I'm not going to lie. I rarely clean my computer or laptop monitor screens. It's not that I'm too lazy or anything. It's just that I've never made it a habit or a priority to do so. As long as the monitor produce images on the screen, I'm satisfied and I'm positive many people agree to that thinking as well. However, there is one issue that many others have failed to realize...
Now you may be one of those people who will occasionally do a simple wipe down of your screen for dust and whatnot but that doesn't really do anything. Fingerprints and other grime build-up on the screen cannot be simply wiped down without some type of liquid cleaning solution. Here is where the issue lies that many others have failed to realize. By ignoring those dirt build-up, smudges and other dust on the monitor screen, it actually degrades the image quality your monitor screen produces! I know, you're probably thinking that much is obvious but trust me, until you actually clean your monitor with a liquid type solution, you'll never understand.
We spend a lot of money on computer monitors and on our laptops. It's our job to make sure they operate in peak performance by taking good care of it. Remember that day when you first got that computer or laptop and marveled at how awesome all of your videos and pictures looked on the screen? Over time, as dirt and dust starts to build up, it can degrade the image quality. Although you might not notice it and first, trust me when I say that you will notice the difference after you have cleaned it. Our monitor screen should be polished from time to time to give it that 'brand-new' look to it.
What to Use
I'm no expert on monitor screen cleaning but I have tried Monoprice's LCD Cleaning Kit and am amazed at the product. Monoprice is an online store that sells all types of computer/HDTV cables and equipments. What makes them so special is that they sell their products at almost half the price, if not more, than what you would have to pay at a local store. Their quality is top notch and rivals that of many brand name products. One very good example is when people need a HDMI cable for their newly bought HDTV. At the store, you would most likely have to pay anywhere from $60-$70 for a brand name cable. Buy it at Monoprice and you can get the cable for less than $10. It is amazing how much money you can save just by shopping at Monoprice.
They have their own brand of LCD cleaning solution which I have purchased and used on all my home computer monitors and laptop screens. Like I've said earlier, the end result was amazing. For less than $3 (yes, you read right, $3), you have a huge bottle of LCD cleaning solution along with a generously big microfiber cloth. I dare you to find a better price at your local computer shop. If you are in charge of computer hardware equipment at your company, you might want to give this a try as well. A clean monitor always gets the users more happy! Remember, you don't generally wipe down your monitor every single day so that makes this investment last that much more longer. Hell, you can even offer to clean all of your friend's monitors along with their friend's and their friend's! If you are a technician, cleaning your clients monitor screens can be a good way for them to remember your service the next time around. For such a small price, you've got nothing to lose!
How to Use
Using the Monoprice LCD Cleaning Kit is easy. It just takes a bit of care.
1. If your computer screen is really dirty, meaning it has accumulated a lot of dust particles, I would first recommend you to use a tissue or a small towel of some kind to gently (and I mean gently!) wipe away the surface dust. Do not apply pressure of any kind because we are not cleaning the screen with the tissue! We are simply preparing it by getting rid of some of the dust build-up and whanot. Usually, the edges of the screen will accumulate the most dust so gently clean that area as well. You're probably wondering why not just use the microfiber cloth including with the kit? Well, it is because we will be reusing the cloth for future cleaning and so we don't want it to be caked with dust and other dirty particles. We want to use the cloth to remove fingerprint stains and other types of smudges on the screen. I do want to point out that in the future, you can find similar microfiber cloths at your local electronic stores as well so don't stress about that.
2. Once most of the dirt and dust have been removed, it is time to use our cleaning kit from Monoprice. Turn off your monitor before applying the cleaning solution. Give the cleaning solution a good shake or two. The trick is to not spray too much on your screen. On a big screen monitor, I would recommend giving a good full spray on each corner of the screen along with a spray in the middle. On a smaller LCD monitors and laptop screens, you might want to skip the middle spray.
3. Grab your microfiber cloth and once again, very gently wipe your monitor screen. Almost instantly, you'll see a lot of the fingerprints and other smudges begin to disappear.
4. Just to be on the safe side, let your screen dry off for a minute or two before turning it back on. Enjoy your 'brand-new' screen!
In the End...
I'm positive that you will be able to see the image quality difference between a dirty screen to that of a freshly polished one. I remember the first time I used the LCD cleaning kit and I was literally blown away at how much difference it made. Honestly, the difference was night and day. The images on my screen was much more bright and livid. Basically, it was like starting up my computer for the first time! Happy cleaning!
