How To Clean Your Laptop Screen

Updated on June 1, 2020
Feature (1)

Given how much of a reliance we’ve built on using laptops to keep our daily lives afloat. There’s no going around the fact that their going to get dirty, especially the screen. So it’s a good thing we’ve got some tips and tricks to help you clean your laptop screen.

We’ve got a list of techniques to deal with all sorts of grime that may be stuck to your laptop screen. Weather that be dust, oils, fingerprints or whatever unwanted substance it may be.

These solutions to clean your laptop screen should work for just about any laptop, weather it has a glossy or matte display, or even have a touchscreen.

How To Clean Your Laptop Screen [Easy step]

  • Use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe down your screen
  • Applying it distill water, off-the-shelf solution
  • Remove scuffs, dust & any other surface-level fingerprints if possible by wiping it in a circular motion until it’s clean

We’ll also be discussing some preventative measures to help your laptop screen stay cleaner for longer, and some things to avoid as well. Before you begin doing any form of cleaning on your laptop.

We recommend that you take the laptop off from charging, switch it off, and if possible take out the battery. This way if you happen to accidentally spill some liquid onto your laptop, there will be less of a risk of it instantly frying out.

Step by Step To Clean Your Laptop Screen

Using A Microfiber Cloth

Nothing can beat the good old microfiber cloth when it comes to removing dust, fingerprints, and lose grime off your screen.

FS 3 1

…A microfiber cloth is made of a soft fabric, so the risk of you scratching your screen is very low…

A microfiber cloth is made of a soft fabric, so the risk of you scratching your screen is very low.  Microfiber cloths also have the advantage of not producing any lint, so none of it will get stuck to the screen.

Before you start rubbing the cloth onto your screen. Make sure there are no loose containments on the surface of the microfiber cloth.

If there happens to be a tiny rough object stuck to the cloth’s fibers. Then you risk rubbing it against your screen and producing scratches.

Also avoid using items such as old t-shirts, napkins, power towels, toilet paper, or any paper product as a matter of fact. Those materials can leave containments stuck to the screen.

They aren’t the softest of materials either as they are abrasive in nature, so you’d risk producing scratches.

Your going to want to apply very little pressure to your screen when using the microfiber cloth. Let the properties of the material do the cleaning for you. Rubbing it hard against the screen wont do you any good, and it could actually damage it.

Using Clean/Distilled Water

If the dirt on your laptop screen isn’t to bad or to old. Then you can get away with just using water to clean it all right off. Avoid using tap water though, because it can leave mineral streaks on your display. We highly recommend using distilled water, as it’s the safest option.

FS 4 2

Take a clean cloth, preferably a microfiber cloth, and dampen it slightly. Make sure it isn’t to damp. As that can leave streaks on your screen, and excess water could find its way into the internals of your laptop.

Your also going to want to move a circular motion, rather than straight lines. Doing so will also eliminate streaks.

Buying An Off-the Shelf Laptop Screen Cleaning Solution

I’m sure at some point we’ve all been on Amazon or AliExpress, and come across a cheap bottle of laptop cleaning solution, that manages to wipe away “99% percent of all germs and dirt”. At least that’s what most of these cheap cleaning solutions say on the bottle.

…they are easy to apply to whatever material you’re using to clean your laptop screen…

Purchasing one might not be the worst idea though. Most of these solutions come in a spray bottle, so they are easy to apply to whatever material you’re using to clean your laptop screen. Quite a few of these solutions even come with their own microfiber cloth.

We recommend this option, if you’re the sort of person who can’t stand it when he/she gets a smudge on his/her screen, and needs to wipe it off immediately.

These solutions also lasts a lot longer than the size of the bottle might lead you to believe. A 150ml bottle could be enough for as long as 2-3 years.

Again before you apply any liquid to your screen, make sure your laptop is shut off and not plugged into charging. Apply the solution to your cloth, and never directly onto your screen.

If you directly spray it onto your screen, this can create streaks on your screen, and some liquid might even make it into the internals of the laptops.

As we discussed before, never use too much solution either, make sure the cloth is damp, and not wet. If you see liquid dripping off the edges of the cloth. Leave it to dry until it is just slightly damp to the touch.

Create Your Own Laptop Screen Cleaning Solution.

Most laptop screen cleaning solutions are some combination of isopropyl alcohol, and distilled water. So creating your own at home won’t be an issue, if you’ve got some isopropyl alcohol just lying around the house.

Create a 50/50 mix of both the alcohol, and distilled water, mix it together thoroughly. Then try and pour the solution into a spray bottle if you have a spare one lying around, this will make your job a lot easier.

And there you have it, your very own homemade laptop screen cleaning solution.

But even if you don’t have isopropyl alcohol at home, that’s fine too. Because we have another solution that involves mixing together plain distilled water, and plain white vinegar.

Don’t use apple cider vinegar though, or any another form of vinegar. Only white vinegar will work for this technique.

Again just like before create a 50/50 mix of both white vinegar, and distilled water. Pour it into a spray bottle, and use it sparingly to clean your laptop screen.

Things To Avoid When Cleaning Your Laptop Screen

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that they’ll use any general purpose cleaner that they would have lying around the house, and use it to clean their laptop screen.

…These products can contain harmful chemicals that can permanently damage your screen…

We cannot advise against this enough. These products can contain harmful chemicals that can permanently damage your screen.

Some of the products to avoid against are.

  1. General purpose cleaners.
  2. Window/Glass cleaners
  3. Dish soap, hand soap, or any other form of soap.
  4. Toothbrushes
FS 2 3

Pro Tip: Adding A Screen Protector.

If you’re the sort of person who takes their laptop everywhere. Then it could be a smart move to invest in a quality screen protector for your laptop. Having to constantly clean your screen, can seriously increase the risk of developing scratches.

So if you apply a screen protector, and it ends up getting scratched, who cares ? Just chuck it away and get a new one.

Conclusion

All these methods are safe to use, and should help bring your laptops screen back to the same finish as it had when you first took off the protective cloth from its screen when it was new.

Even though these methods are all pretty safe to use, remember you can never be to cautious. Always be careful when handling liquid around your laptop, and never exert more force than necessary to avoid damaging the screen.

Tell us which method you used to clean your laptop screen by leaving a comment down below.

Hassaan has been passionate about technology for as long as he remembers, and aims to provide you with all the information you need to find the right laptop for you.

Article by:
Hassaan Ahmed
Hassaan has been passionate about technology for as long as he remembers, and aims to provide you with all the information you need to find the right laptop for you.

Leave a Comment