Those of you that were searching for instructions about cleaning LCD monitors or TV displays, you have arrived in the right place for that and I have to say it’s a smart step after purchasing such a device because the importance of the cleaning process is high. Why? –Because it is not about the dust and dirt particles gathered on the screen or in the tiny openings between the display’s parts, but, as you know already, an LCD screen is sensitive and requires a specific cleaning method, different from old TV models.

A reflective twisted nematic LCD consists of the following layers: a polarizing filter film with a vertical axis to polarize light as it enters, the glass substrate with ITO electrodes which have shapes designed for determining the dark shapes that appear when the LCD is turned on or off, twisted nematic liquid crystals, glass substrate with common electrode film (ITO) with horizontal ridges to line up with the horizontal filter, polarizing filter film with a horizontal axis to block/pass light, and a reflective surface for sending light back to viewer, which in the backlight LCDs case it is replaced with a light source.

So, you see, an LCD display is not a glass, but something more sensitive. Cleaning LCD monitors requires special attention and you should avoid using anything to clean it, including water or those window cleaning sprays.
But I don’t want you to think it’s complicated. Indeed, it sounds like a complex process but it just sounds. Things are simple if you respect the steps and get used with them. We are in 2008 and these days we can find special solutions for cleaning our LCDs in every IT store.



If at this moment you plant to clean your monitor or TV and don’t have that substance you could use a simple combination of 50% distilled water and 50% isopropyl alcohol on a soft cotton material. Avoid towels or synthetic materials as they either leave traces on the screen or make little damages on the cleaned surface. Also, the accepted substances are water, vinegar and isopropyl alcohol. These just don’t damage you screen if you apply them first on the cloth, not directly on the screen. The unaccepted substances for cleaning LCD monitors and LCD TV screens are: acetone, ethyl alcohol, ethyl acid, ammonia, methyl chloride and petroleum benzene.

Yes, I know that you don’t have these 2 in the house right now and that you’ll have to go out and buy them from the pharmacy, so I suggest you to go to the closest IT store and get a special cleaning kit for LCDs. These come in sets consisting of a microfiber cloth and a gel spray.
If you are back with your kit then let’s get to the cleaning! First you have to turn Off the TV or monitor that you will clean, unplugging the cables, and don’t worry about the PC unit or other electronics around if they are not connected to your display, because this gel is a spray and won’t spill other things around like water does.

Start spraying the screen and then use the microfiber cloth in the box to clean the surface with gentle pressure in any motion you consider to be handy: circular, up-and-down… It doesn’t matter because gels don’t act like water, they are more concentrate and don’t spill. Avoid touching it with your fingers because you could leave ugly fingerprints on it requiring a new cleaning or you could damage it if you press harder. Clean the LCD for about 1 minute, until the gel is dry, and if the surface is larger than remember to clean only with the dry cloth surface, never use the dirty and wet parts. As a parenthesis, you could check the user’s manual for the recommended cleaning method in case your LCD model is let’s say, more special.
One specific characteristic of these cleaning kits is that they don’t contain ammonia or alcohol while the cloth is anti static electricity so they don’t leave tiny pieces of material behind and do not attract the dust in the air while touching the surface.



Well, I think this is it. If you'd like to add some ideas to this article it would be much appreciated because it might inspire others too.