The Best Way to Clean Your TV Without Damaging It
The internet connectivity and thin LCD screens of today’s TVs are far from the sturdy boxes that once took up so much space in our living rooms. However, these old bricks had one advantage: they were easy to clean without fear of damaging the entire machine. Plastic cases and glass screens can be wiped fairly easily, while modern TVs are more finicky and gentle, and cleaning them requires extra effort and care.
You may still have one of those sturdy old TVs, and if so, you should know it’s called a CRTV or tube TV and its screen can be cleaned with Windex (or some other glass cleaner). Easy enough. You can also have a plasma screen TV – although they have been out of production for almost a decade, they still exist. If you have a newer TV, it is most likely an LCD (LED) or OLED TV. According to Consumer Reports , the main tip for cleaning them is to wipe the screen with a soft, dry cloth, but that’s not all.
Before you begin, turn off and unplug your TV. This will help it cool down, which will make the process safer for the screen – and it will be easier to see smudges, streaks and dirt on it. (And if you need some water for stubborn stains, you don’t risk mixing liquid and electricity.)
Check your user manual to see if there are any cleaning instructions specific to your TV. If you have not done so, visit the manufacturer’s website where you will usually find instructions. Your TV may even come with the type of cloth you want, so hopefully you saved it, but if not, get a soft microfiber cloth or use one made for eyeglasses or cameras. Wipe with gentle circular motions.
After you’ve wiped off most of the stains with a cloth, you may still need to work harder to remove more difficult stains. In this case, Consumer Reports suggests using a solution of very mild dishwashing detergent heavily diluted with water. residual moisture with a dry microfibre cloth. (Or you can ditch dishwashing detergent entirely—a little plain water sprayed onto a cloth should do the trick.) CR also reminds us that “LCD screens, in particular, are very sensitive to pressure and can scratch easily, so don’t don’t press too hard.” And never use glass cleaners or other harsh chemicals to clean these screens.
Finally, go behind the vents. You can use a regular cloth or the soft attachment of a vacuum cleaner. Carefully run through the ventilation holes on the back of the TV to remove any dust. (If the TV is standing alone, be sure to support it while vacuuming.) Finish by blowing compressed air into the ports, and then wipe off any escaping dust with a dry cloth.