You essentially have two options when it comes to television remote controls that have collected too much dirt, dust, and unidentifiable particles to keep working — either you can just give up on the current ones and just buy replacement TV remotes, or you can try cleaning them out yourself. Cleaning a remote control isn’t exactly rocket science, and it’s definitely something that can be done in five minutes flat with just a few items that are probably already hanging around your house. If you aren’t sure where to start, though, here you go:
- Cleaning solution (i.e. rubbing alcohol, sanitizing solution, etc.)
- Q-tips and/or toothbrush (not to be used again)
- Old towel, rag, or dishcloth
- Screwdriver
Before anything else, make sure to take out the batteries (that’s really all the screwdriver is for). You don’t want extra liquid to get into the remote and damage the internal pieces, but if the batteries are also inside and they get wet, you could have a real mess on your hands. And if nothing else, you don’t want to accidentally press the “power” button and have your TV suddenly turn on and scare you half to death.
As far as the cleaning solution goes, most experts recommend a 1:1 ratio of rubbing alcohol and water. This ratio will be strong enough to kill the bacteria on the remote without being too strong to cause skin irritations when you use your television remote controls. Alternatively, some people choose to use disinfecting wipes, but it can tricky to clean in between all the little buttons with a thick wipe, and you have to be careful not to squeeze out too much liquid from the wipe (or else it will seep in between the buttons and you’ll definitely be looking for replacement television remote controls).
It doesn’t matter what items you use to actually clean the remote itself, but a lot of people use Q-tips because they’re cheap, disposable, and probably already hanging around the house. It’s important to clean in between the buttons (this will probably be the most time-consuming thing involved, depending on how many hundreds of microscopic buttons your TV remote controls have) and to wipe down the entire surface; TV, gaming systems, and DVD remote controls tend to change hands often and few people realize just how much bacteria collects on these devices.
Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? All you have to do is make sure to remember to clean off your remote controls when you’re taking care of other household cleaning tasks, and you’ll help extend the life of your remote (and keep yourself a bit healthier, too). Buying a replacement TV remote is always an option too, of course, and if too much dirt gets stuck inside the remote, it might be easier simply to replace the whole thing. Find out more at this site: remotes.com
