model unlocks Hands Free |
Technique: Finding Hidden Dirt
Dirt hides. The percentage can stall at 90% while a speck sits on an edge you've never rotated into view. Community-confirmed technique:
- Rotate every part and check edges, backs, connector areas and recessed sections.
- Small hidden patches often sit on connector pins, battery contacts, button membranes and the rim of screens.
- Zoom in on suspicious areas — several players report that zooming reveals grime that is invisible at the default view.
- Keep the notepad open: it tracks every part's condition (clean / dirty / broken), so you always know exactly which parts still need work and which are done.
Workbench Organization
Players who clean fast keep three separate zones on the bench:
| Zone | What Goes There |
|---|---|
| Dirty parts | Everything that still needs cleaning |
| Clean parts | Finished components, ready for repair/reassembly |
| Broken parts | Components flagged broken by the notepad, waiting for soldering or replacement |
Mixing zones causes two classic mistakes: re-cleaning parts you already finished, and losing track of a broken part during reassembly. With many similar parts spread across the desk (phones are the worst), the zones are what keep you sane.
The Golden Rule: Clean Before You Replace
Before ordering any replacement part, check the notepad — the part you think is "missing" may be dirty, sitting elsewhere on the table, or still inside the Sonic Bath. A "broken" button is often just sticky. Community testing shows clean-only restorations are the single biggest profit lever in the game — this habit alone can roughly double your early-game margins.
The Stuck-Cleaning Bug
Reported issue: some parts get stuck at 74–95% clean — most commonly reported on the Nony PlayMachine disc drive — even with the brush, canned air and Sonic Bath. Community workarounds, in order of preference:- Zoom in and hunt for hidden grime you may have missed (this resolves most cases).
- Buy a whole device of the same type and scrap the stuck part.
- Store the dirty part in the box on the left of the workbench and retrieve it — this reportedly resets the part's cleaning state for some players.
If none of these work, the part may be genuinely bugged in your save. This is tracked in the FAQ guide's Known Issues section.
Night Grinding: Clean-Only Jobs After Midnight
Cleaning-only orders need no parts, which makes them the most reliable profit source in the game. A confirmed trick from the 100% completion community:
- Between midnight and 8 AM, the shop's workbench is free of walk-in interruptions — grind cleaning-only jobs during these hours.
- Day progress only advances when you go home and sleep (take the bike), so returning home before 8 AM ensures the day registers and you keep the income.
This routine is also the backbone of the Frugal achievement (10 days with no paid part purchases) — see the Money & Profit Guide.
Cleaning Achievements
| Achievement | Condition |
|---|---|
| Clean Job | Clear all the dirty items on your desk when starting a new save |
| Big Cleaning | Clean 100 loose parts across multiple orders |
| Galactic Cleaning | Clean 1,000 loose parts across multiple orders |
The two counters accumulate across every order — hand-cleaning small parts alongside the Sonic Bath is the fastest path to Galactic Cleaning (1,000 parts).
Speed Tips Summary
- Upgrade the brush early — it is used in nearly every job and upgrades are inexpensive.
- Run the Sonic Bath continuously while you hand-clean — up to 3 parts clean in ~30 seconds while you work on a fourth.
- Clean in notepad order — parts listed first in the assembly order are the parts you'll need first.
- Save canned air for large shells and panels; let the brush handle small parts.
- When a part looks clean but the percentage is low, rotate it before assuming a bug.
- Keep dirty, clean and broken parts in separate bench zones.
Related Guides
- Repair Process & Mechanics Guide — where cleaning fits in the repair loop, including tricky-device pitfalls
- Tools & Equipment Catalog — brush upgrades, Sonic Bath and canned air pricing
- Achievement Guide — all cleaning-related achievements in context