You Can, But Maybe Don’t
In this time of sickness and such, you may be tempted to sanitize everything you own. Nintendo has gently discouraged people from cleaning Switch components, however. While a filthy Switch seems like a vector for disease, chances are you’ll only end up fading and deforming the plastic finish. The statement is included below:
Recently, customers have been asking whether they can disinfect their Nintendo Switch consoles and Joy-Cons with alcohol. 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.
This all comes from a Tweet from Nintendo customer service, translated into English by Kotaku. So if alcohol and non-alcohol based cleaning products are out, what’s left? A dry cloth? Hopes and prayers? It seems like you’re just supposed to clean and sanitize your hands, in the hopes that your Nintendo Switch doesn’t pick up anything too serious. In other words, no sticking the Joy-Cons directly in your mouth like tongue depressors. Either that, or maybe start wearing gloves while gaming? Maybe a thin white pair, like someone showcasing a rare set of diamonds.