A Mean Clean For A Glossy Screen
I have a two-year-old grandson who loves to touch my MacBook screen. And he is NOT into washing his hands (okay with me, he’s my grandson, he can do anything).
So I had to find a non-abrasive but effective way to clean my screen. The best product I’ve found — and believe me, I’ve tried everything — is a microfiber lens cloth made of ultra suede.
The Process
First, I use a monitor wipe.
Then polish the surface gently with the microfiber cloth. You may have to use a little bit of elbow grease if someone (not you of course) has touched the screen with sticky fingers.
The ultra suede microfiber leaves no streaks,no smoky residue, no muss, no dust, no gooey fingerprints. And it shines like the first day you took your MacBook or iMac or MacBook Pro out of the box. Good for cleaning matt or glossy LCDs or glass monitors, too, like the new iMac.
Microfiber ultra suede lens cloths are small, about 5 x 7, inexpensive and durable. Mine looks like a thin version of ultra suede but is tacky to the touch and is bunch-up-able for easy transport. I’ve had mine almost a year and I use it to clean my MacBook, iPhone, my iPods and my iMac screen.
The one I have has no sewn edges. Sewn edges can scratch a surface. It’s cut with pinking shears so the cloth will not ravel.
Where to purchase
Staples sells its own brand of Monitor Wipes and I am sure you can buy them at Office Depot or Office Max. Make sure you buy Monitor Wipes and not All-Purpose Wipes. A container of 80 wipes sells for about $10.
Don’t get a microfiber cloth sold in auto shops. They’re for cars.
The one I use came with a travel cleaning kit from iClean by Monster that I purchased at CompUSA. 3M also manufactures microfiber ultra suede cloths and you can buy them for $2.99 at Drugstore.com.
Jesse on January 10th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Monster’s iClean is okay, but not the best there is.. Get a can of Screen or from Fellowes.. It’s Anti-Static Foam cleaner, best stuff on the world.. It does not only clean your screen (any screen) very well, it can clean all electronic devices, mobile phones, stuff inside your computer, etcetera.. It’s non-water based so it can’t hurt your electronics.. A can costs around 6 bucks and lasts a life-time.. Monster is expensive stuff..
Joshua Messer on January 10th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Personally I like OmniCleanz by RadTech, comes with a little microfiber cloth. But I’m going to check out the stuff Jesse suggested as I’m always looking for “the best”.
Josh Walker on January 10th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
The newer Macs (iMac, MacBook) include the cloth you’ve described.
Nick on January 10th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Thanks for the recommendations everyone and thanks for this post…i needed something to clean it with but ive been delaying because i didnt want to scratch the screen
Sue Anderson on January 10th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Just make sure the cloth does not have sewn edges. The new iMacs and MacBooks, maybe not the very latest, but within the last month have all come with cloths, like mine did, but the edges are sewn. They can scratch the screen. And I am also grateful for the anti-static foam cleaner tip.
Dirk Marple on January 10th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Paper towel, Glass Plus. It’s a piece of glass people.
Rom on January 11th, 2008 at 4:32 am
I also swear by OmniCleanz – not only does it clean, it removes scuff marks as well.
Jeff on January 11th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I use LensCrafter glasses cleaner.
They included it with my Oakleys for some reason (regular cleaner will damage Oakleys)
Roscoe on January 12th, 2008 at 6:28 am
Soft paper towel, Non streaking glass cleaner….thats pretty much all I need. Works great
troy on January 12th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
The cloth I just got with my glossy iMac has no sewn edge and works fine, but leaves me to wonder if it just spreads it all over the screen so that it becomes invisible or if it really takes the fingerprints off. . . .
Paul C on January 13th, 2008 at 8:41 am
It’s a coated piece of glass, in many cases. And the ammonia in most household glass cleaners is a harsh chemical to be using on it.
James on April 16th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Water and Microfiber is all I use. I avoid the solutions that are 99% water or that use harsh or toxic solvents.
cleaning on June 5th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I Would have thought paper towels would leave scratches?
Lucy xx
Dluxe on February 22nd, 2009 at 9:28 pm
I’m inclined to think the Dirk Marple and Roscoe are fakes as they are dishing out a bunch of BS. NEVER, I repeat never used any paper product on any optical grade surface that you care about preserving. And most commercial glass cleaners contain ammonia, which is also a big no-no. And using water straight from the tape is full of minerals which can leave spots. Nuf said.