How to Clean a Remote Control

Cleaning the remote is a relatively easy task. However, you have to be extremely careful with it so that you do not damage the battery contacts or the circuits. There are two kinds of cleaning you can do:  a quick surface cleaning or a more in-depth cleaning of the inside of the remote as well as the outside.

Deep Cleaning a Remote Control

Warning:  this is not for the squeamish or mechanically inept! See below for a less invasive method.

1. Take the remote apart

Again, use extreme caution. First, open the battery compartment and take out the batteries. Then take a screwdriver and remove all of the screws that are holding the remote together. Put them in a safe place, such as a bowl; so that you don’t lose them (stick the batteries in there as well). With the screws removed, the remote should come apart pretty easily. If it doesn’t just fall apart you can use a flathead screwdriver or knife to separate the two halves (gently). If the device won’t come apart even from a gentle prying, check to make sure you haven’t overlooked any cover screws.

2. Separate the buttons from the circuit board

It should be very easy to tell these two sections of the remote apart. Put the buttons to the side for now and place the circuit board on a clean and dry surface. If no such surface is available, place it on a paper towel.

3. Clean the circuit board

Do not use water. Instead, use either rubbing alcohol or a commercial contact cleaner, which you can find at most electronics stores. Either spray the contact cleaner on the circuit board or use a cotton swab to gently wipe off any gunk with the rubbing alcohol. Be sure your swab is intact and that no fuzz ends up on the circuit board. You shouldn’t need to dry the circuit board since the cleaning solution will evaporate.

Clean the buttons

To clean the buttons on the remote, use a mixture of dish soap for hand washing and water, or stick with the rubbing alcohol. If you decide to go with the dish soap mixture, add about a teaspoon of dish soap to two cups of water and mix together in a bowl until you get a uniform solution. Scrub the keypad with a cotton swab or an old toothbrush. Once you’re done scrubbing, let the buttons air dry or wipe them with a lint-free handkerchief, old t-shirt or microfiber cloth.

5. Put the remote back together

When everything is dry, gently stick the remote back together and put the screws back in. Then follow the steps below for the quick surface cleaning.

How to Quickly Clean a Remote

Note: Remove the batteries from the remote.

1. Clean the area around the buttons

Use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to gently clean the crevices surrounding the buttons on your remote control. (It may take several swabs to get this area completely clean). Use a toothpick to extract any gunk from the seam between the two halves of the remote, but be certain that it does not break off and fall inside the remote. If it does, you’re stuck with going to the in-depth cleaning method.

2. Wipe the rest of the remote

Using a lint-free cloth, as described in step four above, wipe down the remainder of the remote with the rubbing alcohol (or use an electronics cleaning wipe). Clean the top, bottom and sides of the remote as well as the inside of the battery compartment. Use the cotton swab for any areas that the cloth can’t reach easily.

3. Make sure the battery compartment is dry and put the batteries back in.