Improper cleaning can damage your screen! Our televisions or computer monitors are beautiful, but cleaning them with window cleaner and a rag you picked up in the kitchen is a surefire way to shorten their lifespan. And ruin the quality of the pictures that are displayed. Here are our 4 tips for properly cleaning the screen of a computer or an OLED, LED, or LCD TV.
When you clean your screen improperly, whether it's a computer screen or your TV screen, you risk damaging it. Modern computer screens and HDTVs are brighter, crisper, and more responsive than ever. But this concentration of technologies is also more delicate.
1. Turn off your screen before cleaning it
Before you start cleaning your OLED, LED, or LCD TV or computer screen, first turn off the device. Ideally, unplug it to ensure it is not yet in operation. Do not clean the screen until it is cool to the touch. A hot screen is more difficult to clean and can be damaged more easily. Letting your TV cool down makes it easier to dislodge any rough surfaces and will dissipate some of the static electricity causing dust to cling.
You can also prepare the ground and dust the biggest with a dust canister (held vertically and at least 30 centimeters from the screen). This will dislodge most of the electrostatically adhering dust particles.
2. Use a good quality microfiber cloth
Never use paper towels or cleaning rags! At the risk of repeating ourselves: modern screens are very delicate. Sopalin is not designed to clean delicate surfaces. It is designed to wipe up grease or your spilled coffee, among other things. The surface of the paper towel, at a microscopic level, is quite abrasive and can lead to smudges and scratches on your monitor.
Also, do not use general-purpose rags. Although they are less rough than paper towels, these old scraps of fabric, which often come from our old washed and rewashed T-shirts, tend to be quite rough. In addition, if they have already been used, they could contain abrasive elements (for example, a small grain of sand wiped off a few days before), which will wreak havoc on your screen. So never use these rags: one pass, and it's over!
Instead, we recommend using a good-quality microfiber cleaning cloth. The microfiber polyester content attracts oil while its polyamide content retains water. Its tiny fibers produce a surface that traps dirt instead of moving it. You can find microfiber cloths in most supermarkets and on Amazon.
3. Never spray liquid directly on the screen
Never spray cleaning fluid directly on the screen, as this could quickly turn into a disaster. Yes, we did before, it's true. But that's because the odds of damaging a 2cm-thick CRT screen from the 90s with a quick squirt of cleaning fluid, a wipe, or a rag were close to zero.
This is no longer the case with modern screens. Flat screens and high-definition televisions are made of layers of thin and very thin materials, including various plastics and adhesive glasses. When the liquid touches the edge of these thinly laminated screens, it can easily seep directly inside the inner layers, just like water moves quickly through a sponge.
4. No ammonia-based liquids or alcohol-based cleaners!
Never use alcohol or ammonia-based cleaning fluid on your screen. Ammonia or alcohol-based cleaners (like Ajax glass cleaners) can damage the screen coatings and give you pretty whitish streaks. Even if you have a glossy panel, that screen is probably covered in things that aren't as durable and tough as glass.
In fact, set aside all cleaning products in favor of a small amount of water on the corner of a microfiber cloth, just enough to dampen it slightly. Then, wipe the screen with the dry part of the cloth to avoid water spots or streaks. Ideally, you can use demineralized or distilled water that is "purer" than tap water.
If you are looking for a natural product that is a little more effective than water, this cleaning kit is perfectly suited to cleaning the screen of your OLED TV.
5. Do the right thing to clean your OLED TV screen!
Always avoid making harsh movements when cleaning and wiping the screen with your clean, dry microfiber cloth.
