Y'know, I've been using remotes for several decades now, and I've never felt the need to wrap mine in plastic. Come to think of it, I've never had a remote get what I would consider "dirty" either. But I don't snack on the couch, and I usually wash my hands regularly too.

I guess if you're the type of person who routinely sits on the couch munching on Cheetos while flipping channels, and frequently have trouble remembering which hand is the orange one, then some protection is probably a wise move.

Or if you have young kids. Because little kids have an overwhelming urge to smear their grubby, sticky, snotty little paws on everything. Though you might as well wrap everything in plastic.

I imagine the goo on my laptop keyboard is far worse. I live dangerously and have never cleaned any of my remotes. Every now and then I turn my laptop upside down and knock the crumbs out, its usually enough to start a nice stew.

My uncle has a 1969 Grand Marquis that looks pretty good, only because the factory paint color is basically rust. He has plastic seat covers on his seats that make it impossible to use the seatbelts.

Life will kill 'ya, but then again, I change diapers, have 3 kids in 3 different school rooms, exposed to a collective germ base of a couple hundred other kids, regularly go to courthouses and jails, and have a cat who immediately jumps on the kitchen counter to dig in the sink after using the litter box. I imagine my immune system is on point.

Wrapping a remote is smart, if you use lotion and other hand care products.
One lady kept bring in her dead remotes, come to find out the lotion she was using leached through the rubber mat and would cause it to no longer work. You could clean the pads and get it to work for awhile, until the lotion returned to the contact surface.

Spilled pop also does a number on them.

A good practice is to turn the remote over to protect it from spills.

Remote with protection:

Remember when remotes were often mounted in a steel bracket on hotel nightstands?

This and the "chip butty" sandwich thread have lead me to conclude this chapter of the sf and hope tomorrow will resume to normal.

Years ago when LED televisions had just hit the market, I sprung for a 46" model and a Blu-ray player for the fam. We had it a total of two days before the youngest jr DF puked all over the remote. None of the boys wanted to touch it. Mrs DF and I were on a date, so there it sat in puke for the evening. That's a shake your head moment. I picked it up with a paper plate formed into a shovel and tossed the whole wad in the garbage. Had to order a new one.

These are the the things to be careful of when traveling...the remotes in hotel rooms are likely never cleaned....

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I started putting my tv remote in a sandwich bag, and a few friends wrap theirs in saran wrap.

It's pretty amazing what accumulates , body oils, salt from food, crumbs, food oils, dog hair, etc.

I advise it strongly

I am not worried about my getting germs , I am worried about remote longevity .

I forgot about cosmetic's .

I say try it for a month and just see what the baggy looks like , if you compare it to a brand new baggy and there is no difference, you are not out anything

She's dead. Wrapped in plastic.

Keeps her clean and preserves her longevity.

Sure do. I also wrap all door knobs, light switches, phones, faucet handles, toilet flush levers, refrigerator handles, microwave handles, chair and sofa arms, and more, in plastic. I like to pet my dog, and my dog isn't all that clean anyway, so I wrap her in plastic and it works both ways to keep her filth on her, and my filth on me.

I still have in my toolbag a "programmers remote" that worked on the brands of TVs most commonly found in hotels. We could use them to access features that the standard remotes wouldn't get to... like unlocking the adult channels for free.

You could also reprogram the welcome message with them. After one particularly bad experience at a hotel, I still wonder how long it took them to notice that their message now said "Welcome to DisComfort Inn".

No, I just clean my remotes from time to time.

When I want to watch a show I typically do a fake sneeze and wipe my nose and mouth with my hand and put it on the remote, needless to say nobody messes with it and I get to watch the entire game, I can even leave the room for an extended bathroom break and when I return the channel remains unchanged...

Yes. Dad did it years ago in the 80’s with a new Sony Trinitron. It out lasted the tv. I have over the years done the same. Especially on upper end equipment. OE remotes are not cheap.

Now I just do the remotes kids will be using. Especially since one TV can only be operated by it’s original remote. There are no buttons on the TV. And it’s a one year old TV.

Cable box remotes can be replaced for free so no need.

I use a one gallon zip storage bag and cut to size then fold over neatly and folded for a snug fit then black duct tape on back side.

Such is life. I have enough crap to screw with without adding some stuff to cover the remote that I'd only have to deal with during my down time.

When it comes to remotes, always wrap it before you tap it.

My carry gun gets a nice layer of skin cells on it if I go more than 3 months without cleaning it. Air compressor and Slip 2000 makes it look like new.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
My carry gun gets a nice layer of skin cells on it if I go more than 3 months without cleaning it. Air compressor and Slip 2000 makes it look like new.

I wrap mine in aluminum foil

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
When I want to watch a show I typically do a fake sneeze and wipe my nose and mouth with my hand and put it on the remote, needless to say nobody messes with it and I get to watch the entire game, I can even leave the room for an extended bathroom break and when I return the channel remains unchanged...

Devious. I like it!