You're sitting at your desk on a normal workday, the afternoon sun shines directly on your screen, and you suddenly realise you don’t remember the last time you cleaned your screen, and that it was a bad idea ignoring it. Majority of us don’t even bother finding out how we're supposed to clean it. We see others do it, or are guilty of doing it ourselves – cleaning off the screen or trying to remove a smudge by wiping it with any material we can get our hands on. This list often includes tissues, napkins, sleeves, or towels, and while those may work on your smartphone, they can cause serious damage to large more sophisticated devices. What's worse, those methods don't help limit the spread of bacteria that can live on the screen and even worse, can travel with you if you used your shirt!
Computer screens, iPads, mobile phones, etc are often used in vulnerable locations and at times the same device may be handled by multiple people throughout the day. Experts recommend that you should only clean your screens once a month. Here we take you through how to clean your digital screens, including which products you should and shouldn't use.
Though it may seem like a straight-forward task, there are a few important things you should know before you clean your computer screen:
The way you clean your computer screen depends on what it's made of - you have to be more cautious with LED/LCD screens than glass-coated ones.
LCD/LED screen
• LED/LCD screens are mostly found on Windows computers. Unlike glass-coated screens, they're made up of tiny liquid crystals and can be very easily damaged if you're not careful. Most touchscreens and matte displays are LED/LCD.
• Check on your manufacturer's website and do some research on what kinds of solutions are safe for the screen type you have, factors like whether your screen is matte or a touchscreen may affect this.
• If you don't want to order a specific cleaning solution, you can make one out of one part white vinegar and one part water.
Glass-coated screen
• The screens you find on most Mac computers are glass-coated. Displays like this are a little less delicate than LED or LCD screens.
• If you have a glass-coated screen on your computer, you have a few more options as to what cleaners you can use, but you should still be careful. You can use solutions: Windex, Clorox disinfectant, or a solution with 70 per cent isopropyl alcohol.
Before you begin, here are some dos and don’ts to follow before cleaning your screen:
What To Do
• Turn off your device before cleaning.
• Remove any dust on the screen with the dry microfiber cloth or a soft duster.
• Use filtered or distilled water, especially in areas with hard water - minerals like calcium and magnesium in the water you use could also damage your screen.
• To avoid any risk of damage from excess moisture, spray the solution directly onto the microfiber cloth.
• Wipe in tight, Z-shaped motions, or directly up and down or side to side.
What Not To Do
• Maybe you can get away with using a high percentage of alcohol or even a window cleaner on your laptop screen once or twice. But if you keep at it, eventually you’ll see the harmful effects.
• Don’t use any rough fabric. Even a fabric as soft as a cotton has unevenness that can damage a computer screen.
• Do not use anything containing bleach to clean your screen.
• Never spray any cleaning solution directly onto the screen.
• Do not apply pressure when you clean the screen. This will likely damage the internal components of the screen.
• While cleaning, make sure no moisture accumulates, especially at the corners - if it does, use a dry corner of microfiber cloth to gently wipe it away.
• Even if you're trying to wipe off a stubborn spot, don't scrub. Rather, leave the damp cloth sitting on the screen for several minutes, then try to gently wipe it away again.
Follow These Steps To Clean Your Computer Screen The Correct Way:
1. Turn off your computer
2. Dust off the screen
3. Spray a dust-free side of your microfiber cloth with a cleaning solution that is safe for the type of screen you have.
4. Wipe the screen in a consistent, non-circular motion without applying too much pressure.
5. Check for moisture, if any, wipe using microfiber cloth.
6. Allow the screen to air dry.
7. If any streaks remain once the screen dries, gently buff them away with the dry cloth.
Follow These Steps To Clean Your Mobile/Tablet Screens The Correct Way:
1. Remove your phone case and power down your device.
2. Gently wipe the exterior of your phone with a clean microfiber cloth to get rid of smudges and crud.
8. Next, reach for a Lysol disinfecting wipe, they'll effectively remove any germs. Spray a microfiber cloth with it and gently wipe down every surface of your phone while avoiding the ports.
3. Let your phone air dry for a minimum of 5-10 minutes.
4. Reach for a clean paper towel or dry microfiber cloth. Wipe away any leftover moisture.
5. Finally, clean your phone case. Repeat the same process with your phone case.