Good Questions: How Do I Clean My HDTV Screen?

Hey Unplggd,

This may seem like a silly question, but I really need a cheap way to clean my super dusty HDTV LCD screen without damaging the matte surface. Any thoughts?

-Inoj

Hello there Inoj!

Thanks for writing. We get this question a lot here at Unplggd and we're always glad to hear people are genuinely interested in protecting their tech goodies.

From one of our previous Home Theater Spring Cleaning post, we got a few great tips from Sound and Vision Magazine covering the matter. Basically, you need to make sure you don't use Windex on an LCD TV. Plain water and a microfiber cloth for cleaning eyeglasses will suffice.

Simple enough, no? And it's cheap!

Got a good question you'd like answered? Send your queries and a photo or two illustrating your question, and we'll see if the Unplggd team or our readers can help you out.

Comments (10)

I generally use a 50/50 mix of pure rubbing alcohol and water for mine. That was it evaporates a bit more quickly.

posted by unbwogable on May 7th 2009 at 4:32pm
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Hmm.. alcohol on a matte screen...

posted by ekoshyun on May 7th 2009 at 5:05pm
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Alcohol is a no-no. Lightly moisten a microfiber cloth with water or use iKllear (which I prefer).

posted by ebrown on May 7th 2009 at 7:10pm
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I use swiffer pads on mine. The ones that were meant for the broom thing.

posted by Staar84 on May 7th 2009 at 7:18pm
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just a swiffer duster works well for me but then i don't have kids getting grubby little fingers on everything

posted by Landmark on May 8th 2009 at 9:30am
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I would suggest using a micro fiber cloth (like for glasses) and a lens cleaning solution that is formulated to not mess up the delicate coatings on optics (like on your TV) I got a bottle from sun glass hut, and they give you unlimited free refills!

posted by piffdos on May 8th 2009 at 3:05pm
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one more thought, If it is really dusty you may want to use a canned air duster first to get the first layer of dust off....

posted by piffdos on May 8th 2009 at 3:06pm
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Perhaps I should clarify. I use the alcohol mostly on the bezel, and I wring out the cloth very well so there is just a tiny amount left, only to remove the oily fingerprints my dear wife tends to leave on the screen when adjusting the angle.

posted by unbwogable on May 9th 2009 at 8:48pm
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I use the LCD cleaning wipes that I use on my computers. You can find them at any Office Supply/Computer store.

posted by modernguy on May 11th 2009 at 1:33pm
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Philips Screen cleaning gel. Best stuff in the world. Alcohol will damage and yellow your screen.

posted by Brian D on May 14th 2009 at 11:43am
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