Last updated September 2026. This is Chapter 2 of How to Grade Sports Cards: A Step-by-Step Guide.
Preparing a card for grading comes down to three things: wipe it with a clean, dry microfiber cloth, slide it into a fresh penny sleeve, and put that in a semi-rigid holder. Anything more, like polish, cleaning sprays or pressing out dents, can get the card rejected as altered, and you still pay the grading fee.
When I first wrote this chapter, it covered advanced cleaning techniques I was using myself at the time. The grading companies have since made their position clear, so I’ve rewritten it. Below is what’s still safe and what to leave alone.
Step 1: Wipe the card
Hold the card by its edges with clean, dry hands, and gently wipe the front and back with a dry microfiber cloth, the kind sold for eyeglasses. You’re removing dust, fingerprints and smudges, nothing more. Don’t press hard, and don’t add anything to the cloth: no water, no breath, no spray.
Work on a soft, clean surface so the card can’t pick up a scratch while it’s out of its sleeve. This is the same for paper cards and Chrome cards.
Step 2: Sleeve it and put it in a semi-rigid holder
Slide the card into a new, clear penny sleeve, then into a semi-rigid holder. For standard cards PSA asks for holders that are 3 5/16″ x 4 7/8″; Card Saver I is the one most people use. Thicker cards need a bigger holder.
Should you use toploaders?
No. PSA and CGC both ask for semi-rigid holders, and PSA can charge a processing fee if you send toploaders. A lot of people think it’s because graders cut cards out of semi-rigids. I think the real reason is that a card sits more snugly in a semi-rigid, so it moves around less. Toploaders are great for storing cards at rest; semi-rigids are better for cards on the move.
What about painter’s tape?
Don’t tape the holders. PSA specifically asks for no tape, pull tabs or sticky notes on them. I’ve never thought tape was worth the risk anyway: when it’s pulled off, the card can bend, or a fingernail can press through the holder and leave a mark, especially on soft foil cards.
What about team bags?
Optional. I don’t use team bags or graded-card sleeves when I send cards in, and PSA’s packing instructions don’t ask for them.
What not to do: cleaning, polishing and pressing
PSA’s terms define “doctoring” a card to include “cleaning, waxing” and “any other form of restoration used to enhance the appearance” of a card. Its grading standards go further: a card gets no grade if it shows “crease/wrinkle pressing, scratch removal, or enhanced gloss”, or if “any foreign substance is applied to the surface of a card such as cleaning spray or wax.” CGC and SGC won’t give altered cards a number grade either.
What about Kurt’s Card Care?
Kurt’s Card Care is one of the most popular card prep kits. It sells a cleaning spray (collectors call it “card juice”) that’s meant to lift surface marks and add shine, along with microfiber cloths and tools. It took off in 2023, and I was using it when I first wrote this guide.
The risk is that the grading companies now treat it as altering the card. In spring 2024, PSA’s president, Ryan Hoge, said PSA “does not approve of any chemicals or foreign substances being added to the surface of a card to improve the condition or appearance,” and that such cards would be considered altered. PSA added “cleaning spray” to its grading standards, and it has since deactivated the certification numbers of graded cards that were publicly shown to have been prepped with products like Kurt’s. A deactivated card is effectively ungraded, however good the grade was.
Can PSA actually detect it? Hoge said at the time that PSA was working on detecting it “using other methods, not just sight and smell,” so some treated cards have likely been graded without a problem. But that’s a gamble with the grading fee and the card’s value. If you have the kit, I’d use its dry microfiber cloth and leave the spray on the shelf.
Everything else to leave alone
- Polish, cleaning sprays, wax or any liquid, even on Chrome cards, where it’s tempting to buff out a scratch.
- Pressing out dents, bends or creases, whether with heat, moisture, weights or clamps. PSA and CGC both name pressing as an alteration.
- Erasers, or anything that whitens borders.
- Removing stains from wax, gum or tobacco with any kind of solution.
- Trimming, touching up corners or edges with a marker, or rebuilding corners. These get a card rejected outright.
Loose fibers on an edge are a judgment call. I’d leave them. Tape or tools can lift more card stock than you meant to, especially on cards with colored borders. If a card has a flaw you can’t wipe off, it’s usually better to grade it as it is, or not at all. Chapter 1 helps you decide.
FAQ
Is it OK to wipe a card before grading?
Yes, with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. PSA’s president has said graders themselves sometimes remove fingerprints and smudges. It’s liquids and chemicals that count as altering the card.
What happens if PSA decides a card was altered?
It comes back without a number grade, marked with the reason, and you still pay the full grading fee. If you write AA as your minimum grade when you submit, PSA may slab it anyway as “Authentic Altered”, at the grader’s discretion.
I bought a raw card that might have been cleaned. What should I do?
Ask the seller before you buy, if you can. If you already own it and can see residue or an unusual shine, it may be safer to keep it raw than to pay to have it rejected.
Your card is ready. Next, submit your order online (Chapter 3), then ship your cards and track your order (Chapter 4).
