How to Clean Your Flat Screen TV or High Definition Flat Panel Display

Have you noticed that your big screen TV attracts every dust particle in the neighborhood? Smudges and fingerprints don't do much to improve the picture either.

If you don't have your TV mounted on the wall, you may find pizza and peanut butter need to be removed to restore your ability to see anything at all. Kids are not the only culprits. More than one grown up has been known to point to a hidden golf ball or "exactly" where the football should have been placed when their team was denied a first down! Greasy hot wings and TV screens don't go well together!

We all know that high-definition flat-panel displays require the occasional cleaning to remove dust, fingerprints and whatever else is blocking the view. It's tempting to hit the screen with a window clearer and a paper towel to restore the bright picture — just like you always did with your older CRT TVs (sometimes called "tube" TVs), but using the wrong cleaning solution with your new flat screen could do more harm than good.

If you, like millions of other TV watchers, own a flat-panel LCD or plasma TV that you spent a great deal of money to buy and mount, pay close attention to the chemicals you're using to clean it. The wrong cleaning solutions ones may leave you with a foggy, streaky or worse, a damaged screen. Applying too much liquid could mean a drip that gets inside the screen and damages the electronics.

The screens on the older TVs were made of a thick plate of glass. Any cleaner that worked on your windows was perfect for your TV set. But you may wind up with an unusable 42 inch screen if you used that same glass cleaner on your flat-panel TV.

These high definition panels are made of a specially designed, flexible plastic which are much more sensitive to chemicals. Harsh cleaners can eat away at the screen's special protective layer. Even ordinary kitchen towels or paper towels can scratch the surface and leave behind lint!

How to clean your flat screen

Look for cleaning products that are specially formulated to clean flat-panel TV screens without causing damage to the viewing area or discoloring the TV's bezel — the frame around the screen. These cleaners are far safer to use and don't contain chemicals such as alcohol, ammonia, glycerin, or other solvents that dry too quickly and leave behind discolored streaks or cause that cloudy damage that you never want to see...

"You really only need to clean your screen when it looks dirty," said Keith Pribyl, vice president of consumer sales for Sanus Systems, a manufacturer of screen cleaning products that are safe for use on most flat-panel TV screens.

Using products such as gel sprays will allow you to enjoy your TV for its full manufactured lifespan. Gels are considered superior to liquid cleaners that could potentially drip and seep into the TV's inner structure. If you do use a liquid, spray lightly. Don't put on more liquid to remove stubborn spots. Instead spray lightly and wipe — then repat the light spray as often as you need until the spot is clean. Too much liquid on the screen can run and drip into the sensitive inner workings of your expensive TV.

"A simple dusting and occasional cleaning with the light detergent gel should keep your screen in optimal TV viewing condition," adds Pribyl.

Instead of towels, invest in a cleaning utensil or cloth that is designed to be lint free and does not generate static. The cloth should be soft enough to avoid scratching your screen. An anti-static brush is ideal for removing dust and static electricity between cleanings. The same gel and cleaning cloth can be used on your computer monitor, too.

A last piece of advice: Clean with caution. Don't press too hard on the screen, and consult your TV owner's manual if you have any doubts about whether a certain cleaner can be used.

Cleaning Your Flat-panel TV Screen — Safely Eliminating Dust, Lint, Fingerprints, Peanut Butter, Pizza...

Cleaning Your Flat-panel TV Screen —
Safely Eliminating Dust, Lint, Fingerprints, Peanut Butter, Pizza...