Flat screen monitors
and televisions, most of which are LCD (including LED-backlit LCD) displays, as
well as touchscreen devices of all kinds, require special attention
when
cleaning.
Older CRT screens,
the kind used in large "tube" monitors and TVs, are glass and can be
cleaned in pretty much the same way as you would any other glass in your home
or office.
Flat screen and
touch displays, however, are much more sensitive and can be easily scratched
and damaged during cleaning.
The same applies to
your laptop or tablet screen, and often too to the screen on your smartphone or
ebook reader.
Note: Plasma TVs are
glass, as are many touchscreens, but often also have very sensitive anti-glare
coatings applied. I recommend taking the same special care with those types of
displays.
Follow the easy
steps below to safely clean your flat screen monitor, TV, laptop screen, or
another device in just a few minutes.
How To Clean A Flat
Screen TV or Computer Monitor
Turn off the device.
If the screen is dark, it will be easier to see the areas that are dirty or
oily.Turning the device off also prevents you from accidentally pushing buttons
you don't actually want to push, which happens a lot when cleaning touchscreen
devices like tablets, iPads, etc.
Use a dry, soft
cloth and very gently wipe the screen with a microfiber cloths or dry eraser,
both equally fantastic choices.See Tip #1 below for kinds of fabric to avoid.
If the dry cloth did
not completely remove the dirt or oil, do not press harder in an attempt to
scrub it off. Pushing directly on the screen can often cause pixels to burn
out, especially on laptop displays, desktop monitors, and LCD/LED TV screens.
This isn't so much an issue on screens designed to be touched, like phones and
tablets, but be careful nonetheless.
If necessary, dampen
the cloth with distilled water or with an equal ratio of distilled water to
white vinegar. Many companies also sell small spray bottles of special cleaner
for flat screens.
The plastic edge
that surrounds the screen can be cleaned with any multipurpose cleaner but take
care to avoid contact with the screen itself.
Tips & More
Information
Avoid using paper
towels, toilet paper, tissue paper, or something like your shirt to wipe the
screen. These non-ultrasoft materials can scratch the display.
Avoid cleaning
products that contain ammonia (like Windex®), ethyl alcohol (Everclear® or
other strong drinking alcohol), toluene (paint solvents), as well as acetone or
ethyl acetate (one or the other is often used in nail polish remover). These
chemicals can react with the materials that the flat screen is made of or
coated with, which could permanently discolor the screen or cause other kinds
of damage.
Never spray liquid
directly onto the screen. It could leak into the device and cause damage.
These same cleaning
"rules" apply no matter if your TV is 8K, 4K, or 1080p (HD). Those
differences don't mean the display is necessarily made out of anything
different, requiring different cleaning, it's just a measure of how many pixels
per inch they shoved in the same space.
*lifewire*
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