Cleaning your CRT's Screen

[Ardan]

You know, i've always just wiped it down with water and a cloth. People have been asking me how to clean them off, which just got me curious. I'm sure someone's posted about this before, but i'm not going to go searching. I want to know what people do nowadays .

How do you clean it off? I just bought a new monitor (Samsung SyncMaster 997DF...looks AMAZING, especially for the price. Highly recommended) and so I thought maybe someone out there has a secret, or perhaps there is a 3M product for screens I don't know about?

On a side now, I saw a thumb print (sadly) on an LCD screen, which didn't belong to me or my family. How do you properly clean off an LCD screen? Wouldn't that need to be done very delicately?

 

[Concillian]

Water + Made in USA 100% cotton terrycloth towel with the stitched edges cut off (thread in stitching is rumored to sometimes not be made of cotton)... same towels I use for drying my car.

Most documentation for monitors have extensive lists of what NOT to use for cleaning. Water is about the only thing not on most of the lists. I use a spray bottle that used to have hairspray in it for water, that gets the water very finely atomized. Obviously you clean out the hairspray VERY WELL, as hairspray is probably not a good thing to spray on your monitor.

 

[crazycarl]

i've been using generic safeway brand 409 lately.. spray it on a paper towel then use a paper towel in water. so far haven't noticed any problems. althought maybe i should use just water and a washcloth

 

[bamacre]

:Q

I've been using Target brand glass cleaner on my Trinitron for about 4 years. Good thing I haven't noticed anything bad as a result.

 

[Ardan]

Interesting. 409? I just use water too, but I haven't tried using a spray bottle.

Hopefully nobody says Windex!

 

[mambo5]

If its only a spot or two just breathe deeply on the CRT glass and use a lint free cloth - e.g. a clean fine cotton handkerchief works well for me or try one of those antistatic camera lens 'magic' cloths - then rub a little. If you use water, initially it'll leave streaks but then once its dry breathe on the glass and wipe until streaks go away. A mist water spray as decribed above I'd guess does the same type of thing but probably more hygienically ;-) For really dirty glass try something like Windowlene (may be called differently in ur country) or methelated spirits which is volatile but does the job - but these products by their very nature could affect any screen coatings eventually so I'd be more circumspect wiith their use.

 

[ponyo]

spit and steel wool.

 

[CorCentral]

I've always cleaned my Monitor screens with Windex , the blue stuff. (seriously)

Had a 17" Panasonic monitor for 8 years & the screen looked just as new when it went out as it did when I bought it. Everyone says it ruins the screens coating but trust me, it does'nt.


To Naustica above ---- I've heard you can polish out scatches with 40grit sandpaper, at least that's what my friends uncle's wife's son's kid says anyway !

 

[Slapstick]

A few drops a Dawn dish soap in a cup of warm water and an old 100% cotton t-shirt. Then go back over it with just warm water to get any soap residue off. Looks like new when your done.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I just strectch the bottom of my t-shirt to the top of the monitor and wipe down..... my monitor only ever gets a little dust on it....

 

[xboxist]

I completely ruined my Trinitron monitor by using a cleaner with ammonia (Windex). It had this anti-glare coating on it. Now it's just a shiny, streaky, blotchy mess of glass.

 

[wkabel23]

I used Windex and haven't really notice any problems

 

i use kaboom

 

[Ardan]

Originally posted by: CorCentral
I've always cleaned my Monitor screens with Windex , the blue stuff. (seriously)

Had a 17" Panasonic monitor for 8 years & the screen looked just as new when it went out as it did when I bought it. Everyone says it ruins the screens coating but trust me, it does'nt.


To Naustica above ---- I've heard you can polish out scatches with 40grit sandpaper, at least that's what my friends uncle's wife's son's kid says anyway !

Well, ammonia-based cleaners DO take off the anti-glare coating on monitors. If it is that old...then maybe it didn't have as much of a coating (or lack of good quality coating) as the newer ones then.

I know it wouldn't make any difference on a 17" screen I have from 1996 or 1997....hardly had one to begin with!

 

[MichaelZ]

leaving it in the closet and using LCD instead keeps it real clean

 

[imported_TheMessiah13]

I use a piece of toilet paper with a few drops of water on it.

 

[CorCentral]

Ardan ----- For as long as monitors last and/or between upgrades, I don't think it's that big of a deal. You spend money on a good monitor, clean it once every 4 mths. like most people do (LOL) , then go along your daily Monitoring Business as normal ............... You could clean it with 90% Isopropyl Alcohol & it would'nt make any difference for YEARS (5+)

Maybe if Monitors lasted 20 years & you NEVER upgraded , YES , I would suggest against using a 100 Proof Vodka to clean your monitor.
But if you let loose the Xylol, MEK & Acetone ............... Bye Bye Coating ! ***Hee Hee***

Go get your wife & ask her about them there Wives tales **LMAO**
Oh, the one that all women believe is the one where Ice cubes freeze faster with Hot Water than with Cold Water !

Go Ernhart !@! ................. Oh , he's dead !

 

[Cawchy87]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=1342068&highlight_key=y&keyword1=Cleaning%20your%20crt

1000 posts, I'm a nerd!

 

[Slapstick]

Originally posted by: xboxist
I completely ruined my Trinitron monitor by using a cleaner with ammonia (Windex). It had this anti-glare coating on it. Now it's just a shiny, streaky, blotchy mess of glass.

I had that happen, the coating wasn't bad it just that the cleaner left a residue that looked like the anti-glare coating was messed up. Plain water didn't take it off but Dawn did. Try it and I bet that you can get the screen looking good again.

 

[vapidtransit]

I have a monitor brush that I got for free at work awhile back. I just brush the dust off of it once a week.

I have everyone on notice that if they put a fingerprint on my monitor, they will lose said finger.

I mean honestly, people that feel the need to touch the screen when pointing something out are just F-ing stupid.



sometimes I sneeze and some sneeze spray gets on the screen. In that case I just use windex to clean it off.

 

[Bucksnort]

I mean honestly, people that feel the need to touch the screen when pointing something out are just F-ing stupid.
Man that really gets my Goat! Kids and females are the worst at it: "OH lOOK
!" and now the finger goes on the screen, sheesh.

 

[zodder]

Spit and my finger.

 

[BenSkywalker]

A few drops a Dawn dish soap in a cup of warm water and an old 100% cotton t-shirt.

Works like a charm. With four kids using my main rig ranging in ages from almost four to eight, sticky fingerprints are inevitable unfortunately(the three oldest are pretty good, but the youngest.....)- Dawn warm watter and a cotton cloth has it looking like new in no time.

 

[Ardan]

Originally posted by: CorCentral
Ardan ----- For as long as monitors last and/or between upgrades, I don't think it's that big of a deal. You spend money on a good monitor, clean it once every 4 mths. like most people do (LOL) , then go along your daily Monitoring Business as normal ............... You could clean it with 90% Isopropyl Alcohol & it would'nt make any difference for YEARS (5+)

Maybe if Monitors lasted 20 years & you NEVER upgraded , YES , I would suggest against using a 100 Proof Vodka to clean your monitor.
But if you let loose the Xylol, MEK & Acetone ............... Bye Bye Coating ! ***Hee Hee***

Go get your wife & ask her about them there Wives tales **LMAO**
Oh, the one that all women believe is the one where Ice cubes freeze faster with Hot Water than with Cold Water !

Go Ernhart !@! ................. Oh , he's dead !

Hey, nice guy (LOL yea right), I was talking about the anti-glare coating on NICE monitors, not the image quality. I saw an old monitor that had no anti-glare coating on it cuz of that...but who knows if it even had one to begin with. I have seen one with it rubbed off, and there was a glare on the screen. The image quality OBVIOUSLY is going to be the same, but some people could just POSSIBLY have some glare and they just MIGHT not like it.

I'm 21 years old, and I wouldn't do something stupid like get married anyways. Stop assuming, and you didn't have to pollute a nice thread with this extra noise. I never said anything about using ammonia-based cleaners and possible loss of monitor image quality or brightness over the years. You did. It isn't stupid to avoid using it on monitor screens. Some people just like to use more discretion with their screens...show some respect.

I created this thread because I was curious about what people use, and I know someone else might be when they read them. Nowhere did I say to be a jacka*** in responses.

Thanks.

 

[CorCentral]

I knew what you were talking about , are you not from this country ?
Assume ? I never did this.
You're 21 & would never get married ? ..................... Who would ? I got married at 29

Anti-Glare coatings cannot be cut with Windex & other Windex type cleaners !

I was being funny about the 40 grit sandpaper, Vodka & chemicals , used them all in on way or another............ be it drinking , refinishing furniture or painting cars **LOL**



If you do think the coating on your monitor can be ruined by Glass cleaners, go get a cd , soak it it Windex for a year.................... & after that year , stick it in your computer & see if it reads it !

It will !


CC