I bought some of this fancy cleaner that was safe for LCDs and used it on my playstation portable. It took months to get the gumminess off it.

@RecordStoreToughGuy

The guy at Best Buy told me that over time the conductors in Monster Cables can get clogger from poor signals from my cable box. Basically I would have 3 options: 1) replace my Monster Cables for $1,199.99 (yeah, I know, I got them on sale), 2) get a cable cleaner it for $499.99 or get the screen cleaner.

From an economic viewpoint, I figure I can put off the cable cleaning for about 18 months, so I am way $$$ ahead.

Hope that Helps.

We call it the PS3wiffer!

@rydel: Any wonder why Circuit City is out of business now?

Does this only apply to LCD or Plasma or both? I was under the assumption that Plasma TVs were glass and significantly different than LCD. If that's true isn't something like a cleaner okay to use on a plasma TV provided you don't overspray and let it drip down to the bezel?

Not only are they available online, but anyone can buy from the website. You don't need a membership.

^Before anyone asks, it's an all-in-one, so I can't just shut off the moniter.

My computer IS a touchscreen, so cleaning it is super inconvenient, because I have to turn it off.

But I always get a laugh when a bug lands on the screen and moves my arrow all over the place.

Can I use my new Sham-Wows??

Srsly.

HAS THE WORLD GONE MAD!?!

Hmm funny my brand new samsung flatscreen came with a microfiber cloth and specificaly stated to use it and water to clean nothing else.

And, if they are nice friends, they can add you to their account for free and give you your own costco card. Costco allows one other card holder on a membership account--I had my (now ex) girlfriend on my account and she had her very own card.

Thanks

Thanks for this. My laptop screen is dirty and I'm afraid to do anything to it.

#3 was not only practical, but entertaining!

I DO smack their hands!

Or you could inject it, so your brain will die last....

That was really funny.

We don't have a Costco anywhere near here. It's all Sam's Club.

@nakedscience: I didn't see myself having to ask *your* permission to post here. Go troll elsewhere.

Mix a small amount of isopropyl alcohol with water and wipe with a microfiber cloth.

Now my clients get the following advice...

1.. Warm damp microfibre cloth and very light pressure. Screen first then the rest of the equipment.

2.. Finger prints or other tenacious oily marks, touch the microfibre cloth to the dish soap nipple to get a hint of soap on it before wringing all the warm water out of it... gentle pressure...

3.. When some idiot has touched your laptop screen with their pen or marker, after beating them senseless, pull out your bottle of Vodka and a Q-tip. Pour a couple of ounces into a short glass and then dampen the cotton and hold on top of the pen mark to dissolve it. Drink rest of Vodka from glass while doing this. Then do instruction #1.

4.. Same with all TV's and other screens.

Very early in my career I had a problem with cleaning staff who, well intention, but poorly informed, used harsh commercial cleaners on CRT screens and removed the anti glare coating. Rather annoyed me since I then had to go out and buy those aftermarket anti glare screens for the staff who couldn't cope. Then again for the staff with undamaged crt's who thought they needed them too.

@nakedscience:

$80 is a steal, I had to pay $80 for the starter kit and then another $50/mo for free refills.

@WiglyWorm:

Amen, been doing this for years. Cleans it very well and doesn't streak.

@aerick79: done*

I'll be using my Shamwow, on my plasma. And after i'm i can go get a hooker.

Only Apple puts a glass surface on their LCD's (which is a tempered glass bezel on top of the LCD panel. I don't know what proper maintenance is for that). The rest, even glossy displays, are plastic.

Water only is problematic for oil spots. Since plastic is absorbent, if oil is left in contact too long, it will seep into the screen causing permanent spotting. This probably has no effect on the screen when its on, but its irksome and annoying to see it when its off.

But you can get big packages at Target. Cheaper in automotive than in home products. Or at target.com, which I assume everyone who can see consumerist can get to. :)

@nakedscience: Are you planning on eating a meal off of it or something? If it doesn't smell, and it isn't filthy, it'll work.

Unless of course you're a monitor licker. or a window licker.

I have heard not to use tap water though as its bad for the screen (too hard or something like that).

I bought a package of 24 LCD cleaning wipes at Walmart for 2$, so I hope those are OK for my new LCD monitor. They don't seem like they have alcohol in them, seems like they are some sort of disposable microfiber cloth. Definitely different then traditional wipes I have used over the years and I can tell there is no alcohol because they don't smell like alcohol and they don't burn my hands.

@Mad Dog McCree: Not in East Tennessee. Anywhere. Period. We do have Sam's Clubs though.

I have been cleaning my Sony 20" LCD screen with pure rubbing alcohol and paper towels and have not seen damage.

Someone contact Kruger Industrial Smoothing. That'll do the trick.

@Borax-Johnson: $80?! Wow. Sorry you got scammed, dude.

@Coach Cal Is My Dream Weaver: So, again, why is The_Legand here?

@b01000100: I'm just trying to do my part to help the Earth. After all…
There's a hole in the atmosphere, so the scientists say so the scientists say. Its getting hotter and a hotter and a hotter every day, so the scientists say so the scientists say.

@Borax-Johnson:

Nice...heh heh heh...

"We get people touching these screen all the time, kids licking them, whatever. We use this Monster Screen Clean to keep them all looking great. A bottle lasts us a month, and we clean 100 TVs a night. How many would you like?"

Your store killed Circuit City.

I use a product called Screen Kleen. I used to work at a computer shop when LCDs first started coming on the market and we had a partnership with the mfg to sell these exclusively.

I don't work there anymore, but I still use it to clean my laptop and various electronic screens.

Not an advert, just saying it works great. Much cheaper than the stuff BB sells and it comes with a soft micro fiber cloth.

It really has no relation to the regular Endust (it isn't even made by the same company - they just license the brand) and it is safe for use on LCD and Plasma displays. It's cheap and readily available at most stores.

Personally, I use Monster cleaner. I got a whole pint of it for $79.95 and it has a lifetime guarantee against evaporation.

I won't even START with the SWIFFER craze.

@David Eckert: I echo that Windex will kill plastic as plastic cycle windshields degrade over time if windex is used...

Target sells those kits (microfiber and safe cleaning solution) for $5 now, you just gotta look

Microfiber cloths are quite nice as well.

@The_Legend: So you'r here .... why?

@rydel: Until his screens started to look like crap again.

NOTE: If you know your TV screen has some kind of coating on it (color filter or anti-static or something), stick with water (the ammonia, alcohol, or other harsh solvent might "eat" it).

Only CR reader would have to be spoonfed this kind of information.

@rydel: mixing it with water probably didn't do any good.

@NightSteel: Yeah, I've seen 'em, I just never really thought to grab some!

@HIV 2 Elway: Disgusting.

You can find big packs of microfiber cloths in the automotive section at Target and some other stores. The automotive cloths are cheaper, as long as you don't mind a lack of color choice.

@Dooley: Not everyone has access to costco. The closest friends I know with a costco membership are 33 miles away.

@nakedscience: No, I've always used dirty clothes to dust. Why muck up something clean? The socks are going in the wash anyway. That said, I have a white collar job and my undershirts and socks are rarely all that dirty.

Because everybody either has a Costco membership, or knows someone who does. What can it be, like, 1 (2 max) degrees of separation?

@Tuuurd_Ferguson: I don't have a costco membership. Why does everyone always assume everyone has a costco membership?

@HIV 2 Elway: DIRTY socks? Really? EW! So you like having dirt and grime and stink all over your TV?

I really hope you meant clean socks.

... and I'm still naked.

@Thaddeus: Only the weak will die. The strong will live on to drink our Windex and ride our eight legged unicorns through candy cane volcanos.

you can get a bag of 36 dish-towel-sized ones at costco for $15. They are great, i use them for everything.

Seriously though don't drink it, it will probably kill you.

I use dirty socks and have never had any scratches. If you are applying any significant pressure, you're doing something wrong. You should be dusting your TV, not surface grinding it.

I was just wondering about this. I wish I still worked in printing. We always had tons of microfiber cloths around.