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Best way to clean LCDs?
23 points by andr on Feb 12, 2008 | hide | past | favorite | 23 comments
Lots of dust on my street, so I'm looking for a better way to clean my screens, preferably without destroying the glazing.




I tested once on a Dell Latitude C820 notebook - crappy enough to not care about.

It had a normal matte screen (non glare). I wiped with a wet cloth and I also used dish washing liquid to remove oil and fingerprints. Everything was easily cleaned. I also wiped very hard to find out how much abuse the screen could take. I did not damage anything. These displays are much sturdier than anyone would think!

So just go ahead. Subconsciously I am sure I wanted to destroy this crapbox. But I didn't. In the end I had to throw it with force on a concrete floor. That finally did the job ;o).

Oh, yes, I have forgotten: this is america. Please shut down the computer, disconnect all cords, remove the battery, discharge yourself, and no warranty. You act on your own risk etc. pp.


50% isopropyl alcohol + 50% h2o, mix in a spritzer bottle and spray directly to a microfiber cloth. Power down your LCD, and clean away.


Probably better to just use straight water on a cloth. There shouldn't be that much stuff on your monitors that you need to use isopropyl alcohol.

I tried using isopropyl on a CRT back in the day and it took off some kind of coating that was on the monitor, and I've been afraid to do it again ever since.


Power down your house to make sure...


Our local pound shop sells cloths designed for drying glasses after you've washed them, however I find they're great for cleaning my screens, LCD or otherwise.

Just wipe the screen with a damp (not dripping wet) cloth, then dry with the glass cloth, simple as that.

I also use the same cloth (there were two in the packet) for cleaning my camera lenses & specs as well.

Well worth the pound I spent on it.


Real coders work on dirty screens


My coding screen is dirty, but I want to clean the other one. :)


real coders dont need screens


Real coders sit down at 2am, close their eyes and scream like a banshee while pounding the keyboard furiously. After about 2 minutes of this, they calmly stand up, grab a Jolt, and watch while the custom operating system they just wrote in their own custom language (implemented in Arc and Javascript) compiles...

(The screaming is important. It makes you look like a mad scientist.)


heh they code with their eyes closed


real coders don't have screens to clean: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair_8800


Real men use spit and old socks.


I have a silk sunglasses bag that seems to work ok.



Never use any cleaning liquids! They do more damage than good. Just use a microfiber cloth and tap or distilled water.


I usually use a clean, wet cloth. That gets off dust and stuff. For oils, I'd probably use dilute window cleaner.


I have read some LCD manuals that specifically warn against cleaners that contain ammonia -- i.e., window cleaner.

I've have good luck with a big micro-fiber lens-cleaning cloth dampened with a squirt of eyeglasses-cleaner. I've also heard that diluted isopropyl alcohol is a good choice. There are also cleaning fluids specifically intended for use on LCD screens.


Cotton shirt and vinegar. Works like a charm.


i use an old cat


I use compressed air.


We had an air compressor at my old job and wow did that thing do a fantastic job of cleaning out the innards of computers.


i take those lcd cleaning wipes from the office




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