Just like we dust and clean our house, appliances, and gadgets from time to time, our gaming consoles should not slip out of our minds too. Gamers spend hours every day with their beloved consoles, playing their favorite games. Little realizing that the devices are continually collecting layers of dust, which get converted to sticky grime mixed with the sweat of their hands. Also, when you munch on your favorite snacks, happily playing along, they too add to the gunk as well.
So even though consoles are built to withstand some pretty good amounts of wear and tear, maybe a bit of gamer rage as well, you should not take dust lightly.
A dirty console with filthy buttons not only looks unsightly but, over time, may also lose out on its performance. Heavy dust and grime build-up can clog their air intake grilles and interior fans. And the overheating it results to can lead to a significant reduction in system performance.
Hence, occasional cleaning of your game consoles is necessary. According to research from Betway casino, it is recommended that you deep clean your consoles around every three months, supplemented with a more frequent, light dusting in between.
However, we understand that cleaning your precious console is a delicate process, and here’s how to go about the TLC safely.
Things you’ll need:
- Rubber gloves
- Lint-free cloth/disinfectant wipes
- Cleaning solution
- Q-tips
- Isopropyl alcohol
- brush
- cloths/paper towels/newspapers
Set up space on your table, with all your cleaning supplies handy. Also, keep some dry cloth/paper towels or newspapers nearby to manage spills, if you get any. Put on your rubber gloves and follow these step-by-step instructions to breathe new life into your console.
Turn off sleep mode, as if the console is covered and is woken up accidentally, it may overheat. It is best to power off and disconnect your console from the wall before beginning with the cleaning.
Dust your console lightly first to get rid of all the loosely layered dirt.
Get a soft, lint-free/microfiber cloth and a bleach-free cleaning solution if you have one. If not, you can add a mix of liquid soap and water. Be careful to avoid getting any liquid in any of the console’s openings. Damp the cloth with a little bit of cleaning solution or soapy water, making sure that it is only damp or moist, not soaking wet with water dripping. Or you may also use premoistened disinfectant wipes if you would like. Start rubbing the surface of your console from a corner, and continue until all the grime from the entire surface has disappeared. Once done, wipe the surface with a clean, fresh cloth.
The buttons are difficult to clean with a cloth due to their small surface area, nooks, and crevices, and heavy dirt build-up, stuck to them. So, clean the buttons using a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol.
Also, use a brush to dust along the margins where the console can be opened to get as much dirt off the insides as you can without risking opening it. If your console has a disk drive, you need to open, dust, and clean the drive’s interiors as well. Just be extra careful and gentle.
You can’t do much about the scratches on your console’s surface accumulated over the years. But the greyish-brown gunk and yellowish tinge must have gone away by now, and your prized possession must be looking all bright and shiny again.
Now that you are done with the cleaning make sure to put a dust cover over your ‘as good as new’ console. If you don’t have one, just cover it with a clean, dry towel to make sure its squeaky clean condition lasts for as long as possible.
Also, congratulations, all the hard work is over now, and it’s time to enjoy your near-new console and start gaming right away!
