Have you ever been tempted to clean your TV with some regular glass cleaner and some paper towels? Stop. You’re going to mess your TV up. Our article is all about cleaning your flat screen television!
It’s very common to find dust, fingerprints, especially if you have kids, and even dried saliva on the television screen from outbursts of emotional excitement and outbursts of emotional disdain.
Why Flat TV Screens Are So Delicate?
Flat screen TVs are surprisingly delicate, and you need to be extra careful if you want to avoid causing any accidental damage. Flat screen televisions are made with a very thin layer of glass. You must be careful when caring a flat screen TV, if these crack, the plasma cells will be ruined and the screen cannot be repaired.
This is why you have to be so careful when cleaning your flat screen television. You don’t want to use anything that is going to scratch the surface of your television.
You should never use any type of window cleaner, soap, scouring powder. If you decide to go the commercial route, make sure that you follow the instructions on the bottle.
How To Clean TV Screen Carefully
How you clean your television is going to depend on the degree of dirtiness. But no matter how dirty the television gets, we will always use a microfiber cloth. Never ever use paper towels or tissues because those materials are wood based and the fibers and those products could potentially scratch the television screen. Also, never use household cleaners because household cleaners contain either alcohol or they contain ammonia. Both of those two products will dry out the screen and eventually over time, scratch and crack it. So let’s get started.
Level One Cleaning
So let’s talk about the level one cleaning. Your TV may not have fingerprints, it may not have dried saliva on it. If that’s the case, it may just need a good dusting. And if it needs a good dusting, grab your microfiber cloth, make sure it’s dry, and just start wiping it off and dusting it. Dust the TV with a soft, dry microfiber cloth or with an electrostatic duster, like GH Seal star, Swiffer, from top to bottom, wiping off all the dust particles. Spot-clean stubborn smudges with a pre-moistened wipe designed for electronics. With your microfiber cloth or duster, go over buttons and the back of the TV to nab dust in the vents
Now, if your TV does have some fingerprints on it, then we can move on to the level two cleaning.
Level Two Cleaning
For the level two cleaning, we’re going to take our microfiber cloth and we are going to dampen the cloth with distilled water. Don’t use regular tap water because regular tap water tends to leave residue. Use distilled water. And when I say damp microfiber cloth, I mean ultra damp. You shouldn’t be able to ring this cloth and water start dripping, make sure it’s ultra damp.
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,” says John Walsh, CR photographer.
From that point, what you’re going to do is you’re going to come to where the fingerprints are at and you can use a circular motion and just wipe away those fingerprints. Don’t press too hard though. You don’t want to distort any of the pixels. Just repeat the process on the fingerprints in little circular motions until the TV screen comes clean.
Level Three Cleaning
Now, if your TV is really bad and you couldn’t get the job done with the level two cleaning, then we need to move on to the level three cleaning. For the level three clean, you’re going to need to spend a little money though and buy an actual electronics cleaner. There are a slew of them out there. We use this one right here. This is Windex Electronics Cleaner. I’m not going to say it’s the best one because, frankly, I don’t know what the best one is. Like I said, there’s a slew of them. But any electronics cleaner should do for the level three clean. Real quick before we get started, what makes an electronics cleaner and electronics cleaner is that they don’t contain ammonia or alcohol like regular cleaners.
Video: How to Clean a TV Screen (LED, Plasma, & LCD)
Avoid Harmful Chemicals
Regular cleaners like Don Aslett’s Clean & Brite Set (1 Quart Concentrate and 32 Oz Ready-To-Use Spray Bottle) Floor Cleaner contain alcohol in them. Windex contains ammonia. Now, do people still use these products to clean their television screens? Absolutely. Does it get the job done? Absolutely. But at what price? There’s people that will tell you to mix one part rubbing alcohol and one part water and then they’ll clean their television screens with it. But what they don’t realize is that over time, they’re drying that screen out and they could potentially ruin the television, crack the screen, scratch it with those products. People spend thousands of dollars on these flat screens. So it’s important that you get this right. If you find an electronics cleaner and electronics cleaner that’s got ammonia or alcohol in it, run away from it like a wild beast is chasing you.
The point is, if a flat screen cleaner contains harmful chemicals like alcohol and ammonia, which are also found in window cleaners such as Windex, it can damage your expensive flat-screen TV. So only use cleaners that don’t have these harmful chemicals.
Before applying any cleaners to your device, be sure to check the ingredients list. According to HelloTech, benzene and acetone can both cause permanent discoloration of your screen – something much worse than a smear or streak!
So back to the level three clean. Take your electronics cleaner and your microfiber cloth. Don’t spray the TV, spray your cloth. Unless your owner’s manual specifically prohibits it, carefully wipe the screen with a damp, lint-free cloth. When using water, be sure to spray onto the cleaning towel rather than directly onto the screen. This will give you more control over where the water is going and how much is being used.
And if you’re doing this level, it’s a pretty nasty television. Just start wiping away the fingerprints and all the gunk, any sticky stuff, just whatever you find on the screen. Just work your way from top to bottom here. You can even do little circular motions and just repeat that process until the television comes clean and you should be good.
All-In-One Cleaner Kit
Another way of cleaning flat screen is special designed all-in-one cleaner kits. If you want your flat screen to look brand new again, invest in a specialty cleaning kit. Most TV manufacturers don’t recommend using harsh cleaners since they can damage the surface of LCD and OLED TVs, but there are some maintenance kits that take those specs into account.
If you’re looking for a good TV screen cleaner, Digital Innovations 4111300 ScreenDr Professional 9 oz Screen Cleaning Kit for TV is a great choice. It’s very affordable at just under $20, and it comes with a soft microfiber cloth as well as the cleaning solution. The solution is made from an “advanced, streak-free formula,” and based on the nearly five-star rating it gets on Amazon (over 1,000 reviews), it seems to work well. Keep in mind that most screen cleaners are mostly water – usually 99% water. That’s because water is really the best thing for cleaning screens.
Electronic Wipes
For a particularly tough to get out spot on your flat screen TV, try using a wipe that is designed specifically to be safe for electronics. Be careful when using these wipes though, as you don’t want to press too hard and damage the screen. These screen wipes are the easiest way to help remove dust, static, smudges, fingerprints, oil or watermarks from your device – just wipe and you’re done! Such wipes are also easy to store in your TV console for easy reach.
Numereous types of specialised electronic wipes are easy to find, particularly in any office supply or electronics stores like Wallmart or Sears.
Electronic Wipes Streak-Free for Screen Cleaner
With their help, you can clean any TV screen in your house. This includes Flat Screens, LCD panel, OLED, LED TV ,QLED or tv cleaner for smart tv for example. Ideally, what you will need is a universal screen cleaner that cleans effectively and keeps screens looking like new no matter the type of TV it is.
Eveo’s electronic wipes are perfect for cleaning any external surface on your devices without fear of causing damage. With a gentle touch, our cleaner wipes will lift away fingerprints, spills, watermarks, and skin oils- all while leaving behind a clear finish.
Due to the streak-free formula, these cleaning wipes won’t damage even the most sensitive parts of your electronic equipment. These effective electronic screen wipes will leave your gadgets spotless and dry, with a streak-free shine.
