How To Clean an LCD Screen

The store that i got my TV from has a very liberal return / exchange policy. but one of the terms was how i cleaned my TV. I was given, free of charge a Sanus screen care kit with a gel based cleaner. I was told "use this and only this to clean your new TV"

Given this was a condition for returning my TV I believe they truly feel this is the best product for the job.



http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...2327013,00.asp

Virtually all of the LCD screen cleaners use a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water. You should be able to clean almost anything on an LCD screen with a simple microfiber cloth like those found in eyeglass section of stores.

If you have a tougher smudge, you can buy a spray bottle and isopropyl alcohol. You can usually find 90% at stores like Wal-Mart. Combine a 50/50 mixture and spray it on the microfiber cloth. I use this mixture to clean virtually everything. Eyeglasses, laptop, etc. Always check with your user's manual though.

on the Sanus site

"Safely Cleans Screens: Alcohol- and ammonia-free gel gently cleans TVs without harming screens or discoloring bezels "

Another member linked this.


http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf

This is the best i have found and its easy and cheap:

h**pgeeksaresexy.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-properly-clean-your-lcd-screen.html

How to Properly Clean your LCD Screen

When it comes to optimize the layout of your office space, nothing helps to free desk space more then a nice, flat LCD screen. That's probably one of the main reason everyone has one these days. Apart from that, they're also very cheap, easy on the eyes and consume less electricity than their CRT counterparts. With all that said, there’s really no reason not to have one sitting on your desk in 2007.

But these screens are not perfect. In fact, you have to be very careful when cleaning them up. Too much pressure using the wrong kind of cloth will most likely scratch your display and could even burn some of its pixels. So the question is, what is the proper way to clean an LCD screen?

First, you've probably seen some of those LCD cleaning solutions in computer stores right? The good news is that if you do not want to pay for a commercial product, mixing up your own solution is very easy. If you don't want to take any chances and prefer to use a professional product, please see our recommendation at the end of this article. So to get started, you only need 2 ingredients:

* 70% Isopropyl alcohol (Warning)
* Distilled Water

The recipe is easy: Mix the Isopropyl alcohol and distilled water in equal parts (50/50) inside an empty Windex-like bottle. Do not use tap water! Doing so will leave white smears on your screen after cleaning it up because of the dissolved minerals inside the water. When finished mixing, just close the bottle using the "spray" adaptor that comes attached to it.

Next, you will need to find a good, soft piece of microfiber cloth to clean your display. Avoid paper tissues at all cost! Using those on your screen would be just like scrubbing sandpaper on it and may scratch it permanently. You wouldn't want to do that right?

Now that we have everything we need, start by turning off your screen. Dampen your piece of soft cloth with your cleaning mixture and then wipe the display gently from top to bottom. Never spray liquid directly onto the LCD. When you're done, wait a few minutes to let your screen dry, and then turn it back on. Voila, you're done! Your screen should now be sparkling clean.

So, is Windex Crystal Rain safe to use on LCDs? Yes, I did see it was listed as recommended surfaces back then, but it is not now.

I just called SC Johnson and they claim "it was never recommended for use on LCDs, because they're not made of glass"

I would NEVER use any form of Windex on my TV screen. All my LCD screens seem to pretty much repel dust, so there's really no reason I should ever need to actually "Wipe" something on the screen, unless I accidentally got a rogue finger print on it from moving it, or something, in which case, I'd use a 100% cotton cloth and a tiny, tiny amount of warm water applied to it. Otherwise, for the small amount of dust that might cling to the screen, I use canned air to dust it off.

I won't even use so called "Screen cleaners" on my screen. First of all, anything I've ever tried has always left streaks, unless I spend 20 minutes wiping and looking to make sure I got all the streaks. And secondly, I don't think anything with any kind of chemicals should ever be used, even if it is a product that claims is safe or meant for screens. That's just me though.

I use a mixture of half/half 99% isopropyl alcohol and distilled water with a microfiber Rag.
You can buy the stuff at any CVS Store for a couple of bucks and mix it yourself.
Cheers!


Edit: MRJRM beat me to it some long time ago.
It helps reading every post.

I have an LCD, but it's not the standard screen...the set is a Sony 46" HX701 with the monolithic design, so the actual LCD screen is behind glass. Since I'm not sure exactly how the glass has been treated, I'm apprehensive about using anything short of a microfibre cloth, MAYBE a little water...

Anyone with this set (or one of a similar design) have any advice/comments?

Thanks

Why this question has never been made a sticky is beyond me. Mix your own. Easier and cheaper than anything you can buy at the store.

Good point... there are at least three threads on this subject floating around AVS Forum.

I use water and the microfiber cloths that came with my Samsung, no alcohol, nothing else, just water, and I've never had a problem. And, as the directions say, always wipe gently horizontally or vertically, not in "swirls" like you're cleaning a window.

I use a California Car Duster Microfiber Towel and distilled water.....thats it. The towel is a big phat thirsty towel, that I purchase from Pep Boys (other auto stores do sell it though). Its one single towel and costs about 8 or 9 bucks. I've used these same towels to polish and shine my automobiles for years and when I purchased my first lcd tv, I began using them on the those as well. All of my lcd screens remain as crystal clear as the day I bought them.

My televisions rarely get "dirty", removing dust is usually the most I have to do to them. But whether its dirt or just dust, the method I describe in the next paragraph is what I've always done.

I always clean the screen when the television set is cool. I just believe that cleaning a hot television set will enable streaking much more than a cool set will (pretty much just like I wouldn't wax my car when its hot.....yeah, I know, my thinking probably makes no sense at all, but hey, its what I do). I have the water in a spray bottle. I mist the towel with the water and then wipe the screen in overlapping horizontal strokes. I always wipe in the same direction...I'll start on the left and wipe right (then repeat that motion) OR start on the right and wipe left (then repeat that motion). I never wipe in a back and forth motion and absolutely never ever ever wipe in a circular motion.

Thats pretty much it.

microfiber.....





Case......................................closed............ ..........................

Microfiber and a few drops of water are all I use.

But then, I've never wiped grilled cheese sandwich goo on my television or anything.