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Safely Cleaning LCD Displays?
An anonymous reader asks: "I own several laptops and one flat-panel LCD display, and I am trying to find a good way to keep them clean without damaging them. Using the alcohol-based cleaning wipes that I normally use for my CRT displays doesn't seem right, and I had an (idiot) friend who shorted out a great many of the transistors on his laptop's LCD by spraying Windex on it. What's the best way to clean these things without damaging them or creating buildup that I'll just have to clean off again separately?"
When cleaning LCD panels, including laptop displays, be very careful. The plastic coating on the front of the display is semi porous, so fluid can run down the front of the display and short out some of the edge transistors, blowing out some of the display elements. Pre-moistened towelettes are the best way to go, but if you prefer a spray on cleaner, use it very sparingly. LCD Cleaning Tips
I think best results are achieved by wiping the screen with an absorbent cotton/flannel cloth dipped into a very dilute soap solution and squeezed until it is moist. Also instead of trying to scrub any dirt build up try rubbing gently in a circular motion. Once done you should wipe any droplets of water off the panel or risk messing it up.
You should get 'Scotch Brite High Performance Cloth'.. this stuff is fantastic.. it's fiber is woven in such a way that it cleans glass with no liquid and dosen't scratch. I use in on my glasses and all of my computer moitors, tv's and any LCD panels I have.. a Newton, PowewBook. You can use it in conjunction with a little bit of cleaner like Windex or even water. They are washable, they cost about $4 a piece - check out your grocery store buy the sponges and stuff or Wal-Mart, etc....
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A quick search on google groups turned up many hits, including a link to this pdf. Read your manual. Also: "Probably more important is the cloth you use. I like to use a soft cotton cloth, even an old t-shirt. With the right cloth, you can even use spit for a small spot. With the wrong cloth you'll screw up the screen no matter what you use." here
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Cleaner made for this purpose.
http://www.iKlear.com/
Screen Cleaning Gel
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f you're really paranoid, use photographic lens cleaning pads. I'm thinking of a disposable sort sold by a company named "Pec-Pad," something similar to which should be available at any real camera store for not much money. They soak up dust by themselves, dry. They're non-abrasive on any surface you're likely to care about cleaning. Photographers with multi-$k, delicately-coated lenses use them. And you toss them when you're finished with them. And because photographic supplies are generally expensive, I use lens cleaning solution that's intended for eyewear. It's a generic thing, sold under the name of whatever department store I happen to be at when I realize that I need some, and usually found near the pharmacy. It's made specifically to not muck up the coatings and materials of optical eyewear, which are not dissimilar from those coatings and materials used in computer displays. It also does a better job of removing nicotine haze than anything else I've used, ever - including Windex, Simple Green, isopropyl alcohol, an ammonia+water mix, and acetone. (I also use it on the inside of my car windows...) Honestly, though, just avoid using paper towels. You wouldn't drag a rough-cut 2x4 across your LCD display, and so should not rub it with an even more abrasive towel made from wood. I usually use a soft cotton cloth from the kitchen. Things don't get scratched, and they're easy to wash. The type of cleaning agent you use doesn't really matter. Most (not all!) displays use coatings which are made to withstand alcohol, ammonia, and all the other strange stuff found in Windex. Spray a bit of cleaning stuff onto the cloth, and then proceed to clean the display with it. Don't bother spraying chemicals directly onto the screen, as it really doesn't take much soap/solvent to get rid of fingergrease. Wipe the stuff all over the display, paying attention to the sides and corners, where dust will tend to be pushed by your actions. Use slight very slight pressure, as if you were washing a Rolls Royce. Switch to a dry cloth (or a dry portion of the same cloth), and wipe until dry (or the rainbow patterns disappear). This prevents streaking from whatever residue might be left behind - and there will always be some. BTW, If the display were pourous, the LCD would evaporate long before any cleaning would be required, especially if the weather was warm, much as the pourous skin of the aforepictured former living thing has permitted much of her internal fluid to disappear into the atmosphere.
AIIEEEE!! Do NOT use Windex. Ammonia-based solutions will YELLOW the surface of the LCD over a period of time.
I do as IBM suggests for my ThinkPad: a 50/50 solution of water and isopropyl alcohol on a soft, lint-free cloth (I use a clean, old T-shirt). Works great.
I found Endust for Electronics works fine on laptops and flat panel monitors. Just spray some onto a soft cloth and whipe away. You can pick it up at any CompUSA, Best Buy, or Office Depot for around 4 bucks..
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