Michał Stekla
Surely many of us have wondered how to clean the dirty screen of our television. It has become a common belief to clean it solely dry, but this way, we may not always manage to deal with every stain on the screen. So, what will we need to safely clean the screen wet? Can every type of screen be treated this way?
Which cloth to choose?
To clean the screen, we should only use dedicated microfiber cloths designed for screens. They may vary in texture, but we most commonly encounter two types, examples of which are shown in the image below.
It is not a very good idea to use universal cloths for windows, even if the manufacturer states that they are made of microfiber. Their hard structure can cause micro-scratches on the screen that we cannot repair. Remember that the cloths used to clean the screen should be used only for that purpose. If they serve other tasks in our household, dirt from other surfaces may settle on them, and again our screen is then at risk of being scratched.
We should also never soak or wash such a cloth, because minerals that create the effect shown below will likely remain on it.
So we already know what type of cloth we need, and since we're talking about cleaning with liquid, what solution would be appropriate for this? Maybe let's focus on what detergents to avoid. Surely each of us has a window cleaning solution, and since the screen is a kind of "glass," why not use that product? Well, nothing could be further from the truth ;) By using such detergents, we can leave streaks on the screen, and after all, we didn't start cleaning just to make our screen even dirtier.
In this case, demineralized water is helpful, which can be more effective when warmed up in a pot of water. A solution dedicated to screens is also recommended, which can clean any type of display except for QD-OLEDs with a glossy coating. So how do we clean it? Don't worry, we'll find out shortly.
LCD, OLED, QLED Displays
We have the right cloth, liquid, and our stain, so let's get to work! It's best to use two cloths, one for wet cleaning and the other for drying. We fold the cloth in four and apply our water/liquid to the fabric. It's important to not spray it on the screen, as the liquid can seep under the LCD screen coating if we spray it on the edge. We only clean the soiled area and try to press as lightly as possible against the screen. If the surface is still dirty, we can repeat the process on the clean side of the cloth. Finally, it's worth "polishing" the matrix with a dry cloth, gently pressing it across the entire surface. This way, our unwanted stains should disappear for good :)
Problem with QD-Oled
And what if this way actually cleans the QD-Oled panel? Is it resistant to removing greasy stains?
True, the above method will certainly remove stains from our TV, but this process may cause a slight, matte, blue glow, as seen below.
In reality, it does not affect the comfort of using the television, but it stands out against the entire matrix.
In cases where our screen is full of such plans, a solution may be to wipe it wet across the entire surface, so that it will be uniform and the differences will no longer be visible.
Cleaning QD-Oled
So how do we safely clean our QD-Oled without making a "mess"? :)
In search of a solution, we found Samsung's official recommendation. It concerns the use of a 70% ethanol solution for cleaning - yes, yes, we're talking about ethyl alcohol.
This kind of information should have been checked immediately.
We got right to the test (what one does in the name of science) and it really works! We also tested that purer ethanol, e.g., rectified spirit (around 95%), works better. Although the first thought might suggest that this method would damage our panel, nothing of the sort occurred in this case, and we cleaned the same spot 4 times.
However, we recommend caution because remember that wet cleaning should be used in emergency situations, and I don't recommend regularly cleaning the television this way. We shouldn't attempt to clean other panels than QD-Oled using ethanol.
What if our panel is dirty not on the surface, but inside? If dust has gotten between the layers of the panel or there are stains from the DSM effect caused by uneven distribution of backlight, then we are unable to clean it. In that case, we are left with only service.
