Best Ways to Clean a Laptop Screen: Prepare for Dirt, Dust, Oil, and more!

A laptop, like any other electronic gadget, is bound to get dirty. While the chassis, trackpad, and even the keyboard need to be cleaned with care and utmost precision, you need to be more aware when it comes to removing the screen distractions.

Regardless of the type, every laptop requires screen cleaning at some point. However, for convertibles and 2-in-1, the cleaning responsibilities increase twofold. Moreover, laptop cleaning isn’t a scrubbing affair and requires finesse. Besides, you also need to prepare for several polluting agents, including dirt, dust, oily residues, sweaty fingerprints, and those mystery dots that show up, abruptly.

A Word of Caution

Cleaning a laptop screen doesn’t require you to unscrew the device. Besides, if you feel that the dirt or residues have made their way inside the device, connect with a technician and opt for a complete maintenance session.

Besides, a simple piece of cloth cannot clean every laptop screen and doesn’t even work with all the pollutants. Therefore, you need to read through this discussion carefully and understand the nooks and crannies of screen cleaning.

Basic Cleaning Accessories

We bet your laptop has seen tidier days when the keyboard isn’t as filthy and the screen doesn’t look like a typical foggy morning. Regardless, you can still make amends by following a pretty extensive laptop cleaning ritual. Some of the typical cleaning accessories include:

• Lint-free clothing
• Microfibers
• Compressed air stored in a can
• Rubbing alcohol
• Sponge
• Dish detergent
• Distilled water

While these are only the accessories and resources for cleaning, the usage pattern needs to be highly regulated for the same to work efficiently.

Considering the diverse nature of the pollutants, here are the targeted strategies for cleaning screens of the concerned grimace:

Cleaning for Dust

If you are dealing with the usual home and office dust that settles over time, it is best to consider a Microfiber cloth for the same. The concept of cleaning the screen of dust is similar to a person wiping his or her eyeglasses after being out in the open.

Microfiber clothing is the perfect way to go about the process as it doesn’t have any lint and the surface is probably the finest. This way, the cleaning is uniform and you end up encountering zero abrasions. Besides, microfiber handles debris and dust like a pro. However, you should never even think of using a tissue or paper towel as they have abrasive surfaces, leading to unwitting scratches.

Here the steps to follow for using the microfiber technique in the best possible way:

• Switch off the laptop before cleaning, even if you are only using the cloth. This way, there will be no static charges and electric interferences to look at and you also have a better view of the unclean screen.
• Start wiping the screen with the microfiber cloth by gently pressing it onto the panel. Refrain from wiping in circles and scrubbing.
• Repeat the process by using both sides of the cloth
• Also, resort to a laptop-friendly duster if you are using the notebook in while and worried about the thickest possible dust coating.

Note: A proactive approach to minimize dust accumulation is by closing the machine i.e. putting the flap down when not in use.

Cleaning for Dirt

You might be wondering how dirt is different from dust when it comes to laptop cleaning. However, we have a pretty simple explanation for the same. While the dust settles and can be removed using the microfiber cloth, dirt clings on and literally sticks to the surface. Therefore, you would require a sponge to counter the same.

However, as the process involves water, you need to follow a step-pronged approach for cleaning the screen with care:

• Get a household sponge and distilled water handy
• Once you have arranged the same, turn off the laptop and even unplug the same from the power source. You should even consider taking out the battery provided the laptop features a removable unit
• Cover the keyboard with a cloth or anything that can handle occasional water drips
• Use a minimally wet sponge to wipe the screen gently. Consider pressing adequately
• Once the surface is clean, wait for it to dry, and then start the machine

Note: Tap water is a strict no-no as there you might not be aware of the hardness and chemical inconsistencies.

Cleaning for Oil

Here comes the tricky part as cleaning the oil of the laptop screen doesn’t work if you use the techniques mentioned above. Moreover, this issue shows up when the laptop is placed near a kitchen and the chimney is inefficient for filtering out everything.

A good way to go about oil cleaning is to use a safe spray that doesn’t compromise harmful chemicals. However, you should stay away from methyl alcohol, chloride, window cleaners, ammonia, acetone, and surface cleaners owing to the harshness of composition.

While you can always purchase third-party cleaners, quality is often an issue. Therefore, it is best advised to prepare one by using 50 percent of distilled water and 50 percent of vinegar. If vinegar isn’t handy, Isopropyl alcohol can also get the job done.

However, using the same requires discretion and better detailing. Here are the steps to take into account:

• Switch-off the laptop and prep the same for avoiding any kind of electrical issue, usually experienced when liquid-based cleaners are involved.
• Keep a microfiber cloth handy and spray the prepared concoction onto the same. Avoid spraying liquid directly onto the screen.
• Rub the wet cloth over the screen, in straight and easy motions. Avoid pressing harshly to keep the LCD molecules from getting distorted
• Once every affected region is covered, let the screen dry for at least 30 minutes before you can start using the same

Additional Strategies

While we have already taken up every valid and relevant point regarding laptop screen cleaning, it is still important to try and keep the surfaces as clean as possible. Apart from the screen, you also need to take care of the keyboard and vents, which are prone to accumulating insane levels of dust. This is the reason why we asked you to keep compressed air cans handy as they can help open up the laptop vents and enhance the heat-dissipating performances.

The keyboard, on the other hand, requires can be cleaned using some of the strategies used for the laptop screen. Overall, keeping the laptop clean and that too holistically can readily increase its lifespan. However, you need to be very discrete and careful while using liquid-based cleaning strategies, irrespective of the part that is being handled.