Is your beautiful TV getting a little dusty and dirty? It’s normal; TVs get dusty, and quite so at that. TVs really attract a lot of dust, and this means that they need to be dusted and cleaned.
After all, watching your favorite movie or show is not very enjoyable if you are forced to watch through a quarter inch of dust, various stains, and who knows what else.
How you should dust a flat-screen TV is what we are going to discuss in this article. Something you need to be aware of is that dusting and cleaning a flat-screen TV is not as simple as spraying it with some Windex and wiping it down, and in fact, when it comes to plasma and LCD TVs, harsh chemicals are big no-nos.
Let’s go over the right way to clean and dust your flat-screen TV to get it back to its former glory without causing any damage.
Ways to Dust A Flat-Screen TV
A Dry and Soft Cloth
The best thing to dust a TV off with is a soft and dry cloth. You will want to use something like a microfiber cloth, preferably even some kind of anti-static cloth to avoid scratching; LCD and plasma screens scratch easily.
A normal towel or paper towel is not as soft as you might think; they contain fairly rough fibers, and they can pick up dirt which then gets dragged across the screen and ends up causing scratches. Start off by using a microfiber towel to wipe away as much dust and debris as possible.
What is important to note is that you should never apply much pressure to any TV screen, especially LCD screens. Applying even a little too much pressure may cause irreversible damage to the screen, so be very careful when doing this.
Supporting the TV
Something you will want to do when dusting off your flat-screen TV is to use one hand to support it while cleaning it with the other. This is especially important if your TV is mounted on a stand and standing on some sort of table or TV cabinet.
If you press too hard with the cloth, and you aren’t using your hand to support the TV, it may fall over. Even for wall-mounted TVs, it is always a good idea to hold it with one hand while cleaning with the other.
Applying a Bit of Water
If the dust on the TV doesn’t come off using the dry microfiber towel alone, or if there are stains present that a dry cloth just can’t deal with, you can apply a little bit of warm water to the towel.
Don’t saturate the microfiber towel with water, as it will be too wet, end up causing streaks, and if water runs down the screen and into the display ‘s electronics, you may be in trouble. On that same note, never spray water directly onto the TV screen either. Just be sure not to use too much water.
Using Some Soap
If there are really stubborn stains that a dry cloth can’t deal with, stains that even a damp cloth cannot handle, you may need to use a bit of soap.
It is important to note that you should only use extremely mild dish detergent for this. Under no circumstances should you use something like Windex or any product that contains harsh chemicals such as formaldehyde or ammonia.
These can and will damage the screen, which is especially true for LCD screens. Here, it is recommended that you mix 100 parts warm water with 1 part soap. This should be enough to remove any stains or remaining dust.
A Flat-Screen TV Cleaning Kit
The other thing you can use to dust off your flat-screen TV is a special little kit. Now, in all reality, you probably won’t need this. Unless you managed to splatter spaghetti sauce or maple syrup onto the screen, a microfiber cloth with some soap and warm water should do the trick.
However, if all else fails, you can resort to a $20 TV cleaning kit. If you have an LCD TV, make sure the kit in question is intended for such. These kits will come with a special non-scratch cloth, as well as some sort of specialized cleaning solution. These kits aren’t cheap, but it may be your only solution if all else has failed.
Conclusion
Cleaning a flat-screen TV is not rocket science, nowhere close. Make sure to use a very soft non-scratching towel, preferably a non-static microfiber towel, and if necessary, apply a bit of warm water and a small amount of gentle dish soap.