How To Clean LCD, Plasma, & Anti-glare Screens  

FIRST THINGS FIRST:

Avoid using kleenex, paper towels, sponges or other coarse shop towels, as these materials may contain abrasives that

can scratch plastic, your screen. Also, do not clean your screen with strong cleaners, polishes or chemically treated cloths.

     Avoid these cleaning chemicals: keytone type material (Acetone), alkalis, acids, phosphates, chlorides, ammonia, or caustics

    as they can cause damage to coatings or LCD polarizers. These chemicals are also not safe for the plastic materials found in

             computer  equipment.  We also do not recommend any cleaner that claims to leave behind any type of surface protective coating or

                                 protective layer. Most computer monitors have a anti-glare coating on the screen surface. Anything that leaves a coating to this surface

                                 will affect  the effectiveness of the anti-glare coating.

 Care and cleaning of LCD, Plasma, High Definition TV (HDTV) & Anti-glare Screens:

              Microfiber cloths do an excellent job of picking up dust and removing smudges. They will also remove oily finger prints from a surface

without spreading them around and without the use of additional cleaners. 

    Micro-Fiber Cloths are environmentally friendly, reduce money spent on cleaners, generate almost zero waste.             

 Caution: 

Take extreme care when cleaning any of the following screen types as you would an expensive camera lens, use high quality cleaning materials and tested techniques.

LCD screens are not made of glass.The LCD surface is made of a soft film that is vulnerable to scratches, damage by sharp articles or improper cleaners.

Most cathode ray tube (CRT) type monitors have anti-glare coatings to help reduce reflections; scratches and/or harsh cleaners can damage this surface.

Many large screen and projection type TV's, have a screen that is made of a plastic or acrylic type material.

These type screens require special attention to clean properly and safely.

• Plasma screens are made of glass substrate but are usually coated for glare reduction.
• Glare reduction add-on screens are coated for reduced reflection.
• Most HDTV's have surface coatings for glare reduction.

 Guidelines for LCD, Plasma & Anti-glare Computer Screen Cleaning:

The following instructions are good, general and safe methods for keeping your screen clean without causing surface damage.

Use your microfiber screen cloth and do not apply excessive pressure.

Use quality approved liquid cleaners, formulated specifically for the type of screen on hand, and only when needed.

Since the most common type of screen cleaning is just dust on the surface, we recommend using a high quality microfiber screen cloth without

any type of additional cleaner for everyday type screen cleaning. Even fingerprints can be removed by quality microfiber screen cloths. For more stubborn dirt and/or stains, use a soft, lint free screen cleaning cloth lightly sprayed with a quality screen cleaner.               

These type of products are readily available from Vendmark Technology. For more visit http://www.vendmarktech.com/page22.html.html

For on the road laptop / notebook users, we recommend the use of our laptop/notebook wipes for everyday usage. Instead of carrying the liquid cleaner,

use these pre-moistened screen wipes. Pre-moistened wipes are convenient, and you do not need to worry about any sort of liquid leaking onto your clothes or equipment.

Important: Be sure your monitor is turned off. This is a safety issue, also it is easier to see the reflection off the surface of the monitor when turned off.

 Removing Dust & Dirt Particles:

By using a soft cleaning cloth, gently  wipe away any larger dirt particles. This can also be safely aided with the use of canned air.      

Use a microfiber cloth or a soft lint free wipe to clean the surface. Applying light pressure, wipe the screen but do not overwork any area. If you have areas of the screen that do not come clean then go on to the next step. Make sure the cloth itself does not contain any abrasive contaminants. Remember, most screens have an anti-glare coating that can be easily scratched.

For dirt, stains or streaking, use liquid screen cleaning solution. It may be necessary on a larger screen to work one-half or third of the screen at a time. Do not spray the cleaner directly onto the screen as excess moisture could seep into the edge of the screen causing problems, so be cautious when using liquid cleaners. Spray a liberal amount of the cleaner onto a soft, lint free cleaning cloth, and gently wipe the screen.

Applying light pressure, work quickly so as to come back to the same area before it dries. With the screen cleaner applied to the surface of the screen, reposition the cloth in your hand finding a dryer section of cloth and continue wiping the screen past the point of most friction caused by the nearly dry screen. At this point reposition the cloth one more time and lightly wipe to finish polish. Finally clean the edges and corners, lifting any dust or debris into the cloth, and polish to a streak free shine using a microfiber cloth.

Check microfiber cloth to see if it needs cleaning; if so, follow the cloth cleaning instruction listed below before next usage.

Important: Static Electricity is real and can be dangerous around your computer equipment.

Click here to read more about static electricity and how to control it..

Microfiber Cloth Cleaning Tips:

One of the advantages of microfiber cloths is that they can be washed and reused over and over many times.                                  

For cleaning, wash cloths either by hand or in a washing machine, in warm water, adding a small amount of detergent.

Do not use any bleach or fabric softener and rinse at least one extra time. Air dry or use a clothes dryer on low heat, again no fabric softener.

How to clean ink from a laptop / notebook screen or CRT?

We carry a cleaner specifically formulated for laptop / notebooks that will remove some inks from the screen (not heavy or permanent inks).

It is a pre-moistened wipe, click here for details.  With gentle wiping, this normally will remove many inks from a screen.

Feel free to distribute this article through out your organization. For further clarification of any step, or to order any of the mentioned cleaners,

please contact us at 604.589.7194 or send email to info@vendmarktech.com.                                     

Here are examples of screen cleaning techniques: