Displays How do you clean your screen?

Both my laptop screen (UX305CA) and main display (AW3418DW) are in desperate need of a good clean - the main display was the victim of my 1 year old spraying yogurt everywhere... Needless to say his highchair has now been moved significantly further away from the screen than it was before...

Anyway - my usual method of a gentle wipe with a dry, clean microfibre cloth hasn't done the business this time. From reading around online there are a huge number of different possible methods for getting these clean. A few sites suggest trying a 50/50 mix of distilled water and isopropanol alcohol. I have some distilled water arriving today and I have some 99.9% isopropanol (this) which I use predominantly for removing TIM. Has anyone tried this for themselves? Some suggest just distilled water but others suggest this leaves streaks.

Both screens are IPS and have anti-glare coatings on (TFT central describes the AW3418DW's coating as a light anti-glare coating). Would this affect the cleaning method?

Thanks in advance

George

 

I've always used a really weak solution of fairy liquid (or similar) to dampen one of them cloths used for cleaning glasses and followed behind with a dry cloth.

 

What ^ said.

 

Thanks for the replies gents. I have tried screen wipes before (which I had to buy - none at work to thieve borrow) which came in a tube. The first time I used them they were good but when I came to use them again all the remaining ones had dried out and were useless. Based on the replies I decided to just use a really fine microfibre cloth (I have loads of these) slightly wetted with distilled water and then dried straight away after with a second dry cloth. Perfect results

Edit: Also I decided to stay away from the isopropanol alcohol. It's pretty heavy duty stuff

 

I've always used a microfiber cloth with a 50% isopropyl alcohol mix. It flashes off relatively quickly without being as strong a solvent as 99%. Microfiber doesn't leave dust or scratches.

 

Is that 50% alcohol with 50% water? I'll bear that in mind should I come up against any more stubborn dirt in the future

 

Don't use isoprop it can cause cracking and crazing on some plastics.

Wilco do wipes that are very good. My method is firstly to keep my hands away from the screen and just vacuum with a soft brush. However that's not possible on most screens so I go "clear as day" wipe from Wilco (which are not too wet so don't leave marks of their own) then paper towels to dry and remove the dirt and oils (which you'll initially spread around) and then if needs be repeat.

Otherwise you'll just be spreading it around and not removing it.

 

AF Safeclens and a microfibre cloth. A tin lasts for years.

Edit: Looks like it's now called AF Screen-Clene.

 

Never use anything other than water and a microfiber cloth. Damp wipe, then dry wipe. Harmless and effective.

 

Like i'm waving.

Plus a microfibre cloth, usually just after breathing on spots that need cleaning.

Bigger cleans a very lightly damped microfibre cloth.

 

When a screen really needs a clean and the microfiber cloth alone isn't doing the trick, I use a 50/50 mix of Distilled White Vinegar and Purified Water. Preferably use the screen for a while so it gets a little heat then turn it off spray a small amount of the mixture onto a microfiber cloth and work away at the dirty screen. Use the same mixture on my car and house windows! Wonderful smear free results.

 

^ This and only this.

 

I've used Screen Mom for years now. Leaves a streak free finish and get it spotless. Even gets kids grubby fingerprints off the TV.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Screen-Mom...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

It's roughly 50% because I dilute 90% down with water. It's an estimate. What I want is for the moisture to not stay on the screen. I like it to flash off quickly.

I personally prefer this to plain water because I want to wet the screen a bit more than if I just used water so that whatever is on it can dissolve and be wiped away without the possibility of being rubbed around on the surface like a piece of grit. Alcohol flashes off more quickly than plain water, so I can put it on a little more wet.

I know others are saying to not use alcohol, but I've never had a single issue. I don't clean my screens that often (I'm not sure what people are doing to get them dirty), and in 5-10 years they're still looking like new and I sell them to upgrade. If it's not going to damage it in that time, then I don't think there's a lot of reason to worry.

 

It depends on the plastic. Some of them crack, some don't. I used to use isoprop to put the grips on my bikes, then found one day that it turned a £30 set of grips into baggy condoms.

I know it definitely affects perspex. The stuff that melts when you cut it rather than turning into dust. I used it to clean the edges of a piece of mirror perspex and it cracked all of the edges. It's not worth the risk.

Most window cleaners have vinegar and not much more. Well, and scent and distilled water.

 

Give it a good spit, make my hand into a fist and rub it with about the same force Toto Wolff punches a table.

 

Ewww... pass the mind bleach (I had to Google Toto Wolff to get the reference)

Last time I cleaned mine was because I took a big drag on a new vape flavour then proceeded to cough it directly at my monitor...

 

Guessing that flavour's not a keeper...