How to clean the TV remote control

The TV remote control is one of the most popular things in the family. Every day all family members pick it up dozens of times, and sometimes they drop it on the dusty carpet. The remote control, like all electrical appliances, is exposed to dust, dirt, moisture and some types of bacteria, which often penetrate inside and contaminate the contact elements, causing them to oxidize and the remote control to start acting up.
The question arises - what to do? Many people who are not tech savvy buy a new remote control. However, this is a premature decision, since in most cases, simple cleaning is enough to restore functionality, and you don’t need to know how to solder boards and do electrical wiring. All you need to do is follow simple instructions.

The remote control does not work well - reasons

There are several most common reasons for poor device performance due to contamination:

• The batteries are leaking - the contacts of the battery compartment have oxidized.
• Oxidation of button board contacts.
• Buttons sink due to contamination of the openings for the buttons in the housing.
• Dirty contacts of the button board.

Some of the above problems can often be eliminated without disassembling the remote control (buttons sticking, batteries leaking), but this does not always help, since external cleaning without disassembling does not guarantee that the main cause of contamination has been eliminated.To find out if the remote control is dirty from the inside, you will have to disassemble it.

ADVICE. Before disassembling and cleaning the remote control, try changing the batteries. When the batteries run out, the signal strength drops and it seems that the device is not working well and the buttons do not work.

How and with what to deeply and thoroughly clean the inside of the remote control

For these purposes at home, vodka or medical alcohol (sold in pharmacies) is best suited. It is better not to use cologne or your wife’s perfume, as they contain impurities and, after drying, can leave a coating that interferes with the conductivity of contacts. Also, most electrical goods stores sell various liquids for cleaning contacts - just ask the seller.

IMPORTANT. Never clean contacts with water. Water oxidizes them and a plaque forms, which often cannot be removed, even with the help of special liquids. In this case, you will have to buy a new device.

Now, having figured out what to clean, let's start cleaning. Spray cleaning fluid (moisten with a cotton swab) onto the contacts of the push-button board or battery compartment. Wait 5-10 seconds and begin to gently wipe with a cotton swab or Q-tip. Repeat several times if necessary. Try not to press too hard so as not to inadvertently scratch or damage the board. Make sure that there are no fibers of cotton wool left on the board. If they are not removed, they may subsequently partially block the contacts and reduce their conductivity. When cleaning the contacts in the battery compartment, do the same, only due to its small size you will have to wipe the contacts very carefully. On some remotes, the contacts in the battery compartment are removable.This simplifies the matter; you can take them out and wipe them thoroughly, and then put them back in.

After cleaning, don’t worry about drying, alcohol and vodka evaporate very quickly. The remote control buttons can be washed in warm water with soap. Rinse, rub where necessary with an old toothbrush, and then dry on a piece of paper or a towel.

Disassembling the device

First, remove the batteries, since there is almost always one fastening screw in the battery compartment. Then use a screwdriver to unscrew the remaining screws. Next, we disconnect the remote control housing. If it is tightly sealed and you cannot open it with your hands, then pick it up along the edge of the case with something flat and hard (flat screwdriver, knife, plastic card). Remove the top part of the case, remove the buttons and remove the board.

Usually the boards are not secured with screws, but are simply installed in the grooves. If the board is screwed on, then you should not remove it immediately, since the contact elements are on top and can be wiped without unscrewing the screws.

ADVICE. Before disassembling the device, place a piece of cloth or a towel on the table, this way the unscrewed screws and other parts will not move around the table and you will not lose them.

Build process

It's simple here:

1. We install the buttons on the board.
2. We insert the board with the buttons into the case and close it.
3. We screw in all the screws.
4. We insert the batteries.

Don’t be afraid to forget where and what kind of screw it was, as a rule, they are all the same, and if not, then it won’t screw in or will hang loose, you just select the right one.

REFERENCE. Many people do not want to disassemble the remote control because they think that they will lose the buttons or mix them up during assembly. In fact, at the dawn of the era of remote controls, it happened that all the buttons were separate.But this has long been abandoned and in devices the buttons are a solid plate, without removable elements.

How to clean the outside of the remote control - quickly and effectively

To do this, we again need vodka or alcohol, a cotton swab and a toothpick. First, remove the batteries. When cleaning with batteries inserted, the remote control will work all the time and you may inadvertently set such settings on your TV that you will have to call a technician for setup. Then, using a toothpick, clean all the grooves and openings from the buttons from dirt. Next, wipe with a swab and alcohol. So until there are no visible traces of dirt left.

ADVICE. Do not use wet wipes or a cloth moistened with water for wiping - moisture can get inside and cause oxidation of the board contacts.

Pollution Prevention

It will not be possible to keep the remote control clean all the time, since it is a frequently used item. However, you can significantly extend the time of its stable operation, which does not require disassembling it for cleaning. Once every couple of weeks is enough, it is better to wipe it once a week with an alcohol solution, vodka and carefully clean the button grooves from dirt with a toothpick.

Also, for those who love not aesthetics, but pragmatism, there is a reliable option to wrap the remote control in film and seal it with tape from the bottom, cleaning will be needed less often, and the buttons on the remote control are also easy to press and work perfectly. Although it is ugly, the remote control will last without cleaning, probably until you buy a new TV. And the film itself can be changed as it wears out and gets dirty.