It's important that you know how to clean PS5 consoles if you are the proud owner of one of thesm. Sony made a lot of noise about how quiet the PS5 was going to be, thanks to its elaborate cooling system. A large 120mm fan is a key component of the cooling system, and preventing this from getting clogged up is an important part of effective console maintenance.
If you're the sort of responsible console owner who wants to ensure their console is in the best possible condition, then keeping your console clean and dust-free matters. After all, a clean PS5 will keep performance at its peak.
We'll talk you through some of the key things you need to know to how to clean PS5 clean. Read on below to find out what you need to know.
How to Clean PS5
Depending on your level of technical proficiency, there are cleaning methods that involve leaving the PS5 intact. And there are others that require you to take off the cover plate and rummage in the internals.
In the style of Blue Peter, you will need: microfibre cloths, a vacuum cleaner, and potentially some canned air and cleaning brushes. It's also important to recommend that you make sure your PS5 is turned off and unplugged before you start cleaning, for safety.
Sony recommends that you remove dust from the air vents by using a low-powered vacuum cleaner. This you can do without removing the faceplate. You can also use the vacuum, or canned air, to remove dust and debris from the console ports.
For many users, this will be as far as they want to go in terms of cleaning. But if you want to remove the faceplates and do a deeper clean, here's how you do it. Before you begin, if there are any warranty stickers, leave them alone, as removing them may void your warranty.
A Deeper Clean
- Make sure the console is unplugged, and the stand is removed.
- Place your console on a clean, flat surface. We'd avoid doing this on the carpet, as this will potentially throw up more dust into your console. A clean table is a much better choice. We also recommend having your console lying down sideways, to make life easier for you.
- Gently pull the faceplate away from the console until it pops off. You don't need to pull forcefully. Repeat on the other side.
- If you see any large dust deposits, either gently vacuum, or carefully use canned air to remove it.
- In areas where dirt won't shift, you can, if you wish, gently apply isopropyl alcohol using a cloth or cotton bud.
- Check the fins on each side of the PS5 for dust build up
- Finally, there are some large holes at the front of the console that are also potentially prone to dust accumulation. Compressed air or a vacuum cleaner, or blowing the dust away, is all you need.
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How to keep dust out
So that's how to do a clean of your PS5. But there are ways to try to reduce dust accumulation in the first place. You will always get dust gathering, but reducing this will help keep your PS5 in top condition.
- Ensure you keep your PS5 in a suitable place, so on a table or cabinet, rather than on a carpet.
- Make sure all the air vents on the sides and back of the console have at least 10cm of free space around them. Ensure none of them are blocked or obstructed.
- Check your PS5 to see if it needs cleaning, to remove any dust that might have built up.
- Regularly wiping the table or cabinet your PS5 sits on, to keep the surrounding areas dust free, is also useful.
- The PS5 is designed specifically with some 'dust catchers' which are designed to collect dust from your fans, so pay attention to these when you are cleaning.
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How often should you clean your PS5?
Regular cleaning of the outside is very important, to try to minimise the amount of dust entering your hardware. But for a full clean, where you remove the faceplates and give the internal a thorough clean, doesn't need to be done quite as frequently.
There isn't really a definitive answer for this. It will depend on a few factors, such as how dusty your environment is. If you live in a built-up area, what your home ventilation is like, and even if you have some sort of air filter system at home, for example. Some people recommend a monthly clean, others advise annually, or every couple of years.
It's probably worth removing the faceplates after a few months to gauge how dusty the internals have got. Once you have that benchmark, you can make a judgment on whether it needs more frequent cleans, or less. It's also worth listening for your console starting to get a bit noisier, as this is often an indication of dust build-up, forcing the fans to work harder.
That's everything we know about how to clean PS5. Hopefully it helped.