# Cleaning a Flat Screen TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983 "2009-01-19T13:07:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/1 "2009-01-19T13:07:11Z")
OK, I needed a new TV, & a store that was going out of business offered me a great price. So, now I have an LG 19" flatscreen. Is there a good way to clean the screen without damaging it? Please & thank you! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/2 "2009-01-19T13:16:29Z")
Well, I don’t actually have one, but I do have a laptop (which I think is kind of similar???) and I use my eyeglasses cleaner spray to clean it. Maybe that will work for yours? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/3 "2009-01-19T13:21:16Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Well, I don’t actually have one, but I do have a laptop (which I think is kind of similar???) and I use my eyeglasses cleaner spray to clean it. Maybe that will work for yours? I use a dilute alcohol/water spray to clean my glasses. Is this what you mean? And, will paper products damage the screen? It is an LCD screen. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/4 "2009-01-19T13:27:43Z")
Mine came with a microfiber cloth. Haven’t checked for instructions. Does your instruction manual say anything about cleaning the screen? I’d be really cautious about using any liquid on it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/5 "2009-01-19T13:28:42Z")
You want isopropyl alcohol, and a soft cloth. _Not_ paper, and _not_ any other kind of cleaning alcohol. Some larger HDTVs have glass on the front of the TV, which may have differing allowances, but if it’s the plastic sheet screen you’re cleaning, then [isopropyl alcohol](http://www.dvhardware.net/article15339.html) (some say 50% diluted) is the _only_ way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/6 "2009-01-19T13:36:52Z")
My plasma says to use a dry cloth (supplied cloth is similar to glasses cloth) or for heavy duty cleaning, a damp cloth. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/7 "2009-01-19T14:28:51Z")
My LCD TV came with a microfiber cloth and the instructions specifically state to not use any liquid. Definitely check your instruction manual. So far I’ve never actually had to clean it, it’s probably been almost a year that I’ve had it. It doesn’t seem to attract dust like the CRT used to. Just the frame has to be wiped off periodically. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/8 "2009-01-19T22:49:28Z")
I just came across my manual and it has the same type of warning as **c\_goat’s** TV. So, definitely check the manual before using anything but a soft cloth. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/9 "2009-01-19T23:09:03Z")
OK, there seems to be a consensus, here. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/10 "2009-01-19T23:26:18Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > I use a dilute alcohol/water spray to clean my glasses. Is this what you mean? > > And, will paper products damage the screen? > > It is an LCD screen. I use the store-bought stuff, which I got at the eye doctor, but I’m sure you can pick it up at Walmart or just about anywhere. They also gave me a piece of fabric to do the cleaning. It’s shiney and stretchy and is specially designed to safely clean glasses, lint-free. I’m pretty sure paper might be risky to the surface. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/11 "2009-01-19T23:29:48Z")
What kind of fabric is this, anyway?😕 ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/12 "2009-01-19T23:37:50Z")
Google the manual for your TV. That will be definitive. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/13 "2009-01-20T02:43:12Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > What kind of fabric is this, anyway?😕 Microfiber. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/14 "2009-01-20T02:48:25Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Google the manual for your TV. That will be definitive. I have a 52" Sharp LCD, and the manual is useless on this subject. It tells you the things you cannot clean the monitor with, but nothing about what you can use. Apparently the customer is expected to _never_ clean the monitor. The set did not come with a cleaning cloth. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-flat-screen-tv/481983/15 "2009-01-20T18:47:26Z")
Hmm, actually the instructions don’t seem to be in the manual that I downloaded. Perhaps the warning came in the bag the cloth was in. I also remember it said something about liquid seeping behind the frame, which is why it said no liquid of any kind. So you’ll need to be careful of that as well (don’t spray anything directly on the screen, spray the cloth first if you insist on using a liquid).