Cleaning the Screen, wet cloth?

This post: Apple - Support - MacBook Pro - Care and Handling
says clean the screen with a damp cloth... are we talking water here? Man, seems scary to put water on my $2500 electronic device... maybe I will just buff it with my car sander

Yes, a slightly damp cloth with water. Like a paper towel with some water that you squeeze 95% of the water out.

Or got to your local Officemax/Best Buy/Office Depot/Staples and get LCD cleaning wipes.

You could also use the micro fiber cloth with a little water on it.

Don't use anything that has citrus or alcohol. >_>" Some people had to find that out the hard way and watch their anti glare finish go byebye.

s2odin said:

Yes, a very damp cloth with water.

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I would suggest "slightly damp".
You don't want to take the chance of liquid running down your screen into your Mac. It's just not worth taking the chance.
And honestly, only a teeny, tiny bit of water is needed to clean smudges off your screen. Usually (99% of the time) the dry micro-fiber cloth that comes with your Mac is all that is needed. Use EXTREME caution with liquids around your electronics.

MYmacROX said:

I would suggest "slightly damp".

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Yea, that lol. I just noticed that. The sentence after that said like 95% of the water our, but that's not "very" damp lol.

I often use the micro-fiber cloth to clean mine, when the dust is quite hard to remove I use wet wipes then use another micro-fiber cloth to wipe it again.

I use a slightly damp soft cotton cloth to clean the screen, and immediately follow up with a microfiber cloth to dry and polish. You just have to be careful that your damp cloth is sufficiently wrung out so that you don't have water running down your screen.

I posted a similar question yesterday sadly with zero replies. It was titled "iclear vs. iklear". From what I gathered in reading various threads, it seemed to me that those two were the safest. Its not worth trial and error when it comes to the computer for me. My question was regarding cleaning all aspects of my 13" MBP (bought 8/10), exterior, screen, and keyboard/interior. I went to Target today and was looking at the iphone cases (just got one!) when I saw, "Speck, best case scenario". Its for portable GPS, laptops and mobile electronics. It says, "keeps GPS, laptop and other device screens looking their best. Gel-based formula safely removes dust and fingerprints without dripping or streaking." It was $9.99 and comes with a "soft cleaning mitt". My thinking was the screen is more delicate than the aluminum so it should be mild enough to use on the rest of my MBP as well. Does anyone know if that is the case? Or would it not be safe on the aluminum? I feel like a good chemistry teacher could know the answer to this. "Anyone, anyone.... Bueller??" Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I've used iClear on the older non-glossy displays and have good luck with it for years. I've never tried it on one of the modern glossy screens.

Apple's old screen cloth, combined with lightly breathing on the screen, seems to do the trick. My MacBook Air didn't come with one, but my old MacBook did--not sure if Apple still sells them. Just breathe on your screen, wipe it with the cloth, and then give it a final polish.

I don't recommend using any sort of towel on the screen. It's similar to the reason towels aren't recommended for washing vehicles--whereas a towel may leave marks or scratches on the paint of the car, towels (paper or cloth) may do the same for screens. (With paper towels, I'd be more concerned about leaving behind dust--if you've ever cleaned your glasses with a paper towel you know what I speak of).

Apple's old screen cloth, combined with lightly breathing on the screen, seems to do the trick. My MacBook Air didn't come with one, but my old MacBook did--not sure if Apple still sells them. Just breathe on your screen, wipe it with the cloth, and then give it a final polish.

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This has always worked for me with my Macs, phones, sunglasses, etc.

I work on laptops for a living and everyone of them leaves my shop perfectly clean, all I use is cotton towels with Windex diluted half with water. I spray the towel and rub the cloth together then wipe the whole computer down including the screen and have never even once had a problem and they look brand new afterword.

So if I used that half water half windex, the ammonia wouldn't effect the finish on the aluminum? I have a 13" MBP bought 8/10. Thanks!

gartlandkm said:

So if I used that half water half windex, the ammonia wouldn't effect the finish on the aluminum? I have a 13" MBP bought 8/10. Thanks!

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Absolutely not, I've cleaned hundreds of desktop computers and laptops, yes MacBook Pro's also and have never discolored anything. I also use Goo Gone to remove stickers and labels and other grime that people get on their keyboards and screens, (some people are slobs when it comes to keeping their computers clean), then follow up with the Windex solution. I refurbish a lot of laptops this way and they look brand new when done. Just don't spray anything down inside of the computer, always spray the cloth first.