In the South, Cockroaches are a real problem – especially with regards to electronics. The little guys can invade and thrive inside any electronic device. It is warm and cozy inside. They are protected inside, and it has been reported by some sources that they like to eat the glue inside. They breed and lay eggs and multiply into virtual cockroach cities. This is why you should never purchase used electronics and bring them directly into your home unless they have been cleaned from the inside out by a professional. Now these little critters can only get into spaces where their bodies will fit, so your phones are generally safe from infestation. But here in the south, these “brown crickets” take over games consoles on a regular basis. Tri-County Cellular does not accept infested consoles for buybacks – AND every console we purchase is disassembled, cleaned, and tested before it goes on the shelf for retail. But the purpose of this BLOG is to tell you how you can exterminate your console without having to take it apart.

Things you will need:

A seal-able plastic bag or plastic wrap

Isopropyl alcohol

A paper towel or small rag

Unplug the console and remove all cords from the back. Soak the rag with isopropyl alcohol. Place the rag into the bottom and back of the bag. Place the console in the bag. Seal the console (BE SURE TO SEAL THE CONSOLE or you will soon have a mass exodus of cockroaches into your room). We suggest being sure that the rag is near the vents on the console, but not touching them as over the course of a few hours, the alcohol soaked rag will stain the console. In about 10-15 minutes, if your console is infested, then you will see cockroaches exit the console, trying to escape the poisoned air. Leave the console inside the bag for 24 hours and there will be no living creature inside your console.

That’s it! They’re all dead. Now if you want the unit professionally cleaned, bring it to a trusted repair center where all of the dead carcasses can be removed and the unit cleaned and new thermal paste applied to the CPU.

Pro tip: If you have an uncontrolled infestation in your home, try keeping the console off of the floor and wrap the console in pantyhose to keep out insects. This can be done with computers as well.

Good Luck and happy hunting! We want to know your used electronic story, so reply to this BLOG and let us know.