Taking time out of your busy day to relax is important, but have you ever sat down to watch your favorite show and are unable to concentrate past the fingerprints and dust on your TV screen? Maybe you want to impress your friends and family with the picture quality of your new TV, so you sit down to watch your favorite team play — but there's grease and fingerprints in the corner, distracting everyone.
This guide will cover what you’ll need to know to properly maintain your flat screen or standard TV screens quickly and efficiently.
Like every other surface in the home, your TV screen is subject to dust, fingerprints and debris. That’s why it should be cleaned at least once every other week. A bi-weekly TV cleaning routine doesn’t have to be a daunting process. Keep reading to find out how to easily clean your TV screens.
Supplies you’ll need to clean your TV screens.
You don’t have to invest in any expensive chemicals to have a clean TV screen. Here’s what you’ll need:
Microfiber cloth (preferably two)
Spray bottles (preferably two)
Distilled water
Non-soap synthetic cleanser or very mild dish soap
The cleanser is optional. And if your screen isn’t too dirty, you may find that just one dry cloth will do the trick instead of two.
There are TV screen cleaner solutions available, but diluting a non-soap cleanser in distilled (not tap) water will work fine. A 100:1 water-to-soap ratio is recommended, which would equal about 4 ounces of distilled water and ¼ teaspoon of your desired cleanser. Optionally, we recommend using two small spray bottles: one for the distilled water, and one for your water and cleanser solution.
It’s important that you don’t use any sort of alcohol, window cleaner, acetone or ammonia-based cleansers. These can be abrasive and cause permanent damage to your screen and hardware.
How to clean your TV screens.
Use this step-by-step guide to clean your TV screens thoroughly:
Step 1: Turn off and unplug your TV.
Once you have your distilled water, cleaning solution and microfiber cloths ready, begin by turning off your television and giving it a few seconds to cool down. After it has cooled, unplug the TV from the power source. It’s important that the TV is off and unplugged. Leaving it on or plugged in can potentially cause an electrical shortage.
Turning off and unplugging your TV will help ensure no permanent damage is done while cleaning. This will also reduce the possibility of you getting injured while working. Once the TV is off and unplugged, you’re ready to begin.
Step 2: Remove dust with a dry microfiber cloth.
Start by taking a dry cloth and gently wiping in circular motions from the top of the TV downwards. Make sure to use very light, even pressure, and do not wipe from side to side. Pressing too hard on your screen can damage the display, so it’s always best to go over a spot gently more than once, then press harder to clean the area.
Always start at the top of the screen and work from one side of the screen to the other, moving down as you go. This helps to ensure any dust or debris that falls won’t land on what you’ve just cleaned.
Wiping your cloth across the top of the screen and sides will help reduce buildup over time as well.
Step 3: Remove additional spots.
If there are fingerprints or smudges on your screen after wiping it down the first time, take your microfiber cloth and get it just barely damp with your distilled water solution. You need very little water for this step, which is why we recommend using a spray bottle to lightly spray the distilled water onto your microfiber cloth.
Important note: never spray water or cleaning solution directly onto your television screen. Doing so can cause water to drip down into the television and cause permanent damage.
Begin wiping gently at the spots, starting again from top to bottom and in light circular motions. Once the majority of the spot is removed, wipe the spot again with your dry clot to remove any potential streaks from the water.
Step 4: Remove fingerprints or tougher spots on your TV.
You don’t have to blame it on the kids — it happens to everyone. TV screens get fingerprints, and the natural oils we leave on the screen are usually the toughest to remove. This is where the non-soap cleanser (or dish soap) comes in handy.
Once you have removed the base layers of dust and dirt from your TV, take your second spray bottle and add about ¼ teaspoon (one small drop) of cleaner and 4 ounces of distilled water. Stir gently until the mixture is combined.
Spray a small amount of solution onto your damp microfiber cloth from before, and repeat the small, gentle, circular motions from top to bottom to remove the fingerprints.
Next, take the spray bottle with only distilled water, dampen a separate part of the same cloth, and gently wipe over the spots you just cleaned. This will help remove any soap residue that might have transferred onto your TV.
Lastly, take your dry microfiber cloth and wipe gently to remove any small water streaks and to have a beautiful finish.
Step 5: Dust around your television.
Believe it or not, dusting around your television after you’ve cleaned your TV screen is very important. Take the same microfiber cloth you used to wipe down your television screen, and wipe down the surfaces that your TV is on or around. This will help minimize how often you have to clean your TV screen because it removes any dust or debris that can be swept up by air currents and stick to your screen.
Keep your TV clean by preventing fingerprints and dust.
Fingerprints are typically left on your screen because of the natural oils on our skin, and any dirt we may have picked up throughout the day. Making sure that you have clean, dry hands anytime you’re handling your TV will help reduce fingerprint buildup over time. And when cleaning your screen, try to brace your second hand on a table or wall — and not on the screen itself.
Wiping down your flat screen or television set once a week, or every other week, will help reduce buildup over time. Even if there are only small traces of dust, routine cleanings will help ensure any fingerprints left on your screen will be easier and faster to remove.
Remember: the more dust and dirt buildup, the harder it is to remove it from a surface.
Hire house cleaning services on Thumbtack.
Cleaning your TV is a relatively simple task. But when life gets busy, don’t hesitate to lean on a little help. Consider hiring a house cleaning service near you. They can come in weekly, bi-weekly or monthly to help clean various areas inside your home — including your TV and other appliances.
Why is it important to use distilled water when cleaning your TV?
Distilled water goes through a process that removes chemical impurities and minerals that your tap water at home may have. Using distilled water helps ensure that no microabrasions happen while cleaning your screen.
Can I use Windex on my TV screen?
The short answer is NO. Windex contains chemicals that aren’t safe on television screens, specifically ammonia, which is used as a rapid-drying agent. These chemicals can break down the anti-reflective layers of your screen over time and ruin your TV.
For most spots or fingerprints, distilled water will work beautifully, and if necessary, you can dilute a non-soap cleanser in your water at a 1:100 ratio. Non-soap cleansers include mild dish soaps.
What can I use to clean my TV screen?
One or two microfiber cloths, about 1 cup of distilled water, and ¼ teaspoon of non-soap cleanser are all you really need. There are screen-specific microfiber cloths you can find easily at office supply stores or online, but any microfiber cloth should do fine.
You don’t need any ridiculously expensive products to do everyday cleanings on your television. But investing in a few good quality microfiber cloths is recommended.
Can I use glass cleaners on my TV?
For similar reasons to Windex, the answer again is NO. Most glass cleaners contain ethyl alcohol and ammonium hydroxide, which are damaging to LED and LCD screens. A good rule of thumb is to avoid the 3 A’s of cleaning agents: ammonia (or ammonium derivatives), alcohol and acetone.
Most spots and fingerprints should easily be removed with a small amount of distilled water and a cloth, but in cases of harder spots, you can add a trace amount of non-soap cleanser to more thoroughly work an area.
