Question: “How do I clean my PS3 and PS3 wireless controllers. My Playstation 3 is dirty and full of smudges. My controllers are sticky and dirty.
Hi Daniel, first, Make sure you have unplugged your playstation 3 unit from the wall and removed all of the cord which may be connected to it, including memory cards and other accessories.
Cleaning Your Playstation 3 Console
- Use a soft, damp cloth to lightly dust off the console. Be careful not to apply much pressure as any hard particles can easily get rubbed against surface and scratch up that glossy piano-black finish.
- Fingerprints and greasy smudges can be removed from the finish using a gentle all purpose cleaner or an ammonia-free glass cleaner. Spray the cleaner on the rag, not on the Playstation – don’t risk getting it into the vents.
- If your Playstation is particularly dusty, use a small narrow vacuum attachment to carefully suck the dust out from the vents.
- If you’re a perfectionist, use a toothbrush and/or cotton swab to remove stubborn dirt and grime from the vents and other hard-to-reach areas. Once again, be careful to not get any liquid into the Playstation itself. Skip the A/V and USB ports though unless they are so gummed up that it’s causing problems.
Cleaning Your Playstation 3 Wireless Controllers
- Using a clean, damp cloth, wipe down the controllers to remove dirt from the easy-to-reach areas.
- Cleaning out the cracks around the buttons can be tricky, we recommend using something like a damp cotton swab or toothbrush to work the dirt out of these nooks and crannies.
- If the buttons themselves are sticking (as in not-releasing when you let go), you may have spilled something sticky into the controller itself, and unfortunately the only way to fix this is to carefully dismantle the controller and carefully clean the button contacts until the action is clean and smooth. Here are illustrated instructions for taking apart a PS2 controllers, which are very similar to the PS3 SixAxis and DualShock 3 controllers, but do this only as a last resort – it will void your controller’s warranty!
- Wipe with alcohol pads to disinfect.
What Not To Do
- Do not immerse anything in water.
- Do not use harsh or abrasive chemicals as this may damage the inside of the console, or the finish.
Never spray your PS3 with compressed air when it is on.
I sprayed my PS3 console with compressed air from a can that comes with a nozzle and it went completely off. What did I do wrong? What should I do now?
I don’t have a Playstation but an Xbox, and I have the same issue with my kids. Simply use a baby wipe. Ring it out first to get most of the moisture out, then use it to wipe down the areas you need to clean. Just avoid the electrical components and vents as stated in the article.
The best thing to do is to go around the edges of the buttons with a pin being careful not to go to deep. A toothpick will also work too, as Joseph stated.
You could also use a compressed air can that comes with a nozzle, although you should be around 15cm from the surface just in case.
A toothpick does wonders for the seams of the controller. I clean my Wiimotes this way too.