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Safely Cleaning LCD Displays?

Posted by Cliff on from the but-spring-cleaning-was-months-ago dept.

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?"

4 of 46 comments (clear)

  1. You can use windex... by Takeel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...just don't be a moron like your friend. Spray it on the cloth.

    1. Re:You can use windex... by ameoba · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You'll never stop that. What you can do, however, is to get people touching with their fingernails (palm facing away from the screen) instead of their grubby, greasy fingertips.

      --
      my sig's at the bottom of the page.
  2. Re:Paranoid approach by inio · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's sad to see such a well written post destroyed by one bad link.

    Excellent post, but I won't be surprised when you're modded down to -1.

  3. Just read... by nomel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    the users manual. They don't expect people to be intelligent or anything...that's why they pack the little manual they send you with information. One of the sections should be called something like Care and maintenance. All laptop manuals I have had tell how to properly clean the screen (lite detergent on a rag). Also, the screen should be covered with a protective coating (they all have a polarized piece of plastic film) that should keep the transistors from being exposed to the outside, so your friend probably dripped water inside or something...unless it ate through the plastic.

    Just turn it off and pull the battery when you clean it...if you get water in it, don't worry about it, just wait until you think the water inside is dry before you turn it back on.