How to Safely Clean Your LCD Screen

When I decided to go from my old, durable CRT monitor to a swanky new LCD one, I was all excited and couldn't wait to get my hands on my beautiful new acquisition. When I finally got my shipment, I wasn't disappointed at all with the looks of my new LCD monitor. It was awesome to look at and a real sight to behold. When I turned it on, things only got better. Everything looked so much crisper and sharper and just so much more wonderful. In all my excitement, I hadn't paused to wonder about how one should care for one's LCD monitor. I had just assumed (as I would imagine a whole lot of people out there would) that you clean an LCD monitor just the way you clean your normal CRT monitor. Well, turns out that you can't and that if you do, you could end up spoiling your beautiful LCD screen. I certainly committed a couple of absolute rookie mistakes in hindsight that could have cost me dear. Thankfully, none of my mistakes proved anywhere near as costly, as it could to you perhaps. So, here are a few tips on how to care for your LCD screen so you don’t make the mistakes most new LCD owners make:

Seven Tips On How and How Not To Clean Your LCD Monitor

Tip 1: Never ever use paper towels, tissue papers or your regular cloths to clean your LCD screen. These materials aren't as smooth as you think they are. Using these can be the worst thing you can do to your LCD screen. You could end up scratching your LCD screen, instead of actually cleaning it. Now, that would be ironical, wouldn't it? That you start with the intention of cleaning something and end up actually destroying it!! Rather than use the above materials, use soft cloth like the microfiber ones you get with your eye glasses, or other lint-free cloths.

Tip 2: Do not ever use cleaning solutions that contain any of the following - ammonia, acetone, ethyl alcohol, toluene, methyl chloride or ethyl acid. Most glass-cleaning cleaners contain these chemicals, so do watch out for these. Cleaning with solutions containing any of these can end up damaging your LCD screen as these chemicals can react with the materials your LCD screen is made of.

Tip 3: If a dry cloth won't do and you do need to use a solution, use distilled water, not tap water. However, don't spray directly onto your screen, doing so could damage your screen!! Instead, dampen your microfiber cloth with a small amount and then wipe gently across your screen, from left to right.

Tip 4: Do not exert pressure on your LCD monitor while cleaning. Excess pressure can damage the pixels your LCD screen is made of and could leave you with spots on your screen where the pixels don't light up as a result of the damage.

Tip 5: Do the cleaning with the monitor turned off. You would be able to see the dust/dirty areas more easily when the monitor is off.

Tip 6: LCD screens are not made for touching, so try to avoid touching them, poking them, etc. I had the habit of touching my old CRT monitor to point out something, but I am unlearning that habit now. If you do need to point out something to someone, do so with the cursor utilizing the mouse. Touching can cause scratches, but can also damage one pixel or multiple pixels, certainly not worth the risk!!

Tip 7: If you are unsure of the exact constituents of a cleaning solution and whether they might do harm to your LCD screen, it is wise to try out the solution on a small portion of your screen, rather than gamble on the full screen. It is wiser still to check and verify the exact constituents of the cleaning solution you intend to use on your LCD screen and if indeed it is meant for cleaning LCD screens.