Cleaning the Screen on a Mac (?)

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In a recent thread I read that you shouldn't use any kind of liquid t clean the screen, and I'm not disputing that, my problem is that I often have sudden sneeze "attacks", and my screen gets it. I've tried the small black cloth which came with my iMac, but is not doing much good. Is there any thing else I can try? Thanks for your help.

Pete (The Oldfella)
 
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I usually very lightly dampen a kleenex a rub, if you put on to much water you are going to end up getting water streaks, which will be visible when your screen turns off.
 
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I generally use the pots of disposable moistened office "wet wipe" type cleaners. I usually give my macbook a good going over a couple of types a week to keep it clean. It does a good job of removing finger residue from the keyboard too.

I'm using these at the moment, but they are all pretty much the same and fairly inexpensive. You should avoid furniture and glass cleaning products though, they can damage your screen.
 
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Actually what I was told to do was "use damp cloth and a tiny bit of dishwashing detergent". Not the toxic stuff just some stuff you can put your hands in. And then you wipe it all off with a damp cloth and it should be fine. Lint free would help. I did this on my older style imac with a matte screen.

And I'm sure the glossy screens would be the same. As it's just a piece of glass infront of the actual screen.
 

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In a recent thread I read that you shouldn't use any kind of liquid to clean the screen

Well this certainly not very good advice from the other thread. You can always use a lightly moistened (water) "micro fiber" cloth to clean your Mac's display.

The key is to lightly moisten the cloth...and NOT spray the screen where it might "dribble" down the screen...and possibly get into the electronics of the display, the laptop, or the iMac's "innards"!

You can even use a lightly moistened paper towel if you want. But I guess the "rougher" paper towel could scratch the screen if you get too aggressive...and the towel may leave some paper towel "boogers" on the screen.

You can also go to an Office supply store like Staples or Office Max...they sell special monitor cleaning wipes.

Hope this helps,

- Nick
 
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The special wipes are basically 50/50 alcohol and water. I use a small spray bottle filled with 50/50 denatured alcohol (any hardware store has it in the paint aisle) and water (distilled is best, but tap works just fine).

Spray a soft cloth (as mentioned above, do not spray the screen), then wipe down the screen. Works great, much less expensive than the pre-made stuff, and works for your LCD or plasma TV as well.
 
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I just use Windex, but I spray the cloth prior to the cleaning (only a small amount) and works just fine. I have those electronics cleaning thingies as well but they seem to be better on LCDs than this iMac screen.
 
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Thanks, folks - I appreciate you info and advice.

Pete (The oldfella)
 
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It really depends on whether you are talking about the lcd screen on a laptop or about the glass front of an iMac - soap and water will do fine for the latter - or any glass cleaning fluid, while for the lcd screen you need something devised especially for such screens.
 
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Cleaning an LCD Screen

I found this information on a web site, so that must mean it's good advice! ;)

You can purchase screen-cleaning kits at computer supply stores or your local electronics outlet, but they are expensive and the stores aren't always convenient.

Here is a really inexpensive and simple suggestion. All you need are four items:
Spray bottle
Distilled water
White vinegar or isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
Clean, soft cloth

Mix the distilled water and the vinegar or alcohol. (Never use tap water. Tap water has minerals in it that will leave streaks.) The best ratio is 1:1, which would be like a half-cup of distilled water and a half-cup of vinegar or alcohol. Put the mixture into the spray bottle.

Make sure the LCD screen or television is turned off. It is much easier to see the dirt with the screen turned off.

Spray the mixture onto the soft clean cloth. Never spray the mixture directly onto the screen. The screen is delicate and that much force could damage the screen. Now gently wipe the screen with the dampened cloth. Start at the top of the screen, and very gently make your way down the screen. Let your screen dry before turning it back on. This will only be a few seconds.

A couple of hints that will help keep your screen lasting longer:

Remember not to touch the screen with your fingers or hands. The oil and dirt from your hands can damage the screen by burning the pixels out. Just like your mother used to tell you, keep your hands to yourself.

If all you need is a quick dusting of the LCD screen, try using anti-static and anti-cling sheets that are used for the dryer. They are great for removing the dust without damaging the screen.
 
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If it's glass, just use the least amount of chemicals. Warm dampened microfiber cloth will suffice. a touch of mild soap if you want to get greasy stuff or more solidified stuff off. Use a separate microfiber cloth to dry.

I've used Radtech's cleaning solution, and thought it was good at first.. but after a few months of using it, I noticed that it leaves really nasty dry film streaks. I don't use it unless I'm in a pinch, but then I have to really be careful of how I'm drying the screen, because it's so unstable.

If it's a matte screen, just use a slightly damp micro fiber to wipe and dry. Nothing else is actually necessary. I think all the screen cleaning products that are sold by third party co's are pure hype. If you really want to be anal about it, you can use purified water so that there are no minerals involved. Any local car parts store will have this sort of thing. I use distilled/purified water in a process to clean my vinyl records.

Doug
 
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Real good info, folks - Thanks.

Pete
 
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Dampen a paper towel with a little H2O Pete and use that keeping sprays, including Windex and alcohol wipes well away mate.
 
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I use iKlear myself, a great product. I have a matt screen MBP and a matt 23" acer monitor, and the iKlear effortlessly cleans both.
 
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Thanks Harry and John. Take care, friends.

Pete (The Oldfella)
 

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+1 for iKlear here as well. I have been using them off and on since the iBook SE days I think. They have a kit which contains both pre-moistened wipes, a bottle of cleaning fluid, and a microfiber cloth. The spray and cloth are good for general use as needed and the towelettes are great to throw in a travel bag with the laptop.
 
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The little white booklet that came with my iMac says to shut it down and then disconnect all cables before cleaning...do I really need to go to that extent?
 
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Cables - no. As long as you do not get any water/cleaning fluid on the cables. But shutdown I would say yes.
 
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I'll stick to my 3 dollar big bottle of LCD cleaner (propylene glycol) and microfiber cloth, thanks. No need to over pay for iKlear. Then again, you'd overpay for the rocketfish kit I use too. I think it's 20 retail. <3 that employee discount.
 

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