Best way to clean a TFT Monitor

[Marzman]

Hi, I just got a Compaq TFT monitor, well I found it (about the only benefit of living on a council estate) and its a tad grubby. Just a few jam like marks on the screen but they are noticeable. Was just wondering if anyone had any tips for cleaning it, as I’m a bit concerned about causing damage. Thanks

[PrntRhd]

There are products out there like Windex for Electronics that say they clean safely, is this available in the UK?
I would also recommend very mild products like Simple Green diluted and wiped with a damp soft towel.
Following the monitor mfg's directions might also be good advice.
No solvents or abrasive products of any kind should be used.

[Donn]

Stay away from alcohols (methanols, ethanols, propanols etc.,) and ammonia or ammonium, anything with mineral hyroxides-- KOH (potassium hydroxide) NaOH (sodium hydroxide) those are tub and tile and glass and lexan cleaners. Also do not use Windex for Windows--usually has one of the above or acetic acid (vinegar) in it, and they are all solvents

Agree--contact the mfgr before you do anything, read:

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=33373

for some chuckles and some facts. . . .

[classicsoftware]

This is the best product for cleaning LCD/TFT laptop, CRT screens. Just outstanding.....

[jabarnutcase]

Funny you should mention that classic....that's the stuff I referenced to in my first post in the (now famous) thread that Donn links to above.

Klearscreen/iklear, (basically the same stuff), is an excellent "kleaner" that I've used for years. (I think I've even ordered it from that same site).

That's why I was totally bummed when my Viewsonic from that thread had it's problem.
I'll still continue to use Klearscreen though, as I'm sure it had nothing to do with the product, but more with my particular Viewsonic, or just plain bad luck.

It's an excellent product that I've seen recommended on TechTV and also by various manufacturers.

[Donn]

Isn't the internet fun? Fishing for all this stuff, right at our fingertips. Klear Screen is 85% water and 15% "proprietary" active ingredients--that's the stuff that picks up the lint and dust. And for this they only want $9.95 for the 4oz bottle with the wipe cloths. There are however a lot of good *consumer* reviews of this product:

http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/search?...%22&t=all&p=40

one specifically

http://radio.weblogs.com/0100524/2003/02/22.html

I'd like to see the bottle and see what the active "proprietary" (we don't want to let you know how cheap the) ingredients are. . . I'm thinking not glass lens cleaner but something like Armour-All--vinyl cleaner. Gimme a couple of days I'll see if we can save on buying it under another name for cheaper.

I also found Kensington Screen Guardian:

http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/search?...=web&g=s&t=all

specifically:

http://catalog.doit.wisc.edu/product...itemnum=C21819

and more specifically:

http://www.kensington.com/searchApp/search.jsp

which appears to be less expensive. Still, I'd like to see the active ingredients of both. . . probly buy it by the train car for pennies.

[jabarnutcase]

probably buy it by the train car for pennies

I'll bet you're right Donn....funny, I grabbed the bottle I have and it doesn't even mention ANY ingredient whatsoever on the Bottle. (Is that legal???)
I mean, suppose I drank the whole bottle?
How would you treat my condition? With my 9MM???

All it says is that it's "unique formula" is..."anti-static, alcohol and ammonia fee".

Anyway, it goes on with a sort of watery consistency, but when you're done "polishing" all of the material off, it really does feel and look "polished" and smooth. You can all of the sudden feel the cloth "glide" across the screen....almost as if you used Glass Wax or something on it.
Or the feeling you get with a polishing rag after you've waxed your car.
(Certainly, Glass Wax or car wax is not something I would recommend on a Monitor though).
What ever this stuff is though, it works great!


Hmmmm....just what is this magical mystery cleaner anyway?

(Edit) And from classic's link:

Klear Screen contains a unique 3-step liquid polymer-based formula.....

[Donn]

Yeah, well, 'liquid polymer-based formula,' whatever . Read: marketing jive. So is fiberglass resin, for that matter . . .so is house paint.

Point is that if it works, hey, let's go that way. . .

"I grabbed the bottle I have and it doesn't even mention ANY ingredient whatsoever on the Bottle. (Is that legal???)"

Yes, they're called proprietary ($$making) ingredients, and since those chemicals do not come under any hazardous substance laws. . .they do not have to list them. They only list water (83%) on their website.

"I mean, suppose I drank the whole bottle?"

that would be selfish, didn't you learn to share, hmm?

"How would you treat my condition? With my 9MM???"

enema, it's the only known cure . . .

[jabarnutcase]

enema, it's the only known cure

Don't worry.......I will NOT drink the whole bottle.

[Donn]

Ps: anyone else watching the dog-tricks show on NBC. . .amazing stuff. . . 4:15pm saturday

[classicsoftware]

Who cares what's inside as long as it works. They can charge $9.95 per bottle because they thought up and tested the formula and you didn't, otherwise you would be collecting $9.95 per bottle.

They have also manged to get the endorsement of major manufacturers. If you think it's only water, clean your TFT with water.

By the way concentration has zero to due with potency. Just so you know the average pill that has say 20mg of drug has about 1500mg of inert ingredients. Since the active part is only a little more than 1% maybe all drugs are rip off too. Just a bad analogy on your part.....

[Reid]

How can water be recommended so casually? Don't you know the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide? ;-)
http://www.gumbopages.com/fridge/dmho.html

[jabarnutcase]

Wow! No wonder that stuff works so well!

I'm buying some more!

*** As a little side note.....I was married in Santa Cruz, CA.
I see those people are still really bored (and liberal) out there.

(Oh...and if you live there, sorry Reid)
Don't get me wrong, my sister-in-law and her Husband still live there too. Nice people.

[Paul Komski]

Good old water is one of the best solvents going. As with most solvents they are generally more effective as solvents the higher their concentration becomes. That is to say that 100% water is a usually a better solvent than 50% water and 50% salt.

Potency and solubility are terms that are quite hard to compare particularly since solubility solvent/solute curves do all sorts of weird things - notaby the infamous mixing of alcohol and water where each one dissolves in the other one until they form an azeotropic mixture with a constant ratio of one to the other when the azeotrope is boiled and which is why (oh sooo sad !) you cannott make 100% alcohol by distillation!

He He

[Reid]

Originally Posted by jabarnutcase

(Oh...and if you live there, sorry Reid)

No offense taken. I admit to living in the Granola State, with all its faults (pun intended).

[Donn]

Paul wrote:

Good old water is one of the best solvents going. As with most solvents they are generally more effective as solvents the higher their concentration becomes. That is to say that 100% water is a usually a better solvent than 50% water and 50% salt.

Donn wrote:

eeeeeya, Paul, I'll have to take issue with that, if you are using mineral salts like KOH, (potassium hydroxide--Liquid Plummer) , or metal salts like NaOH, (sodium hydroxide), or murate salts (becomes HCl) in H20, Na[ClO3]2 (sodium hypochlorate--bleach) in water. . .all very caustic substances, very good solvents of organic material. What most people don't know is when you get bleach on your hands and your hand feel slippery. . .? that's the first layer of skin dissolving.

Paul wrote:

"Potency and solubility are terms that are quite hard to compare particularly since solubility solvent/solute curves do all sorts of weird things -- notaby the infamous mixing of alcohol and water where each one dissolves in the other one until they form an azeotropic mixture with a constant ratio of one to the other when the azeotrope is boiled and which is why (oh sooo sad !) you cannott make 100% alcohol by distillation!

He He "

Donn wrote:

That actually depends on WHICH alcohol you re using and under what condition. It would also be tending to stray from the realm of organic chem and valence boonding because at that point you re coming into the area of hydrogen bonding. When one deals with azeotropes--vapor/solution equilibia--one generally introduces an enabler (I forget the exact word for it) to keep the two separate, which keeps the distillation going.

However, if you have a chemistry degree (mine is Agronomy and Plant Genetics) and especially if you are (were) a chem or biochem teacher, then I surrender and apologize profusely for everything I have said, and thank I Odin you don't live anywhere near Jabar and his 9mike !!!

Ps: does everyone know that all metals are technically actually slow-moving liquids. . .? True.

[Paul Komski]

He He There's only one alcohol - well on this side of the pond anyways.

One wee correction is that the way that those caustic salts "dissolve" your finger tips its not because they are acting as solvents. They are actually solutes. The reason the fingers get slippery is that caustic + fat = soap and you are turning the fat in the tips of your fingers into soap. Very unwise if lifting a glass of alcohol - the ethanolic type - OF COURSE.

[Donn]

Right, ethanol, shoulda seen it. . . I surrender!!! You can have mine, I'm stickly rootbeer. . .

[Paul Komski]

... and I'm not so think as you drunk I am.

hic !

[PrntRhd]

Another way to clean it is this:
http://60gp.ovh.net/~cleanyou/