PSA: Don’t use alcohol wipes to clean your Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Whelp, it seems that even if you managed to snag a Nintendo Switch before the pandemic panic buying set in, you really shouldn’t be using it if you plan on taking it outside of your home. See, according to Nintendo, you shouldn’t be using alcohol-based disinfecting sheets, or any other disinfectant wipes for that matter, to clear potential coronaviruses off your devices.

While the CDC and other health authorities have said you should be wiping down anything you take out of the home, disinfecting your Nintendo Switch is potentially deadly to your treasured console. In a series of tweets from the customer service account of Nintendo Japan, they outlined that alcohol may fade or even deform the Joy-Con’s plastic. They went on to also say that other disinfectants may do similar effects.

While no direct mention of UV lights were made, those can fade plastics as well, meaning that any basically attempt at cleaning your Nintendo Switch could cause damage.

Translation follows via Twitter’s translate tool:

We’re very sorry to say please avoid using alcohol as it may cause the plastic parts to fade in color or deform. We also cannot recommend using non-alcoholic disinfecting sheets, as depending on the ingredients, they may damage the plastic parts

There are still a few things you can do though. Don’t take your Nintendo Switch out of your house. Even better, don’t go outside yourself. Really. Just don’t do it.

What do you think? Surprised that your Nintendo Switch is so susceptible to cleaners?  Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• The best Animal Crossing alternatives to play when your town devolves into unmitigated anarchy
• The best calming games to play while you’re quarantined
• With hanging out canceled, playing Dungeons & Dragons online is a respite in these trying times
• Review Roundup: Final Fantasy VII Remake – both familiar and new at the same time

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.