Nintendo Tells Customers To Stop Using Alcohol-Based Products To Clean The Switch

I thought rubbing Alchohol was like the healing juice from Resident Evil. Just drench the Switch in it and everything should work fine.

@patbacknitro18 If you break it in half, dumping the alcohol directly onto the Switch will mend it together.

To be fair, I just lick my screen. I don't care.

We use Clorox wipes, dont care at this point. A soft dry cloth is not going to clean it properly.

What's the recommended way of relieving Joy-Con drift?

You mean submerging my entire Switch unit in a barrel of rum WON'T clean it?

I misread this as "Nintendo Tells Customers to Stop Using Alcohol," which would have made for a much funnier read.

Stainless steel pro controllers please. Something that could be cleaned would be... healthy? in this age. Healthy is good, right?

I've only used a damp cloth. With the quarantine, i haven't had to share my controllers. In the near future, I'll use a cloth damp with alcohol, even if it's not recommended.

@EarthboundBenjy
By ignoring it so Nintendo doesn't have to admit there is a huge problem.

Well, I've sprayed contact cleaner on the face buttons (straight in the crevices), because I got some Dr. Pepper on it. I had to scrub it with a soft bristle toothbrush to get the stickiness out.

The same thing probably applies to an Xbox One or PS4 controller.

@Bermanator : It's funny you say that, because just the other day, I licked around my fingers and hand (basically the parts of my hand that I don't use to touch things) in order to clean up my right Joy-Con because some gross black [redacted] leaked from the ceiling while I was on one of Sydney's filthy old trains on the way to work.

I usually clean my electronics with a damp cloth, so long as they're off and you're not dripping excess it should be fine.

I just boil mine

Wash your hands before playing?

How would a "soft dry cloth" clean anything but a little bit of dust?

I normally use a damp hand/shower cloth to clean off dirt and grime from controllers and screens. (Damp, not wet. Make sure you wring out most of the water)

I don't see why you would need to use alcohol or disinfectant right now.
The only people who should be touching your Switch or other gaming devices are yourself and your family members, who should also be quarantined in your home.

All you need for all types of plastic gear is a microfiber cloth and water to dampen(lightly) one of the corners with. Don't use alcohol on plastic....I only use it for cleaning metal parts, edge connectors and flux residue off pcbs.

Microfiber and water....will not scratch the most delicate of plastics.

I usually wash my hands before touching electronics (I got into the habit before Rona ruined things), keeps the stuff clean.
That or throw the switch in a fire barrel that's outside my home for a few minutes to really deep clean it.

I’ve always periodically cleaned controllers with alcohol wipes. I get my phone more often.

@Tyranexx

So that's why the rum is always gone.

Its called washing your hands before playing if you’re that afraid. Dont feed the beast

I use cleaning wipes with surfactants. Not seen any damage to my system so far, and Ive used it on Switch since release day.

I always clean my systems with a dry cloth and once every month they get a full clean, but even then I only use some dish soap and slightly damp cloth and sponge.

Never new about Nintendo their advice, I always did it this way but it's easier when you yourself are the only user of your stuff.

(being clean, not eating near your systems and so on are a part of that)

I'm 80% alcohol, so pretty safe from covid 19.

wait, what about 3ds? that's how i've been cleaning it

"We’re very sorry to say please avoid using alcohol as it may cause the plastic parts to fade in colour or deform."

clumsily hides rum

Just use some degreaser. Works fine and doesn’t harm the plastic, I’ve used it loads over the years...

I have gently applied some degreaser in the past, FE10.

Or some IPA lightly applied with a cloth. Doesn’t seem to damage anything. Not used it on the screen though!

Always use a lens cloth to clean mine does the job perfectly.

And I just don't let anyone else touch my Switch. It's MINE, peasants, and the germs on it are also MINE! HISSES FURIOUSLY Social distancing! Friends and family must be sacrificed!

Just use the alcohol, your Switch isn’t going to get cancer

@Bermanator yeah dont think ive ever ‘cleaned’ my gadgets. Finer rub then a soft cloth for finger marks

I wouldn’t be wasting alcohol to clean my Switch .......

....kin luv you.....I’ll tell you another thing....

Sorry Nintendo, I use Dettol anti-bac wipes because the Switch is a grease magnet and a soft cloth isn't going to clean anything at all. If I've been eating and/or preparing food I always wash my hands before playing but I swear the marks after a gaming sessions are horrendous. Maybe I just have really sweaty fingers.

I use vinegar on a cloth.

No problem, I’ll just have my kid soak it in a bucket of xylene.

Well, if the support were to say "yes, you can do it, it should be fine!" and something DOES happen, that would look really really bad for them.
So saying something like this is dangerous, especially since they could never know what kind of wipe and solution you actually use, some variants can very well be too agressive.

All that being said, colors like that are always in danger to fade by cleaning.

I think the customer support is required to be careful in cases like this, even if the danger is low.

I usually just slightly dampen (not dripping wet) a corner of a washcloth, clean it, then dry with the dry side of the washcloth. Pretty much what I remember a Nintendo Repair Center pamphlet said after sending in something for repair.

I can't be the only one who read those upon getting something back from repair.

Being a gamer and a dad, I've cleaned my devices with rubbing alcohol (for bad spills) and baby wipes and disinfecting wipes for years. And quite frankly the only thing that's ever damaged or discoloured my consoles or games was the sun.

On a serious note, the TPE (especially the analog stick overmolding), dye based printing (I don’t believe the buttons are doubleshot) and films (don’t believe the screen has any) are your only concern. Them fingers are doing infinitely more damage than a moderate amount of rubbing alcohol every so often. You’ll know you've committed a crime against your plastics if the entire surface becomes permanently sticky. I normally lean toward a light amount of watered down mineral spirits for plastics, but I wouldn’t recommend that for the Switch. It’s far from IP rated and the tinier the electronic components, the more delicate.

Really stupid advice for anyone who wants to disinfect their controllers during this pandemic. At the very least suggest a bit of soapy water on a soft cloth. A dry one won't do anything.

Why would you use alcohol base products? I just put my switch in the dishwasher once a week and it's like new

@KitsuneNight Yep, my Switch is a BEAST. I think it functions like Bender from Futurama. It doesn't save very much for me.

My Switch lite smells of Jack Daniels

I'm the only one who touches my Switch. Unless I have the virus, the virus is not on the Switch.

@Savino

I always leave mine at home
I am not thrilled about the prospect of taking it outside
Even less so because its a special edition.

@Tyranexx

I think it may like the rum.

Soap and water is more than enough to clean anything potentially infected. Don’t use alcohol, it might damage a lot of plastics and specially decals, stickers, protective layers, rubber etc. Save it for your hands and other emergencies.

I use a non-alcohol based cleaner I use on my TV screens/monitors for all my electronics and a microfiber cloth. Never once had an issue with it. Been doing this since I was a teenager. It's called Screen Mom on Amazon. I have been using it for years. One bottle lasts me over a year and it gets everything clean without harming anything.

Also, I don't disinfect my electronics. If someone is so dirty that it needs disinfecting you shouldn't be touching my shit.

This is mainly said so that if you use an alcohol based cleaner and it breaks then it's not covered by the warranty.

If you do need to wipe your switch with some disinfectant wipes it'll probably be fine.

Norwex cloth and water is all you need to make your Switch spotless.

@Kirgo

Yes, obviously they are covering themselfs when doing a statement like this. All plastics are more or less sensitive to dissolvents, same goes for the Pro Controller, Dual Shock and Xbox Controllers. But its very unlikely you will use it that much that it becomes a problem. Just like all plastics are more or less sensitive to direct sunlight. But you will probably not get a problem by using your Switch outdoors in the summer 4-5 days a year, its more like you will get your RV yellowish after having it outdoors at a sunny parking lot every day since 1999.

Generally you can use soap based products to clean plastics and its good they recommend soft cloth, because anything that may scratch the plastic or the paint makes it collect even more bacteria and virus.

@EarthboundBenjy

Shipping it to Nintendo while they ignore the problem, apparently.

I rubbed hand sanitizer on my hands and then quickly rubbed the switch with my hands. it goes away fast enough and the way I see it, if it does damage the switch it will be so long from now that the controllers will all be drifting by that time.

I have cleaned all my Nintendo devices with alcohol for GENERATIONS and literally never had issues...

Wtf. So I've been using Clorox disinfecting wipes all this time and you're just now telling us.

Also a "soft dry cloth" isn't going to disinfect anything, so I actually don't care. But the real solution is to keep your hands washed, and refrain from touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

I use the 99% isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip to clean around the base of my joy-con's analogue sticks; under the rubber flap. This cures any drifting issues for about a month.

@HobbitGamer
Some people got sweaty hands and clean their hands every hour but can't fully stop the ratchet stank insta-dirtifying hands from ruining the controller's life.

A soft, dry cloth isn't going to disinfect or remove germs and sweat. I keep my controllers clean, and I'm really the only one who uses them. But a few times a year I use rubbing alcohol on them. If that damages my controllers a bit, so be it.

@Bermanator You better get tested for covid-19!

@Woolpuppy Yeah same here. These are injection molded plastics, nothing can happen.

@KingBowser Clorox sounds like it contains some for of chloride or bleach, so I'd avoid that. But I doubt the concentration is high enough to do any real damage.

I normally just use a Spritz of glasses lens cleaner and a microfiber cloth and it works pretty well. It breaks down any oils and the likes as well as not leaving any marks or residue on the screen.

I never drink alone which is why I pour some booze on the switch for my online homez.

Why can't we as civilized people just wash and disinfect our hands before grabbing the switch?

They've been anti-alcohol since the 80s with the NES, and it's just them peddling garbage. They likely didn't then want kids playing with something they'd be dumb enough to make harmful. Today though on Switch it's still bs, but preventative bs. They know some people may just be dumb enough to soak it and then if it were turned on still damp it's lights out.

50/50 blend of vinegar and water mixture is what I use to clean all my electronics and it works perfect.

I have several Switch consoles at home and a simple way to clean them is a wet paper towel ring out (twisted so most of the water runs out, so it doesn't drip) makes a great way to clean the console. Follow that with a dry paper towel or microfiber cloth (to avoid lint) and you should be golden.

I buy a new one once a week

Should work for switch as well

https://youtu.be/7cprhkKQUF0

I haven't cleaned my Switch screen yet (I don't see the need yet), but when the time arrives I just use a alcoholic spectacles cleaning tissue. I always use them for my 3ds, never had any troubles.

Well, I should boil my Nintendo, isn't it? Anyway, I should tell this information to my emop cleaner, maybe she has non-alcoholic disinfecting sheets or something.