How to remove DS Lite scratches

Your DS Lite was gorgeous when you bought it, the pure shiny surface reflecting the jealous faces of passers-by. Unfortunately, you've probably realised you should have bought it a DS carrying case a bit earlier in its life. Use our guide to remove scratches and return your console to its former glory.

Warning: the following is what worked for us, but all readers clean their own DS consoles at their own risk, and we cannot be held responsible for any problems. If that worries you, don't do it!

Collect together the items you're going to need. You should have some cotton wool pads and a polishing cloth lying round the house. The secret weapons are a microfibre cloth and a tin of 'Brasso'. It's important that both of these are new, otherwise you'll end up rubbing dirt into your DS's surface. They're both available at most supermarkets.
Make sure the DS isn't plugged in and begin rubbing around the outer shell with a cotton wool ball. It helps if you're in a well-lit area so you can easily see all the marks you're trying to get rid of. This will remove any grime and help avoid the microfibre cloth getting dirty.
Damp the microfibre cloth in Brasso and begin rubbing it into the scratched areas taking great care to avoid the matt areas and gaps. The trick will only work on the shiny outer areas and may damage or clog up other surfaces – it has even been suggested that cleaning the matt plastic sections heightens the risk of cracked hinges. You want to use as little as possible so start off with next to none and add more if you need it. We found it worked best if you rubbed in small circles, adding pressure if deeper scratches demanded. Keep at it for a few minutes.
Seriously, keep going. The key ingredient here is time, much more than pressure and amount of polish. When you're finished leave any Brasso residue to dry then rub it off with another cotton wool pad.
Give everything a good polish with your polishing cloth. Don't be afraid of a bit of work here; if you start to get tired imagine how exhausting it was for your grandparents when they polished all their silverware for the Queen's coronation, or you could just concentrate on how good it'll look when you're finished.
DON'T REPEAT. The process works by rubbing away the top layer of the console's surface and shouldn't be done more than once or twice in its lifespan. Think of it as a second chance, buy a nice carrying case and take care to use it in future. Don't miss our other DS How Tos.