How to Clean an LCD Monitor Screen or Flat-Screen TV
As with other electronic items, monitors and televisions can attract dust and get marred by blemishes, such as children’s fingerprints. Fortunately, cleaning your LCD monitor or flat-screen TV is a straightforward process that doesn’t require any pricey chemicals.
LCD TVs are sensitive and need to be cleaned carefully to keep the screens from getting scratched or damaged. Plasma TVs also have glass screens, but manufacturers often applied a sensitive anti-glare coating, so they should be treated like an LCD TV.
For LCD sets, the advice is simple: Clean with a soft, dry cloth to avoid scratching the screen.
Here are the steps for cleaning your LCD screen monitor or flat-screen TV.
In all cases, turn off the TV or even unplug it, prior to cleaning. In addition to it being safer for the set, it’s usually easier to see dirt or finger smudges when the screen is dark. It also gives the TV a chance to cool down.
Start With a Dry, Soft Cloth - Screens can scratch easily, and even paper towels or tissues contain fibers that can do damage. Your best bet is to use a soft, anti-static microfiber cloth—the kind used to clean eyeglasses and camera lenses—and wipe in a circular motion. Gently wipe the screen with a dry cloth to remove dust and other debris, but don’t press too hard.
If there are hard-to-remove stains, you can dampen the cloth slightly with A 50%/50% mixture of distilled water and white vinegar, and gently clean the screen. Don’t spray water directly onto the screen, which could cause a shock or component failure if it seeps into the inner workings of the set.
If you do use a dampened cloth, go over the screen one more time with a dry one to remove any swirls or streaks.