sticker residue on cardboard boxes or cardridge labels first of all don't look to bad, 2nd of all you could still easily ruin the box if you try to remove that perfectly with certain chemicals, but that's just my opinion.
Still I hardly believe your using hot water to remove sticker residue from cardboard boxes.
Sheesh, dude, I’m not telling OP to douse his games in radioactive waste. The recommendations I made were given with a caveat on the side, so he either takes them or don’t.
I personally try to keep anything in my collection free of any type of foreign crap; I don’t like store stickers, ads, labels, someone else’s name, etc., I make sure to take all that shit off as soon as I can. And yes, I have used hot water to remove stickers, like price tags off some N64 boxes for instance, including strategy guides. In fact,
here’s an example. Before I submitted the front and back art for that guide, I removed one Blockbuster price tag and one standard price tag that were on the front with hot water and another one on the back that wouldn’t budge with acetone using the exact same method I told OP. The hot water made it easy to peel each sticker off the front without a hitch, no residue to speak of either. And by the way, cold water
often works, too.
With plastic boxes like ps2 genesis or them plastic carts, sure you'd remove it every time than no risk there easily done. and considering it takes some effort even in those cases, with lables and especially cardboard boxes you cant use the same power and have to do it carefully. chemicals could easily ruin the color of the box.
Cleaning those isn’t that difficult. For keepcases with the plastic sleeve all you have to do is remove everything, leaving the case, for all intents and purposes naked and clean it accordingly with whatever product tickles your fancy. For cardboard boxes simply use a micro fiber towel and give it a good rub until is clean enough for you. Hell, as long as you’re careful—and I said careful—you could use a slightly wet paper towel, emphasize slightly, to clean cardboard boxes that seem a bit dirtier. I remember I got an empty box for Pokémon Stadium years ago from someone on eBay who advertised it as like new, mint-looking pictures and all, but I ended up receiving a dirty box that I cleaned using a dry napkin fist, then a slightly wet paper towel to finish taking the dirt off. After that I used a micro fiber towel and the box looked, and still looks like new.
sticker residue keeps it authentic aswell, or if the sticker looks nice with the name of the game in a less obvious spot it I usually let it be since it looks nice than
Pfft. Get the fuck outta here with that nonsense!
And by the way, nowhere does OP mention he’s trying to deal with sticker residue, just a sticker on top of the original label.
By the way, OP, any chance you could share an image or two of the stickers in question? This whole racket has piqued my interest on this sticky situation far more than I’m willing to admit.