How often should I clean it?
There is no exact time in computing how often to maintain things. What we do have is a series of guidelines, so to speak, to carry out maintenance processes. It is always the main aspect, the amount of time that we use it.
For peripherals, we depend a lot on the time of use of them. The more we use the Xbox Series X controller, in this case, the more dirt it accumulates. Consequently, the greater the use of this peripheral, the less time will have to pass between maintenance.
if you do a intensive use (8 hours or more a day) the ideal is that you clean them once every month or at most, two months. For those who make a medium use (4-8 hours) ideally once every three months, more or less. Finally, if you do a moderate or low use (1-4 hours) we can clean it once every six months.
The idea would be to clean it after each use or once a month, regardless of the time of use. We can clean it quickly and superficially and once a month carry out a deeper cleaning.
Products and utensils to use
There are different Elements that we will use to clean the Xbox Series X controller. The most important thing will be isopropyl alcohol, to guarantee proper cleaning. We will also need ear swabs, microfiber cloths and toothpicks.
The first product, and perhaps the most recommended, are the isopropyl alcohol wipes. They are undoubtedly the most comfortable to use since, after cleaning, we can throw it away. They go individually, so the evaporation that usually occurs in the bottles is avoided. You can buy this package of 200 isopropyl alcohol wipes for 7.99 euros.
As an alternative, we can purchase a isopropyl alcohol bottle and microfiber cloths. These types of rags or cloths are used, since they do not leave lint. A 1-liter bottle of isopropyl alcohol costs 9.98 euros and this kit of 8 microfiber cloths costs 10.69 euros.
The joypads are more difficult to access with the cloth, so to make it easier we can use Cotton swabs. It allows us to clean in greater depth this area that is more difficult to access. You have this kit of 200 cotton swabs for 3.40 euros.
Tips to do it safely
If you have the “normal” controller for the Xbox Series X, it’s pretty straightforward. You must remove the battery (or batteries) and then, we can clean it easily. We will avoid with this that the remote can be turned on, there is not much more to this point.
Those who have the Elite controller, of course, will not be able to remove the battery. You just have to be a little more careful not to accidentally turn on the controller.
In all cases, you should not apply the alcohol directly on the remote, put it on the cloth or on the swab. Then we can proceed to clean up. Throwing a stream on the controller means it gets inside and can be harmful. Although alcohol evaporates at room temperature, it takes a while.
We will use the toothpicks for the areas of union between the parts of the control and the area of the screws. We will not use it on the buttons or the triggers, since we could break them. Simply, it is to remove the dirt in those small grooves where it is difficult to reach with the described elements.
The ideal is to wait about 30 minutes, after cleaning it thoroughly, before using it again. This prudential time allows all the alcohol to have evaporated.
You can clean the remote before you go to sleep or before leaving home to perform daily tasks.
