We live in strange times, and many of us spend more time indoors than we would like. Either way, we are all having to adapt our habits, and one of them is disinfection and cleaning , so today we are going to tell you what is the best way to clean and disinfect a PC or console remote control , since at the end of the day carried out even for hygiene is something that we should do from time to time.
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is known to spread through contact, but it is also able to stay alive on surfaces. Since the console and PC controllers are in contact with our hands like any other peripheral, it is worth cleaning them more than usual to avoid potential problems.
Cleaning a controller is relatively easy, but there are a few tricks and traps that are worth knowing in order not to break the device, as well as to leave it as good as possible. Let’s see it.
What materials do you need to clean a remote?
Actually, thanks to development and technology, cleaning and disinfecting the bacteria remote is quite simple. All you need are normal isopropyl or 70% alcohol wipes with a microfiber cloth. The brand of the product you use is indifferent as long as it is one of these two things, since they are what guarantee an effective disinfection and, in addition, we make sure that the plastics will not be damaged. Never use 96% sanitary alcohol because it can damage the plastics on the remote.
It is also recommended that you get a few ear buds to be able to more comfortably reach the recesses of the remote where it is difficult to reach by hand.
Be careful with non-standard controls
All the basic controls for both Xbox and PlayStation lack any coating, so we can clean them safely and without fear of damaging them. However, many controllers such as some limited edition controllers or the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller have a coating (like a soft-touch film on the Elite Wireless Controller, and in the rest of the controllers we mean some kind of intricate aesthetic design).
IF you have a remote of this type, do not front it as you risk damaging the outer shell . You don’t really need to scrub and scrub the basic knobs too much, just swiping and gently rubbing with the appropriately moistened wipe or cloth will suffice.
How to disinfect a console or PC controller
The first thing you should do before starting is to wash your hands well with soap and water, since you will not want to get dirty or even fill the remote control you want to disinfect with bacteria, right?
The technique is very simple. If you have isopropyl wipes you can use them directly, and if you have a cloth and isopropyl alcohol, simply moisten the cloth with the alcohol so that it is damp but not dripping. This is important, because although this type of alcohol evaporates immediately, we do not want it to “flood” the remote and it can get inside and damage it.
The first thing you should do is wipe the moistened wipe or cloth over the entire surface of the remote, placing special emphasis on both the buttons and joystics and the holding areas, which is where more dirt accumulates. To get into the trickiest nooks and crannies, moisten an ear bud with rubbing alcohol and insist well on these areas until they are clean.
There are times when, due to the sweat of the hands, dirt accumulates in the joints of the control, especially on the sides. The best thing you can do to clean these areas is to help yourself with some toilet paper and a toothpick. Take a piece of toilet paper and fold it a couple of times over itself, then moisten it and very carefully and with the help of the toothpick, insert it into these joints to make them clean.
In this way, the control will have been left not only clean, but also disinfected. Many of you wonder how often you should clean the remote in this way, and the answer is that every “certain time”, because it depends on many factors such as frequency of use or where you keep it (a remote that stays on the table, collecting dust, than inside a cover or in a drawer where it is more protected).
We would tell you that at least once every 1-2 months would be ideal, although perhaps these days you want to do it after each game session to ensure that it is always disinfected.