Laptop screen
The one part of a computer where the manufacturer allows a second product: an ammonia-free cleaner made for displays, wiped top to bottom in one direction, after the same damp alcohol cloth as everything else.
What not to do
Ammonia is unsafe on Laptop screen
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
The ingredient that rules out most household window cleaners, and the one condition the manufacturer attaches to its own display-cleaner permission.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That ammonia is on the named list of prohibited substances, and that any glass cleaner used on a display must not contain it. (states this directly)
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Start here
What this is, what tends to go wrong with it, and what to do about it.
The science behind this: Moisture and electrical appliances
Part of Laptop computer.
In detail
A laptop screen is a display panel set in a thin frame, and the computer manufacturer names display panels, alongside keyboards, as places moisture must never be allowed to drip into, because moisture inside an electronic product can damage it. The routine starts as it does for the rest of the machine. Switch off and disconnect from the mains. Use a microfibre cloth and nothing else; the guidance says any other material could damage the product. If a solution is used, it is 70% isopropyl alcohol with 30% water, on a cloth that is damp but not dripping. Nothing is ever sprayed onto the screen. What belongs to the display alone is an optional second step. The screen may then be cleaned again with a glass cleaner designed for display surfaces, provided it contains no ammonia, wiping in one direction from the top of the screen downwards. That is narrower than it sounds: an ordinary window or mirror spray is not what is permitted. The screen must air dry, with no moisture visible, before the laptop is switched on or plugged in. This is one manufacturer speaking about its own equipment; check the manual for any other maker's screen.
What works
Isopropyl alcohol is safe on, in specific conditions, Laptop screen
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits, and nothing is established outside them.
Only within these limits:
- 70% isopropyl alcohol with 30% water; no other concentration is given
- applied to a microfibre cloth that is damp but not dripping, never sprayed onto the screen
- laptop switched off and disconnected from the mains first
- no moisture allowed to drip into the display panel
- air dried with no visible moisture before power is restored
One computer manufacturer's approval for its own equipment. It notes that repeated cleaning by this method may still produce visible cosmetic changes to some finishes over time.
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the approved solution is 70% isopropyl alcohol with 30% water on a microfibre cloth that is damp but not dripping, that no liquid is sprayed directly onto the product, that moisture must not drip into display panels, and that surfaces must air dry before the device is powered. (states this directly)
Glass cleaner is safe on, in specific conditions, Laptop screen
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits, and nothing is established outside them.
Only within these limits:
- a glass cleaner designed for display surfaces, not a general window or mirror spray
- free of ammonia
- applied to the cloth and never sprayed onto the screen
- wiped in one direction, from the top of the display downwards
- used after the damp alcohol clean, as a second step rather than instead of it
Ordinary glass cleaners are usually the wrong bottle for a screen, and many contain the ammonia this manufacturer names. The permission is for a product made for displays, on this manufacturer's equipment.
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That displays may afterwards be cleaned again with a glass cleaner designed for display surfaces, avoiding any product containing ammonia, wiping in one direction from the top of the display downwards, and that no liquid is sprayed directly onto the product. (states this directly)
Why
- Laptop screen is explained by Moisture and electrical appliances
Why every step is about the quantity of liquid and where it goes, rather than how strong it is.
Sources for this page
Sources
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the device is switched off first, that only a microfibre cloth is used, that the solution is 70% isopropyl alcohol with 30% water on a damp cloth, that displays may then be cleaned again with a display glass cleaner free of ammonia, wiped from the top down, that moisture must not drip into display panels, and that surfaces air dry before power is restored. (states this directly)