Usually if you are cleaning it, you are using an alcohol though. Unless you used a watered down alcohol that is. Drying isn't all that important unless that is the case. Now the cleaning head used however can cause damage if it is too thick or in a worse case, breaks off a piece in the console's connector.
Capacitors can fail at any time, sometimes from shorting out, sometimes from poor manufacturing. The signs aren't always obvious but the barrel shaped ones will usually bulge a little from the top or bottom.
That said though, Even Nintendo claims that failure of the connection between the cartridge and the system can cause both flashing screen andscrambled graphics. And my NES's ZIF connector bit the dust back about 21 years ago as well. It had developed a small hairline crack that was hardly noticeable without looking under magnification but would basically render any effort to put a game in useless with Flashing or broken graphics. So Assuming that the system still powers up, try getting a new ZIF connector. It's not like they are that expensive.
Usually if you are cleaning it, you are using an alcohol though. Unless you used a watered down alcohol that is. Drying isn't all that important unless that is the case. Now the cleaning head used however can cause damage if it is too thick or in a worse case, breaks off a piece in the console's connector.
Capacitors can fail at any time, sometimes from shorting out, sometimes from poor manufacturing. The signs aren't always obvious but the barrel shaped ones will usually bulge a little from the top or bottom.
That said though, Even Nintendo claims that failure of the connection between the cartridge and the system can cause both flashing screen andscrambled graphics. And my NES's ZIF connector bit the dust back about 21 years ago as well. It had developed a small hairline crack that was hardly noticeable without looking under magnification but would basically render any effort to put a game in useless with Flashing or broken graphics. So Assuming that the system still powers up, try getting a new ZIF connector. It's not like they are that expensive.
Amazon link if you are so bold...