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Cleaning Cards Before Grading: What PSA, BGS and CGC Actually Flag
You're about to send a card in, and you're wondering if you should clean it first. Short answer: dry methods only, and when in doubt, don't. Here's what every major grader actually says — and the story of the graded cards that lost their grades.
The quick answer
We restore cards for a living, so believe us when we say this: if your plan is a grade, don't treat the card.
Here's the line, and it's brighter than most people think.
Safe before submitting:
- An air blower to lift dust and fibers
- A clean, dry microfiber cloth — barely-there pressure, no scrubbing
- Fresh sleeves and clean hands
Risks an alteration label:
- Any liquid or spray — including "card cleaner" products sold for exactly this
- Any polish, wax, or gloss enhancer
- Pressing out a crease, wrinkle, or bend
- Scratch removal of any kind
That second list isn't our opinion. It's grader policy, in writing. Ryan Hoge, president of PSA's parent company Collectors, put it plainly when asked what prep is acceptable: blowing on a card, a dab of water, a microfiber cloth — fine. His words: "no juice, no wax."
What each grader actually says
Same question, four graders, remarkably similar answers.
| Grader | Fine | Flagged as alteration |
|---|---|---|
| PSA | Dry handling. Blower, dry microfiber, light touch. | Won't grade cards showing trimming, restoration, or recoloring. "Altered Stock" (N5) explicitly covers crease/wrinkle pressing, scratch removal, enhanced gloss, and any foreign substance on the surface — cleaning spray and wax included. |
| BGS | Normal handling and dry prep. | Cards trimmed, recolored, pressed, or cleaned beyond normal go in an "Authentic Altered" holder — no numeric grade. |
| CGC | Normal handling and dry prep. | Cards determined "altered in any form… cleaned or restored" get no numeric grade. Chemical cleaning is itself listed as alteration. |
| TAG | Dry prep. Explicitly warns against aftermarket polishes, waxes, and sprays — residue leaves marks. | Trimmed or altered cards come back unslabbed, and a trimming determination gets no refund. |
Notice what's not on any "fine" list: a product. Not one grader carves out an exception for a gentle solution or a light polish. The industry position is unanimous — a treated card is an altered card.
"Does PSA detect cleaning?"
This is the real question people type into search bars at 1 a.m., so let's answer it honestly.
Detection isn't perfect. Graders are human, they look at thousands of cards a day, and a light treatment can slip through. Anyone who tells you every cleaned card gets caught is selling you certainty that doesn't exist.
But "will they catch it" is the wrong question. The right question is: when does the risk end? And since 2024, the answer is never.
Here's the story. Kurt's Card Care sells cleaning kits — sprays and cloths marketed to help cards grade better. Around March 2024, PSA drew a hard line: a detected foreign substance is an alteration, full stop. Then it went further. When PSA learned that already-slabbed cards had been treated with Kurt's products before submission, it retroactively decertified them — voided the cert numbers on cards that had already passed grading and were sitting in cases.
To be fair to Kurt: he maintains his products aren't designed to stay on the card or hide anything, and he's said so publicly. PSA drew the line anyway. The lesson isn't about one brand. It's that a slab is no longer a finish line. A grade can be taken back.
Funny wrinkle in all this: PSA has even surveyed collectors about launching its own pre-grading cleaning service. The demand is real and they know it. But until the graders themselves offer it, the policy is the policy — and it's strict.
What we tell our own customers
PokéSpa is a restoration service. You'd expect us to say "send it to us first." We won't, because it isn't true — and honest is the whole point of this shop.
Restoration and grading are different goals. Under current grader policy, a restored card is an altered card. That's not a gray area we can finesse; it's the rule, and we think the rule is fair. So the fork in the road looks like this:
- Your plan is a grade? Don't treat the card. Dry prep only, or submit it exactly as it is. A grader would rather see honest dust than mystery gloss.
- Your card is for display, play, or your personal collection? That's what restoration is for. Making a loved card look loved-and-cared-for again is a great reason to restore. Chasing a number in a slab is not.
And if a restored card ever changes hands — sold, traded, or submitted anywhere — the restoration gets disclosed. Every time. A restored card sold as untouched isn't restoration anymore; it's doctoring, and it's the thing this whole industry is right to guard against.
Common questions
Can I clean a Pokémon card before PSA grading? Dry only. Blower and dry microfiber are normal handling. Anything applied to the card — liquid, spray, polish, wax — can be flagged as a foreign substance and treated as alteration.
Does pressing a crease count as alteration? Yes, at every major grader. PSA names crease and wrinkle pressing in its Altered Stock standard; BGS and CGC withhold numeric grades from pressed cards.
Can PSA take a grade back? Yes. Retroactive decertification is real and has happened to slabbed cards since 2024. A grade is not permanent if an alteration comes to light later.
I already used a product on my card. Now what? Don't compound it by trying to strip it off. Submit it knowing the possible outcomes, or keep it raw and enjoy it. If you sell it, say what was done. Disclosure costs you a little today and saves you everything later.
Torn between restoring and grading?
Send photos. We'll tell you honestly which path your card is a candidate for — including "leave it alone."
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