Whats the best way to clean an LCD monitor?

[M Powered]

Sorry for the newbit question, but what do you guys recommend to clean LCD monitors? Such as fingerprints and human bodily fluid? :)

[Wiggles]

EWWWW!! Bodily Fluids ??

anyways....

Use a soft dry cotton cloth to remove fingerprints and bodily fluids from the screen. If this does not completely remove the dirt and splotches, use a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on the cleaning cloth that has been dampened with water. (A small amount of vinegar can be substituted for the isopropyl alcohol.)

[sunrunner20]

Please note I woulden't put anything above ~40% pure isopropyl on a screen. Besides that being fine for cleaning a screen, isopropyl is a solvent and thus will likely damage the screen if used in a pure form.
I've had 91% pure isopropyl strip the finish off my desk.

[infinitevalence]

Windex works wonders, with paper towels.

[sunrunner20]

Windex works wonders, with paper towels.
Most (if not all) manufacutres say to stay away from such chemicals as they have a tendancy to discolour the screen and do other things.

[ilikepie]

Dont use alcohol. It makes the lcd "fog" perminetly if repedietly used.

I use some warm water with a soft cloth

[ticktock123]

they also make such cleaning cloths at most local computer stores. I went to Wally World (walmart to most) and they had like 100 wet naps made for elect stuff, "safe for LCD and laptop screens" so it works great and is very tough for when you have a build up of...bodily fluids...hmm...creepy


EDIT: SWEET i have 3 stars now :) :p :cool:

[trey_w]

What about the NEC LCD with Opticlear. Does this make a difference on what you use to clean it?

[dfonda]

Put your lips together and blow.I can not bare to touch my screen in fear that it might scratch. :eh?:

[doublejack]

The *only* good way to clean a LCD is to use a cleaner specfically meant for that purpose. Monster makes an LCD & Plasma screen cleaner but is rather expensive. Your local office supply store should carry it, along with less expensive alternatives. Use one of these cleaners with a lint free cloth - microfiber is best. Spray the screen and gently wipe clean.

Alcohol and Windex are both very bad ideas. They will eventually eat through the antiglare layer and eventually harm the polarizer under it.

[mrgreenjeans]

Take it out in the yard and hose it off! That'll take care of it and you won't see any dirt or body fluids, or anything for that matter.

Seriously, I use the eyeglass cleaner I get for my lenses, which is formulated for coatings , etc. Don't use anything with ammonia or alcohol! In fact, most window manufacturer's now put a disclaimer not to use ammonia based cleaners on any of their products as it eats the UV coatings off. I would also stay away from paper towels and procure a clean dry soft cloth.

[sunrunner20]

The *only* good way to clean a LCD is to use a cleaner specfically meant for that purpose. Monster makes an LCD & Plasma screen cleaner but is rather expensive. Your local office supply store should carry it, along with less expensive alternatives. Use one of these cleaners with a lint free cloth - microfiber is best. Spray the screen and gently wipe clean.

Alcohol and Windex are both very bad ideas. They will eventually eat through the antiglare layer and eventually harm the polarizer under it.

Look at the ingredients for those products and you find that they are isopropyl. Exactly the same as I suggested, even down to the very low precentage.

[Maviryk]

I just use the "Magic Lens Cleaning Towellettes". It won't scratch and evaporates quickly.

[tom10167]

Look at the ingredients for those products and you find that they are isopropyl. Exactly the same as I suggested, even down to the very low precentage.

Exactly. Get weak Alcohol and make it like a 20:1 solution and go ahead and get a microfiber towel.

Windex is terrible, leaves streaks like a mofo.

[deathman20]

I use warm water to clean my screen. Similar to whats recommened for my tinted windows on my car except I don't use soap on these. Then again truely if you don't touch the screen just even a small duster will take off the dust on the screen.

Truely it does take quiet a bit to scratch a screen expecially when cleaning. I mean I've seen some people that take paper towel and such to clean there monitors and really push it on there. Its bad yet it doesn't scratch it to my amazement.

[tom10167]

The screen material is pliable, soft stuff doesn't scratch, it tears(when strained hard enough)

[doublejack]

Look at the ingredients for those products and you find that they are isopropyl. Exactly the same as I suggested, even down to the very low precentage.

No, I'm afraid you are quite wrong. I actually own a bottle of Monster's screen clean so it's not like I didn't know what I was talking about.



* Advanced formula cleans without dripping, streaking or staining
* Safe, alcohol-free formula is ideal for cleaning LCDs
* Includes non-abrasive, reusable microfiber cloth and two bottles of Monster ScreenClean™

See this page (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00083J67C/ref=pd_sbs_e_4/102-2184975-8847352?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=172282)

It is FACT that any form of alcohol will damage an LCD screen. But go ahead and use it if you want, it's not my monitor or TV.

[doublejack]

The screen material is pliable, soft stuff doesn't scratch, it tears(when strained hard enough)

You're playing semantic games.

Scratch: To make a thin shallow cut or mark on (a surface) with a sharp instrument.

Paint is pliable and one can certainly scratch it. By the same token, the antiglare and polarizer layers of an LCD can both be scratched.

[terran2k]

I think I read in the dell manual to use a warm water on a soft cloth.

[schnikies79]

I have monitor cleaning cloths and they contain no alcohol and work great. most of the time i just use a duster though.

[sunrunner20]

No, I'm afraid you are quite wrong. I actually own a bottle of Monster's screen clean so it's not like I didn't know what I was talking about.

For all pratical purposes this debate is moot, so I will make no further posts on this matter. There are effectivly infiniate websites that argue both ways. But the thing is, so long as your not an idiot and put 91% pure alochol on your screen its not going to do anything noticeable. At my 10-20% solution that I've used for over 4 years now on multipul screens(mine 2 screens at my freinds, an innumerable number of successfull "thanks" from people at school figureing out how to clean their screen.) with no negative results.

[doublejack]

For all pratical purposes this debate is moot, so I will make no further posts on this matter. There are effectivly infiniate websites that argue both ways. But the thing is, so long as your not an idiot and put 91% pure alochol on your screen its not going to do anything noticeable. At my 10-20% solution that I've used for over 4 years now on multipul screens(mine 2 screens at my freinds, an innumerable number of successfull "thanks" from people at school figureing out how to clean their screen.) with no negative results.

I agree that the debate is moot, because Alcohol damages the screen and it just can't be argued otherwise. Using it in a lower concentration like you do damages it at a slower rate, but it's still doing damage. You may not believe it's noticeable, and maybe after a cleaning or two it isn't. But eventually it will make a difference and it will happen so gradually you don't notice, until you compare to an identical screen that has been cleaned with a safe cleaner.

Why someone would use a cleaner that they know is harmful to their screen, when safe and rather inexpensive alternatives are available, is beyond me.

[deathman20]

Why someone would use a cleaner that they know is harmful to their screen, when safe and rather inexpensive alternatives are available, is beyond me.

Totally agree. And well water is free so its very inexpensive :)

[Richard]

This FUD you're spreading about isopropyl alcohol damaging an LCD is completely bogus.

The manuals that I've come across recommend diluted (50% or less) isopropyl alcohol for cleaning the screen.

If you have oils from fingerprints+dust on the screen. Water will just smudge it around making it worse.

[Amoroso]

I damp a paper cloth with water and it works perfect!

[tLove]

LCD SCREEN & FRAME CLEANING & MAINTENANCE

UPDATED:Jan. 6 2006 10:10 AM


CAUTION

Unplug the power to the monitor BEFORE starting.
Make sure you don't use a liquid cleaner containing chemicals such as Windex (Ammonia).
Ammonia & chemical based cleaners are only safe for glass screens only.(Do not get it on plastics of any sort - trim or frame).

DO NOT get cleaners in eyes or on skin.
Follow ALL instructions printed on containers.
DO NOT inhale fumes.

Use a lint-free cotton terry cloth, polyester lens cloth, or other non-abrasive cloth.
Paper towels (even soft ones) risk abrasion since they are wood fibres held together by glue.


SCREEN PRODUCTS


Eye glass & CD/DVD fabric cloths seem to work pretty well for cleaning up the dust on the screen.
Plastic lens eye glass liquid cleaning liquid is extremely good also.
(Not contact lens cleaning/soaking solutions)

Cloths that came with the PSP.

Monster Cable makes a screen cleaning kit that works great.

Use a very soft towel (bath towel / linen tea towel) dampened with distilled or distilled & de-ionized water (available at drug stores - cheap) and lightly rub (Never use tap water).


Endust for Electronics (NOT Endust for furniture) - wax-free, oil-free, and amonia-free. It evaporates quickly & doesn't leave any sort of residue.
Safe for non-reflective screens, including non-glare laptop computer screens & 2005FPW. (Look for the BLUE can)

Any LCD screen cleaner sold in business stores (Staples etc.) that contains H20, 2-Butoxyethanol & Ethanol is safe.

Sparkle
From a company called A.J. Funk
"No smudges or film left over.....PERIOD. The best cleaner I have used."

Audio visual stores sell TV cleaning kits with cleaner/polishes & scratch removers. They also sell packs of lint-free screen cloths.

Microtex dust cloth. (sold outside the UK?) Fantastic for picking up dust.

cleanDr. from Staples, left zero streaks. Comes with a cleaning cloth.

Rogge Screen Clean
It's anti-static and cleans absolutely free of streaks.
There's also a bundle of pump-spray with a Vileda micro fiber cleaning tissue, a hard to beat combination, tested and recommended by:
Eizo, CTX, Samsung, Fujitsu-Siemens, NEC, Hyundai, Iiama
It's internationally available, more information here:
Link



FRAME & HARDWARE PRODUCTS

Use any decent product that does not contain harsh chemicals or abrasive particles and also clearly specifies that it is safe for use on plastic surfaces, such as Armour All, Black Magic & such.

Use extreme caution & exercise great care, so that you DO NOT get it on your screen.
At may damage it or affect the anti-glare properties of your screen.
You would NOT want to get it into any openings or in the spaces around buttons.



THANKS TO ALL THE GRATIOUS CONTRIBUTORS:

Supercop007
Forsakenzoul
-GvL-PunisherSG1
Paradigm Shifter
Contra33
EnochLight
TheRealOmegaMan
tk421
Battle_Rattle
al'be:do

Dougofthenorth



Directly from the WideScreen Gaming Forum located here: http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1897.
A decent writeup :cool:

[doublejack]

This FUD you're spreading about isopropyl alcohol damaging an LCD is completely bogus.

The manuals that I've come across recommend diluted (50% or less) isopropyl alcohol for cleaning the screen.

If you have oils from fingerprints+dust on the screen. Water will just smudge it around making it worse.

No, it's not bogus. None of the "made for LCD" cleaners contain isopropyl alcohol because it will in fact damage the plastic antiglare layer. Like I said, it may not be noticeable for a while but it's clearly not the best cleaner to use.

[MightyJoe]

I would highly advise against using straight windex as it contains amonia which will mess with the screen coating over time. I personally just use a damp microfiber or lintless cloth and it gets everything off just fine. That includes fingerprints and body oil... don't know about other "body fluids"...

[radadman]

A few drops of murphy's oil soap on a moist soft sponge

[Richard]

Funny that you say that, because most manufacturers will agree that Isopropyl alcohol in a dilute concentration (< 50%) is probably the safest thing to use on an LCD screen.

What you should concern yourself with is some of these LCD screen cleaners with 2-Butoxyethanol and/or Ethanol. Stores like Office Depot and Staples both have products on the market that contain these harsh chemicals.

Fellowes, screen cleaner even boasts (non-alcoholic), yet it contains 2-Butoxyethanol.

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=45

For a list of products containing this chemical. Though, admittedly not complete, it gives an idea how common it is.

No, it's not bogus. None of the "made for LCD" cleaners contain isopropyl alcohol because it will in fact damage the plastic antiglare layer. Like I said, it may not be noticeable for a while but it's clearly not the best cleaner to use.

[Chixofnix]

... once you've decided which cleaner to use... i'd like to throw in that, rather than a micro-mesh-fibre-supercloth, you can use ordinary coffee filters as well and never worry about scratches from that material...

this was first recommended to my by my optometrist for cleaning my glasses on a budget, then i later found these things useful for cleaning my camera's LCD screen, my monitors (CRTs), calculator... anywhere scratches have worried me, these things haven't yet failed me ;)

[Chixofnix]

Funny that you say that, because most manufacturers will agree that Isopropyl alcohol in a dilute concentration (< 50%) is probably the safest thing to use on an LCD screen.

What you should concern yourself with is some of these LCD screen cleaners with 2-Butoxyethanol and/or Ethanol. Stores like Office Depot and Staples both have products on the market that contain these harsh chemicals.

Fellowes, screen cleaner even boasts (non-alcoholic), yet it contains 2-Butoxyethanol.

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=45

For a list of products containing this chemical. Though, admittedly not complete, it gives an idea how common it is.


the above posted guide from another forum states

Any LCD screen cleaner sold in business stores (Staples etc.) that contains H20, 2-Butoxyethanol & Ethanol is safe.

...sooo... could someone please justify which side of the fence on this issue is correct and why?

[threeme2189]

I damp a paper cloth with water and it works perfect!

yep!

[FyreDaug]

I normally just submerge mine in water overnight.....





jk, rubbing alcohol on a cloth

[twoeyes]

I've used VOX before, 40% alcohol XD

[Silversinksam]

One word: Arcticlear (http://www.overclockers.com/articles1201/)

http://www.overclockers.com/articles1201/ArctiClear.jpg

I will find out how you can buy it, as I thought it was already on the market. I use it on all my TV's and monitors and it's the best screen cleaning product to date.

[dfonda]

Here is Dell's advice for dell screen owners.
http://premiersupport.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=FA1011125

NOTICE: Do not use any of the following chemicals or any solutions that contain them: Acetone, ethyl alcohol, toluene, ethyl acid, ammonia, or methyl chloride. If you have a different chemical or solution and are not sure whether it is suitable, do not use it. Using any of the chemicals in the previous list may cause permanent damage to the LCD or flat panel screen. Some commercial window cleaners contain ammonia and are therefore unacceptable.

I use a damp sock( preferably your wifes)lol

[Krome]

I've seen a few different opinions on Isopropyl Alcohol. What's the verdict on Vinegar? I lQQked up the cleaning directions for my Samsung 215tw, and this is what Samsung has to say......

[To clean your monitor safely, follow these steps:

Disconnect the power cord.
Spray or apply a small amount of non-abrasive cleanser on a soft, lint free cloth.
Gently wipe the surface. Use as little pressure as possible.
You should never use any harsh chemicals to clean your LCD monitor. Cleansers with the following agents are OK to use:

Water
Vinegar mixed with water at a concentration of no more than 10% vinegar. That's 6 1/2 tablespoons of vinegar per quart of water, 1 1/2 tablespoons per cup, or 100 ml per liter.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Petroleum Benzene
Do Not use cleaners that contain the following agents:

Acetone
Ethyl Alcohol
Ethyl Acid
Ammonia
Methyl Chloride
Warning: Do not spray or apply any liquids directly to the monitor. Always apply the solution to your cloth first, not directly on the parts you are cleaning. Apply as little pressure as possible when you clean.

Applying too much pressure or spraying liquids directly onto the screen or case of the LCD Monitor may cause damage to the display which will not be covered under warranty.]



What's the final verdict on Vinegar???

[imposter]

hey guys have anyone of you tried 1/2 windex 1/2 water, as well as a anti lint works like a charm.

[dogbert_2001]

What's the final verdict on Vinegar???

I disagree with vinegar. I'd imagine it would stay on the screen and then your monitor will smell like vinegar.

[Krome]

I disagree with vinegar. I'd imagine it would stay on the screen and then your monitor will smell like vinegar.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

I went out and bought a bottle of vinegar just for this reason, and I intend to since I haven't cleaned my Samsung since I bought it in Jun/July last year.

Anybody try the vinegar/water solution?