Thinkpads Forum

sorry if this is in the wrong dept., move me around if needed. But I haven't cleaned my screen except to lightly dust it. There are tiny dots of stuff, maybe dirt and dust (I swear I'm a good housekeeper!) and I bought this electromagnetic cloth for cleaning anti-glare computer screens, TV's, etc and you are supposed to be able to use it dry. Well, it did take away the loose dust, but those darned little dots of dirt are still there. Are the sprays okay, maybe I can spray some on this $10 electromagnetic cloth and wipe? I found some spray for anti-glare screens. Thank you

Purcy...check out the FAQ section on "Cleaning tips".

thank you Tearsforfears, for your quick reply.

hehe...no problem...

The "manual" supplied with the TP that I received 3 months ago had quite a bit of info on cleaning.

The Plugged In Guide suggested the Optimist LCD spray and it does work superbly on matte and glossy LCD's.

micro fibre cloths, yeah. sprays, I'm not so sure. I've used them before and all of them leave some kind of residue afterwards. U don't notice it much when the computer is switched on (if at all), but when turned off, u see the marks which bug me a ton.

I found that by just breathing on the screen and getting it to mist up works best. it takes longer but it will not leave any marks what-so-ever giving it a brand new look

I'm kind of partial to rubbing alcohol with a water rinse myself. Cotton balls seem to work well for application, just make sure to squeeze out the excess before wiping.

i myself just use windex/microfiber... i have read on and on about useing windex on a lcd but after my wife took her nailpolish remover to my lcd to remove permanant marker that my son decided to scribble on my 2week old 19"lcd with, i feel that windex cant harm it if it stood up to nail polish remover LOL

I have been using Stoner's Invisible Glass cleaner to clean everything on my Thinkpads-screen, casing, you name it-it does an excellent job! I wipe it down with microfiber cloths.

I use a "glass cleaner" made up of 1 cup 91% isopropyl alcohol, 1 cup tap water and 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar. Never had a problem with it damaging LCD coatings, or leaving streaks. Dries perfectly clear and has removed just about any funk I've used it on. Makes a nice all purpose cleaner too.

bopchie wrote:i myself just use windex/microfiber... i have read on and on about useing windex on a lcd but after my wife took her nailpolish remover to my lcd to remove permanant marker that my son decided to scribble on my 2week old 19"lcd with, i feel that windex cant harm it if it stood up to nail polish remover LOL

There are so many great recommendations here, thank you everyone for replying.

This though is truly remarkable, that an LCD can survive so much. Sort of a relief to know, but this is really a "Do Not Try This At Home" type of deal Glad it all came out good for you.

YEAHHH.....I dont recommend nail polish remover for everyday cleanin....nor would i tell someone to do so, I almost did a triple backflip when she called me at work saying that he drew on my new lcd.....but was relieved when she said she got it all cleaned,until she told me how she did it...NOOOOOOO LOL i thought i was gonna have a foggy spot on it lol. LUCKED OUT!! ....i cant blame her though, he didnt know any better and was just tryin to hep.

Just thought I would add another tip: If you have ink pen marks on your LCD screen, just spray some hairspray directly onto the ink. Let the hairspray sit for just a couple of seconds, then take a damp cloth and wipe it away. It might take a couple of applications, but the ink will be fully removed.

bopchie wrote:i cant blame her though, she didnt know any better and was just tryin to hep.

She lucked out in that she must have used the new (ethyl acetate) low-emission formulation remover.

IIRC the old style remover that contained acetone, MEK or MEBK would have eaten straight through the LCD's plastic overlay.

James

JHEM wrote:

bopchie wrote:i cant blame her though, she didnt know any better and was just tryin to hep.

She lucked out in that she must have used the new (ethyl acetate) low-emission formulation remover.

IIRC the old style remover that contained acetone, MEK or MEBK would have eaten straight through the LCD's plastic overlay.

James

I agree, do not try this at home kids

Paranoid_TP_User wrote:
I agree, do not try this at home kids

Indeed, acetone is truly a last resort around any kind of plastic. YMMV, but many plastics are quickly deteriorated in contact with acetone. Not all (for instance, fiberglass resin seems relatively impervious), but many if not the majority of plastics are apt to be damaged immediately upon contact with acetone. I can't imagine using it on a computer screen.

My habit is to spray tap water (I keep spray bottles handy) and wipe gingerly with clean tissue, lastly dusting very lightly with a clean 2" brush to remove lint. Seems to do the job most times. If something seems pesky, I might spray first (briefly) with 70% isopropyl alcohol (I also keep that handy in small spray bottles for various cleaning duties), then water, and etc. Perhaps it would be less abrasive to use microfiber cloths.

I recently found "Scott's Liquid Gold" clean screen.
It includes a microfiber cloth, and does an absolutely stellar job of cleaning LCDs.
Highly recommended! http://www.scottsliquidgold.com/clean-screen/

A while back I mixed up some screen cleaner that is mostly water with about 10% pure Isopropyl, for quicker evaporation, and 1 drop dish washing liquid, to make the water wetter. Spray on with a pump bottle, and wipe off with a clean micro fiber cloth. Works exceptionally well.

Did you guys notice that this thread is almost 4 years old? And I didn't post to it back then, even though that is about the time I started using the above mixture...

Eric Giles wrote:Just thought I would add another tip: If you have ink pen marks on your LCD screen, just spray some hairspray directly onto the ink. Let the hairspray sit for just a couple of seconds, then take a damp cloth and wipe it away. It might take a couple of applications, but the ink will be fully removed.

Isopropanol works for ink as well.

Neil wrote:
Did you guys notice that this thread is almost 4 years old? And I didn't post to it back then, even though that is about the time I started using the above mixture...

I did notice it and I am the guilty party. I had notices concerning the thread in my email client and revisited it, since I've been wondering about the issue. I figured the information as relevant now as it was then, so why not revive it?