What to use to clean the screen...

[AndyD]

Some niave person at work decided to use his finger on the screen when he was checking out my PPC. Not sure of what I can use to clean the screen. Any suggestions?

[wocket]

Damp lint free soft cloth or tissue is the best.

It's normally a bad idea to use chemical cleaners on LCD's.

[petvas]

I am using Klearscreen for all my LCD screens. They are great and I recommend them to everybody..
www.klearscreen.com :wink:

[famousdavis]

Jimminy!

I use my finger lots of times to enter my power-on password, and sometimes to navigate my way around on my PPC. I'm hard-pressed to see any fingerprints on my PPC, although its never been sheathed in any kind of cover. If something does get on my screen display -- like smudged peanut butter while I'm eating my lunch -- I just take a dry napkin and rub it 'til it's clean. I have a screen protector on the display, so I'm not concerned at all about tiny surface scratches. After all, it's just a PPC... ;-)

[Dave Beauvais]

I also use a screen protector (http://www.nushield.com/), and when it gets smudges or dust on it, I just breathe lightly on the surface and wipe it with the tail of whatever shirt I happen to be wearing at the time. Without a sreen protector, I'd still breathe on it, but would probably only use an old soft cotton t-shirt or handkerchief.

I'd strongly advise you against using a napkin or paper towel as these tend to be made of somewhat coarse, abrasive fibers. Tissues tend to have way too much lint and usually leave dust and lint in the corners of the display making it worse than when you started.

... After all, it's just a PPC... ;-)
<gasp!> 8O J... Just a PPC?! Get out! Get out of here now! You are no longer welcome at this site! ;)

--Dave

[petvas]

I am not using Klearscreen Screen Protectors. I am just using the cleaning products they make. They are great and keep the screen in a perfect shape... I do not like screen protectors... :roll:

[Badandy]

Spit on your screen and wipe it with a frieking shirt 8)





You could do that, but that is me with a screen protector on. I here Plexus (search for it) glass cleaner works great on screens!

[mattbugz]

What do you guys think of using alcohol based wipes?

[PetiteFlower]

I got a microfiber screen-cleaning cloth from Fellowes for $5. No lint or dust and no cleaners needed. But now that I have WriteShields on the screen, it never gets smudged anymore :)

[famousdavis]

What do you guys think of using alcohol based wipes?

Is that a napkin soaked in Budweiser?

As I said earlier, I just use a dry napkin...

:wink:

[nosmohtac]

I recently noticed some scratches on the top portion of my screen. I don't know how they got there, because I've always hada screen protector on.

I was wondering if there was a mild abrasive cleaner that anyone has tried, that might buff the scratches away.

[famousdavis]

Dave wrote:

I'd strongly advise you against using a napkin or paper towel as these tend to be made of somewhat coarse, abrasive fibers. Tissues tend to have way too much lint and usually leave dust and lint in the corners of the display making it worse than when you started.

Dust and lint in the corners of my display are worrisome? 8O I'll bet you aren't like me -- you don't tote your uncovered PPC in your pants pocket stuffed with a few dollars bills and a tissue or two, huh?

Think of it this way: The sooner your PDA gets scratched, scuffed and filled with lint, the sooner you can justify to yourself (if not your significant other) the purchase of a hot-off-the-shelf, top-line PDA! :D

One more remark -- remind me to tell you about the time when I ejected my SD card from my PPC. I found more lint inside my SD slot than inside any PPC geek's belly button! 8)

[AndyD]

Thanks for the replies guys. I haven't had a chance to do so but I'm definitely gonna put in a order for some WriteShield screen protectors.

[maximus]

I use the microfibre sheet I got when purchasing eyeglasses. Very good at lifting small objects.

What do you guys think of using alcohol based wipes?

I think it is a bad idea to do that. Chemical are a no-no in touch screen department.

Someone else (bdegroodt ??) on this forum mentioned that he used aircan to clean his PPC screen .. I think that is a good idea.

[PetiteFlower]

I was wondering if there was a mild abrasive cleaner that anyone has tried, that might buff the scratches away.

EEEEK! :shocked!: You're kidding, aren't you?

[nosmohtac]

I was wondering if there was a mild abrasive cleaner that anyone has tried, that might buff the scratches away.

EEEEK! :shocked!: You're kidding, aren't you?

No. I know a guy who had a 3970, and now has a 5450. He has never used screen protectors, and he told me what he used to take the scratches off the screen, but I haven't been in touch with him and can't remember what it was called. I trust this guys claim, and would only try what he had tried. I think I might remember what it was called if I saw it again.

I have also heard (but never dared try it) that a certain brand of swirl remover for automobile finishes works. You know... the stuff that's supposed to remove the swirl marks after using a buffer.

[ctmagnus]

WriteShields. I also have some "lens towels" that I got from an eyeglass place. I use those for fingerprints and dust and stuff. And if I notice a scratch or something on the WriteShield, I use a Smith Smudgebuster optical cleaning cloth I got in some outdoorsy-type store in Banff.

[ctmagnus]

No. I know a guy who had a 3970, and now has a 5450. He has never used screen protectors, and he told me what he used to take the scratches off the screen, but I haven't been in touch with him and can't remember what it was called. I trust this guys claim, and would only try what he had tried. I think I might remember what it was called if I saw it again.

I have also heard (but never dared try it) that a certain brand of swirl remover for automobile finishes works. You know... the stuff that's supposed to remove the swirl marks after using a buffer.

ArmorAll? I've heard of people using it on their Pocket PC screens.

[nosmohtac]

It wasn't either of those, but thanks for the tips. :)

I use writeshields as well, but it's way past time to order more. The one I have installed is very scratched up, and is terrible to view through unless the brightness is turned up, or I'm in a dark room.

Now that I think about it. I think that's how my screen got scratched. I was showing my ipaq off to some people, so I removed my scratched up write shield. I put it on to an ID card in my wallet and later on (before playing a card game) I reinstalled it on to my ipaq. I must have gotten some dust particles underneath the write shield that scratched the screen after a few more installs and removals.

[famousdavis]

I don't know the product name, but my brother has used some sort of mysterious fluid/wipe combination on CDROMs to buff out scratches that prevented the CDROM from being properly read. One time in particular, I remember being quite amazed when, after the third buffing, a particularly troublesome CDROM was restored to full-read capability!

The product -- whatever it was -- was suitable for the sensitive coating of a CDROM. Perhaps it could be used on a PPC display, too.

[GoldKey]

The product -- whatever it was -- was suitable for the sensitive coating of a CDROM. Perhaps it could be used on a PPC display, too.

Remember, the screen has electronic components to it and is probably much more sensitive then a CD Rom. Heck, you can completely submerse a CD, but I wouldn't do that with a PPC. :wink:

[Stephen Beesley]

No. I know a guy who had a 3970, and now has a 5450. He has never used screen protectors, and he told me what he used to take the scratches off the screen, but I haven't been in touch with him and can't remember what it was called. I trust this guys claim, and would only try what he had tried. I think I might remember what it was called if I saw it again.

I have also heard (but never dared try it) that a certain brand of swirl remover for automobile finishes works. You know... the stuff that's supposed to remove the swirl marks after using a buffer.

ArmorAll? I've heard of people using it on their Pocket PC screens.

Ahhh now this is a topic that has come up many times on the NewtonTalk email list. Opinions vary much like in this Thread, but one of the best possible solutions I come across is quoted below. I did try this on my Newton and it seemed to work pretty well. No Idea how it would go on a PPC screen. Any way here is the suggested method for what is worth - attempt at your own risk of course :D

There's no real way to get scratches out of the display. The problem is that there is a touch sensitive plastic layer over the display that is quite delicate.

You can make them less noticible by cleaning the display very well with a cleanser made especially for plastic, (edmund scientific has some great products for this) and then spraying some Pledge furniture polish on a lint-free cloth (those microfiber camera lens cloths work well) and wiping the display with this cloth. This seems to be the best method of reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.



Goldtee

[piperpilot]

Wow, who would have thought that this was such a complicated thing. I use the old warm breath and shirt tail/dress method. I use WriteShields though, so I might be more careful if my iPAQ was "naked."

[PetiteFlower]

Ok you're not looking for an abrasive, you're looking for something that would "fill in" the scratches. You do NOT want to use anything abrasive, the touch layer is very soft, abrasives will only make it worse!

[Stephen Beesley]

Ok you're not looking for an abrasive, you're looking for something that would "fill in" the scratches. You do NOT want to use anything abrasive, the touch layer is very soft, abrasives will only make it worse!

I agree 100% - I think that is the idea with furniture polish suggestion I quoted above.

Goldtee

[bazza]

My PPC is "naked" - I use good ol' warm breath and a lens cloth. Tried all the optical cleaners and found them to be much the same.

Incidentally, warm water and a lens cloth is the best way to clean your sunnies 8) .

The above method may be rudimentary - but saves a lot of time and money!! :i got it:

"The reaction of the average human subject when unexpectedly faced with a Dalek is complete terror. The Dalek is, after all, heavily armoured, pitiless and extremely aggressive, whereas the the average human civilan is soft, easily suprised and often confused with something out of the ordinary" - Dalek Survival Guide

[stevew]

HP says use a damp soft cloth only to clean your screen on their website. It works just fine. Why try anything else? I don't get it.

[ctmagnus]

Slightly OT:

I was working on someone's printer a few days ago and the printer manufacturer suggested to clean the print heads with a paper towel! If that doesn't leave lint lying around, I don't know what will.