How to clean your screen? Our tips

Computers, touch tablets and other multimedia devices are very practical in everyday life, both for work and for leisure, as they allow you to play games, store photos and videos and listen to music. However, screens are very fragile and get dirty quickly.

It is therefore necessary to clean your multimedia devices well in order to keep them in good condition for as long as possible. Here are some practical tips for multimedia maintenance.

How to clean a laptop, phone or TV screen?

Multimedia devices play an important role in our daily lives. However, screens tend to get dirty quickly, as they are often manipulated with the fingers, as is the case with touch screens. Fortunately, there are products to clean all those devices.

Clean your screens without damaging them.

Here are the things not to do if you want to preserve the life-time of your favourite products :

1 - Don't use paper towels or tissue paper, toilet paper or old rags. They definitely can scratch your screen or leave grooves in the material.

It might not be enough to notice it right away, but combined with the wrong cleaning product, they will create the damage on your screen. Try dry-wiping first and use cloths made with the softest material possible such as a microfibre cloth.

2 - Another point, which is very important is the pressure you use when cleaning up your products. Don’t press too hard though. If you don’t see the dirt lift off straight away, applying more pressure won’t improve the situation.

On LCD monitors, big screen TVs and laptops, putting more strength into your cleaning efforts may result in irreparable damage, most likely by destroying the pixels in the screen.

3 - Don’t use chemical cleaners. If you decide to use a solution to clean the screen of your TV or laptop, beware not use the following ingredients: ammonia, ethyl alcohol, or anything with acetone or ethyl acetate as a matter of fact.

Your best bet is a little distilled water and white vinegar mixed in equal amounts. The chemicals listed can adversely affect the coating used on LCD screens or flat screen TVs.

4 - Don’t spray cleaning solutions directly on to the screen, even water, will run down the screen and into the bezels, giving them access to the inside of the monitor or TV.

If you’re quick, you could catch it before it does further damage, but it’s a good practice to simply wet the cloth you are using and wipe the screen down instead of directly applying solvent or liquid. This is especially true and dangerous with laptop screens.

5 - Last but not least, don't leave the tv on while cleaning. Always unplug the TV first. There are two reasons for this, the first is that unplugged.

You’ll be able to see more of the dust and dirt against the black background of the screen, and the second one, if you do use a liquid to clean, you want to reduce the chance of electrical shock.

How to clean your car touch screen?

The screen of your vehicle's navigation and audio system is most likely a "thin-film transistor liquid crystal display" also called TFT LCD.

These displays are very similar to laptop screens. Not only do they use advanced microtechnology to operate, but they are also coated to minimise glare and remain crisp and clear almost all the time during your drive.

The process is almost similar to mobile devices, but it's important to notice a couple of things that more specifically relates to a car touch screen:

- Avoid getting moisture in any ports on the car’s dashboard and don’t let the cleaning solution sit on the multimedia or satellite navigation screen for too long.

- Using an alcohol-based cleaner on your device will damage the protective coating on most screens in cars.

Steps to follow to clean your screens

1-     Turn off whatever device you are using. For safety reasons, begin by letting the device cool down completely. Dust, fingerprints, and smudges are also easier to spot on a black screen.

2-     Wipe off dust with a dry cloth. Use a dry, lint-free microfibre cloth to gently wipe away any visible dust and dirt. If it’s necessary, apply a gentle pressure to remove surface-level smudges.

3-     If any marks remain, wipe with a lightly moistened cloth. For glass-coated screens, you can use a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar or rubbing alcohol. For LED or LCD screens, use only water. Spray or lightly dab the solution directly onto the cloth and carefully wipe the screen from left to right.

4-     Buff with a dry cloth and air-dry. If any streaks remain once the screen dries, gently buff them with the dry cloth. Before you turn on your device or laptop, allow the screen to dry completely.

Hagerty cleaning products

As previously explained, the spray and the microfibre cloth are essential elements for the proper cleaning of electronic products.

The High Tech Cloth : microfibre cleaning cloth 

Microfibre cloth from Hagerty is made for cleaning and maintaining screens, glass, crystal or polycarbonate.

Our product cleans and cares for delicate surfaces such as phones, tablets, computer screens and glass, crystal and polycarbonate objects or furniture.

The High Tech Cloth allows to quickly maintain objects, furniture, accessories and removes all traces of grease and fingerprints without damaging the cleaned surface.

The Multimedia Spray : screen cleaner 

Discover our cleaning spray which will make your tablet’s, telephone’s and computer’s screens shine again. The special Hagerty formula makes it so that the product does not leak once applied.

Multimedia Spray protects and maintains the surface and removes ground in dirt. It has an anti-static effect and the cleaning is easy, gives instant results and does not cause any micro-scratches or marks on the screens.

Please be careful, we advise you to not use it on a TV screen. Multimedia Spray is not available for online purchase.

If you are now motivated to clean and take care of your precious objects, refer to Hagerty cleaning products, they are easy to use and effective!