subject: How to Clean A Xbox – How Deep Should You Clean? [print this page] Is your Xbox starting to have a few problems, or simply looking really grimy? Cleaning the outside of your Xbox should have been something you have been doing from the start. Digging deeply into your Xbox, or Xbox 360, on the other hand must be done with much greater caution. To clean the outside of your Xbox you can simply use a soft clean rag and dust off most surfaces.
If you have built up some serious snackers grime on your Xbox go ahead and use a good plastic surface cleaner. Most window cleaners will do a great job, but only use a small amount. Do not spray directly onto the surface of your Xbox, always spray onto your rag and then do your cleaning. The spray may puddle or seep into the internal components causing possible damage. If you are feeling a need to get intense in cleaning and getting inside of your Xbox, the first question you should be asking yourself is if your Xbox still is under warranty. If it is, resist your temptation. The act of opening up the case to clean the DVD drive or other internal surfaces is going to void the warranty and could be a very costly mistake. If your Xbox is out of warranty then you can find many online guides for doing the dis-assembly, or just have make the attempt on your own. If you get stuck you can always download the guide at that time. Once crucial issue is making sure you keep your screws sorted and know exactly where they go back in. The most common component Xbox, or Xbox 360, owners dive into their console to work on is the DVD drive. The laser assembly can easily become dirty and disrupt the ability to play games properly. You can find some cleaning CD's and DVD's with small brushes built on them to clean the drives which is a good first option. This cleaning disks are inexpensive and avoid your needing to disassemble the system. If the cleaning disk does not correct the problem then you may need to take apart your Xbox console, remove the drive, and using compressed air or a small soft bristled brush clean the laser assembly.
While you have the console apart make sure you use a can of compressed air to clean all the dust from the internal surfaces of the Xbox. This helps reduce heat build-up and can lengthen the life of your system. While you can find many repair centers which are happy to do a cleaning for you at very low costs, you may want to learn the methods yourself. You will discover your Xbox may require deep cleaning every year or two, and saving the costs from the repair shop will allow you to buy one more great game. Just remember to consider your warranty first, before pulling out the screwdriver, or letting an unauthorized repair center open up your Xbox.
