What should I clean my LCD with?

Performance, hardware, software, general buying and gaming discussion..
Post Reply
Message
Author
Purcy
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 921
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:29 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA, USA

What should I clean my LCD with?

#1 Post by Purcy » Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:50 pm

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? :x I found some spray for anti-glare screens. Thank you
IBM T23 (2648-4NU) 1.13Ghz Pentium III, 1GB, 60GB 5400rpm, CD/DVD-RW, Internal Wireless, Windows XP Pro SP2 [DONOR]

tfflivemb2
Moderator1
Moderator1
Posts: 5532
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:17 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:

#2 Post by tfflivemb2 » Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:53 pm


Purcy
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 921
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:29 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA, USA

#3 Post by Purcy » Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:35 pm

thank you Tearsforfears, for your quick reply.
IBM T23 (2648-4NU) 1.13Ghz Pentium III, 1GB, 60GB 5400rpm, CD/DVD-RW, Internal Wireless, Windows XP Pro SP2 [DONOR]

tfflivemb2
Moderator1
Moderator1
Posts: 5532
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:17 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:

#4 Post by tfflivemb2 » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:06 pm

hehe...no problem... :wink:

Muse
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 808
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:19 pm
Location: Berkeley, CA

#5 Post by Muse » Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:43 am

The "manual" supplied with the TP that I received 3 months ago had quite a bit of info on cleaning.
"If a star were a grain of salt, you could fit all the stars visible to the naked eye on a teaspoon, but all the stars in the universe would fill a ball eight miles wide." - A Briefer History of Time, Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow

Dec. 2010: Now thought to be over 11 miles wide!

NikoJR
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:21 am
Contact:

#6 Post by NikoJR » Sat Mar 10, 2007 7:26 pm

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

ginoT
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:10 pm
Location: London UK

#7 Post by ginoT » Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:15 pm

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
my thinkpads: X60, X60s, X40, T30

carbon_unit
Moderator Emeritus
Moderator Emeritus
Posts: 2988
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2004 9:10 pm
Location: South Central Iowa, USA

#8 Post by carbon_unit » Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:29 pm

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.
T60 2623-D7U, 3 GB Ram.
Dual boot XP and Linux Mint.
Registered linux user #160145

bopchie
Freshman Member
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:21 am
Location: Mpls,Mn. USA
Contact:

#9 Post by bopchie » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:02 pm

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 ;)
T43 2687-ddu 1024MB, Vista Ultimate
TRU Admin www.TweaksRUs.com

Eric Giles
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 464
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:36 pm
Location: Waynesboro, MS
Contact:

#10 Post by Eric Giles » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:18 pm

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 lost count...

Kaervak
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 280
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:14 pm
Location: Garfield Heights, Ohio

#11 Post by Kaervak » Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:34 pm

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. :)

Purcy
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 921
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:29 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA, USA

#12 Post by Purcy » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:10 am

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 :shock: Glad it all came out good for you.
IBM T23 (2648-4NU) 1.13Ghz Pentium III, 1GB, 60GB 5400rpm, CD/DVD-RW, Internal Wireless, Windows XP Pro SP2 [DONOR]

bopchie
Freshman Member
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:21 am
Location: Mpls,Mn. USA
Contact:

#13 Post by bopchie » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:08 am

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!! :D....i cant blame her though, he didnt know any better and was just tryin to hep.
T43 2687-ddu 1024MB, Vista Ultimate
TRU Admin www.TweaksRUs.com

Eric Giles
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 464
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:36 pm
Location: Waynesboro, MS
Contact:

#14 Post by Eric Giles » Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:27 am

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.
I lost count...

JHEM
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 5571
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 8:03 am
Location: Medford, NJ USA
Contact:

#15 Post by JHEM » Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:29 am

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
James at thinkpads dot com
5.5K+ posts and all I've got to show for it are some feathers.... AND a Bird wearing a Crown

Paranoid_TP_User
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 9:11 am
Location: Ireland

#16 Post by Paranoid_TP_User » Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:23 am

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
My Thinkpad: 2669H2G (T43P)
P M 770(2.13GHz), 2GB RAM, 60GB 7200rpm HD, 15in 1600x1200 LCD, 128MB ATI FireGL V3200

Muse
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 808
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:19 pm
Location: Berkeley, CA

Re:

#17 Post by Muse » Mon Dec 20, 2010 10:42 am

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.
"If a star were a grain of salt, you could fit all the stars visible to the naked eye on a teaspoon, but all the stars in the universe would fill a ball eight miles wide." - A Briefer History of Time, Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow

Dec. 2010: Now thought to be over 11 miles wide!

RealBlackStuff
Admin
Admin
Posts: 17512
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Mt. Cobb, PA USA
Contact:

Re: What should I clean my LCD with?

#18 Post by RealBlackStuff » Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:46 pm

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/
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)

Check out The Boardroom for Parts, Mods and Other Services.

Neil
Senior ThinkPadder
Senior ThinkPadder
Posts: 2915
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 5:41 pm
Location: Paragould AR USA

Re: What should I clean my LCD with?

#19 Post by Neil » Mon Dec 20, 2010 8:13 pm

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.

:eek: 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...
Collection = T500 - R400 - X300 - X200 - T61 (14" WXGA+) - T61 (14.1" SXGA+) - T60 (15" SXGA+) - X40 - T43p - T43 - T42p - A30P - 600E

sir_synthsalot
Sophomore Member
Posts: 201
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 10:52 pm
Location: Canada

Re:

#20 Post by sir_synthsalot » Mon Dec 20, 2010 9:15 pm

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.
I'M DONE WITH THINKPADS, JUST DONE!!!

Muse
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 808
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:19 pm
Location: Berkeley, CA

Re: What should I clean my LCD with?

#21 Post by Muse » Mon Dec 20, 2010 9:50 pm

Neil wrote:
:eek: 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? :|
"If a star were a grain of salt, you could fit all the stars visible to the naked eye on a teaspoon, but all the stars in the universe would fill a ball eight miles wide." - A Briefer History of Time, Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow

Dec. 2010: Now thought to be over 11 miles wide!

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “Thinkpad - General HARDWARE/SOFTWARE questions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests