Cleaning Scratchy Controls (Potentiometers)

We all know that Tuner Cleaner (De-Oxit) is a great way to clean potentiometers (Pots) and switches. What do we do when we don't have any Tuner Cleaner?

I recently purchased a Cobra 2000 GTL on Craigslist that had been in storage for 20 years for $50. My plan is to sell it at the Peoria Superfest later this month.

After I got it working properly, I discovered all of the controls were dirty. Very dirty as was the rest of the radio. I needed to clean the pots and when I reached for the can of Tuner Cleaner I found that the little straw was gone. I needed to get the stuff in the pot and not all over the pot.

I decided to try rubbing alcohol as it is a great contact cleaner as well.....but how do I get it in the pot?  I'm an insulin using diabetic and I used one of my used syringes to get the alcohol where it needed to go. If you don't have a syringe I'm sure you can find something similar.

It worked great! Controls are clean and working as they should, no mess to clean up and the wife isn't complaining about the smell. And there is no straw for the cats to wander off with!