Screen cleaner: How to remove dirt from displays

Tips & Tricks
Use screen cleaner correctly: You should definitely avoid these mistakes

If the tablet or laptop monitor is covered in fingerprints, screen cleaners can help clear the view. The following guide explains what you need to pay attention to when cleaning your display.

A display magically attracts fingerprints. This is especially true for tablets and smartphones, which are naturally operated with the hands. But laptop monitors are also full of nasty grease fingers. This usually happens when you close the display. You should clean the display at the latest when there is a stain on the webcam that affects its recording quality. But be careful not to carelessly wipe the screen with a wet cloth!

Screen cleaner: tips and tricks

Because in case of doubt, this destroys the sensitive electronics of the screen. Of course, we’ll tell you how to do it better. However, before we start cleaning electronic devices, there is a rule of thumb to follow: We turn them off and, if possible, unplug them from the power supply.

And when the power is removed, we press the power button again for 20 seconds so that any residual voltage is removed from the device. This way we avoid short circuits if we get the crazy idea of ​​wiping the screen with a wet cloth.

Tip 1: Dry cleaning

But we don’t do that because we inform ourselves beforehand and now we know that we first try to remove the stains with one Microfiber cloth to clean. Of course, cleaning devils who are particularly self-conscious use this Apple microfiber cloth for just 25 euros. For Windows users, a normal microfiber cloth is sufficient.

Important: When cleaning, do not press too hard on the display as this could cause it to break. Instead of pressing, let the cloth do the work and wipe several times. Please note that in most cases a dry microfiber cloth is only sufficient for glazed displays. For displays without glazing and even more dirt, the right liquid helps and it has to be used correctly.

Tip 2: Liquid screen cleaner

Unappetizing, but true: Severe soiling usually happens to allergy sufferers in spring or when you sit in front of the computer with a serious flu and have to sneeze. When choosing the liquid, you have two options: Either you buy a designated one Screen cleaner. The advantage is that it comes in a spray can and is easy to dose. The disadvantage, however, is its higher price compared to the second option and that is Isopropanol alcohol.

We would like to recommend it to you and it is also recommended by Apple itself when it comes to cleaning keyboards, screens, etc. The great thing about alcohol is that it not only cleans surfaces, but also disinfects them directly. This is particularly practical for smartphones and tablets, because there are more bacteria and viruses on their surfaces than you might think. And of course you can also use the alcohol on other surfaces in the household.

The reason why electronic devices are preferred to be cleaned with isopropanol is due to the fact that it evaporates much more quickly and that the alcohol also reliably dissolves fats and dirt. Nevertheless, you must of course switch off electronic devices before cleaning, unplug them from the power supply and, if possible, release the residual voltage.

Important: Do not tip or spray the alcohol or the dedicated screen cleaner directly onto the devices! The following applies here: moisten the cloth with the cleaning agent of your choice and only then clean it. Be careful with alcohol if you want to drip it directly from the bottle onto the cloth. It’s more relaxing if you drink the alcohol in one Atomizer Fill it and use it to slightly moisten the cloth.

Tip 3: Stabilize the laptop display from behind

As with dry cleaning, you should of course not press too hard on the display if you care about its well-being, but let the screen cleaner do the work. When cleaning a laptop display, it is also advisable to stabilize the screen from behind with one hand, otherwise you could destroy the folding function of the display.

Tip 4: Glasses cleaning cloths and brushes

If you don’t have isopropanol alcohol on hand, but do damp glasses cleaning cloths, you can of course also use these to clean a display. There are also disposable moistened wipes for monitors. However, they are significantly more expensive than isopropanol and offer no added value in comparison, but simply produce more waste. The isopropanol alcohol is also ideal for cleaning the mouse and keyboard.

Also welcome when cleaning technical equipment is a gentle brush, which you can use to remove dust from fine slots. However, make sure that you do not push the dust into the cracks. If this happens, turn your hairdryer to cold and try to blow out the dust. Something more precise and stronger would be a electric dust bloweror a Compressed air spray.

Tip 5: You should avoid these materials when cleaning!

We already know that we unplug the devices before cleaning and do not spray the cleaning agent directly on the device. It should also be mentioned that you should of course make sure that the microfiber cloth is not dripping with moisture so that it does not penetrate into any openings. You should also avoid using lint-bearing materials such as towels and rough paper towels when cleaning because the lint can get caught in the device. And if some moisture gets into a slot, don’t make the mistake of putting the device back into operation immediately. Here it is important to wait, and if in doubt, a day longer rather than less.

Sources: Apple.com

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