Clean component connections

What he said^
Only two things- one, its sometimes hard to get really clean with just alcohol. Acetone is quite a bit better in that case. And two, there's a ton of cleaners and conditioners, and which as Mike Meyers would say everyone likes his own brand. Feel free to try as many as you can find time and money for. But whatever you do, clean everything at least once a year.

Agree that acetone is an excellent solvent but be aware that it will instantly dissolve a remarkable number of things. If you use it be extremely careful to let it touch only the metal parts of connectors. 

Acetone is very toxic---basically lacquer thinner--no need to expose yourself and your house. Caig De-oxit is fine. Try some 70% alcohol first. For the very best connection, use PPT’s Total Contact---see the thread here, under "misc." and under "member review: fantastic new tweak"--extensively recommended.

Word of caution: any solvent can potentially damage plastic compounds and even Windex has on occasion removed lettering from metal panels.