If you've been lucky enough to have a PS5 for a few months or more, chances are it's gathered a little dust – not from lack of activity, but because while you've been gaming its fan has been pulling in air to keep your PlayStation 5 cool.
And that's great, but unfortunately it also means that just like with PCs, over time you can end up with a case full of dust bunnies. That of course reduces the effectiveness of the fan, and can have an effect on your console's cooling and the noise it makes when it's running hard.
When it comes to technology, heat is bad. Heat means slower performance and, at worst, fried components. Most people who bought a PS5 at launch will now be out of warranty, too, so if your console packs in it is probably going to be an expensive fix.
The warmer summer months are rapidly approaching now, too, so now is absolutely the time to get your console detritus free.
Dirty consoles also reduce sell on value, so if you ever intend on selling your PlayStation 5 it is wise to keep it in good condition.
The good news, though, is that you don't need to clean it very often, and when you do you don't need a lot of time or tools. In fact, some basic cleaning doesn't even need you to open up the console.
How to clean your PS5: what Sony says
Sony's advice for fixing noisy PS5 fans is first of all, prevention: make sure there's at least 10cm of space around each side of the console, and don't place it on a carpet or rug with long fibres. And if you do have dusty vents, it recommends you use a low-powered vacuum cleaner to remove any dust that's accumulated in and around the air vents. Make sure your PS5 is disconnected from the power cable when you do this.
For most of us, that's all you really need to do. But if you want to give your PS5 a deeper clean, here's how to do it.
How to clean the inside of your PS5
Before you do anything inside a PS5, or any other electrical device, unplug it from the mains.
The first thing you'll need to do is remove the faceplate from the console. You should be able to do that by pulling it away from the top of the console – you don't need to use a lot of strength here, it should just pop off nice and easily. Once you've done that, remove the stand and the faceplate from the bottom. Put them somewhere safe.
Now it's time for some digital dusting. Look for any obvious dust deposits and remove them either with a very gentle vacuuming, or with a blast of canned air (if you don't have a can of air, it's a brilliant thing to have around: I use them for getting gunk out of keyboards, blasting dust out of my AV receiver and frightening my children). The key here is to use the minimum you need: don't go in gung-ho with your Dyson at maximum power or your can of air at very close range. Make sure you include the fins at the side and the ports on the front too.
If there are some dust deposits that just won't shift, you can use isopropyl alcohol with either a lint-free cloth or a cotton bud to wipe it clean.
And that's it. You can now put the faceplates and the stand back on and get on with gaming.
How often should I clean my PS5?
That's a good question, and depending on who you ask the answers vary from "monthly" to "never". It really depends on where your PS5 is, so for example if you're in a room with lots of long fibres in carpeting, rugs and so on, or if it's a smoking household, or if you have pets, or if you're really lazy and don't do the normal hoovering and dusting very often, then you're going to want to clean your console more frequently than if you live in a Zen-like space with no furniture and Italian marble floors.
The trick is to check every few months, and if it's getting clogged up and dirty then give it a clean; if it isn't, give it a quick vacuum anyway. The main giveaway of a dirty console is fan noise, so let that be your guide.