What are your recommendations for cleaning a laptop screen?

June 12, 2007 3:54 PM

What are your recommendations for cleaning a laptop screen?

I have had a Macbook Pro 17" for several months now. Over time, in the middle of the screen, some black marks have appeared. I have no doubt that I have caused those marks one way or another. Anyway, I have tried cleaning the screen with a cleaning solution from Office Depot and a soft cloth, which cleaned some of the dust and fingerprints off. However, the black marks remain. What are your suggestions for cleaning heavy-duty marks from a laptop without destroying it? Thank you in advance.

posted by trojanavenger to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Windex.
posted by olinerd at 3:59 PM on June 12, 2007

See also. Try some of those ideas?
posted by olinerd at 4:01 PM on June 12, 2007

Do not use Windex, it removes the glare coating. Have you tried Google?
posted by rhizome at 4:02 PM on June 12, 2007

70% Isopropanol. You can either buy it at the drug store at 70% or you can dilute down 90%.

That's essentially what's in LCD cleaning fluid. The store-bought stuff might come with a detergent, but 70% straight 2-propanol has served me well. Don't use ethanol - it can cause the screen to crack.
posted by porpoise at 4:35 PM on June 12, 2007

I use a microfiber cloth that came with my glasses. Sometimes it takes a little bit of (gentle) rubbing, but it gets the job done.

Also, never spray anything directly onto your screen. If you use any cleaner, spray it onto a soft cloth and use that to clean the screen. This Gizmodo thread has some decent advice and warnings about cleaning LCD and other screens.
posted by stefanie at 4:36 PM on June 12, 2007

Dumb question: are the black marks definitely on the surface of the screen and not dead pixels?
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 4:50 PM on June 12, 2007

I have tried commercial cleaner, 91% isopropal alcohol, and glasses cleaner. I've searched on google before for this answer, but nothing worked for me. It may be dead pixels, but I have had no experience with dead pixels. It looks more like something that was smeared on the screen then anything else.
posted by trojanavenger at 5:14 PM on June 12, 2007

Jeremy Zawodny has what I believe to be the authoritative thread on LCD cleaning
posted by chrisamiller at 6:28 PM on June 12, 2007 [1 favorite]