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How To Clean Your HD Screen
The HDTV, in all its widescreen glory and shiny exterior, has become a big part of home decor over the last few years. It has to look good, it has to match with the furniture, it has to be just the right size and be positioned in just the right place. And on and on.
But what do you do when you walk by it one day and notice a layer of dust masking the screen? What about those ugly fingerprints? Or those weird blemishes whose origins are still unknown?
If you're the type who likes to not only enjoy watching the big game on a big digital HD, but also to watch it on an HDTV that still looks like it just came off an assembly line, then you need to make sure you don't give the thing too much tender loving care.
Chemicals and HDTV screens = One big catastrophe
That's right, too much of a focus on making the screen look pristine can actually ruin it for you forever. You might've been one of those who loved to spray Windex on the glass screen of your old CRT television. Since it was all glass, it seemed like the right way to go, and it was for the most part.
Now, if you've tried spraying Windex or some other household cleaner on an LCD, plasma or DLP screen, then you may have suffered a real tragedy. LCDs and DLPs don't use glass surfaces and plasmas have delicate glass because of an anti-reflective coating layered on the screen. LCDs and DLPs also use coatings that can be anti-reflective or just as basic protection.
Use any household cleaner you can buy off a shelf on any one of those and you'll probably ruin the coatings first. The coat could then degrade right away, to the point where smudges and streaks will start to affect the way the screen displays a picture. When watching an image that has a lot of white in it, for example, you'll easily notice the discoloured portions. At that point, you'd probably wish that you hadn't touched the screen at all. A huge streak across the screen compared to a few fingerprints? Maybe you'd be willing to accept the lesser of two evils.
But it could get worse. Much worse.
If you sprayed the stuff in excess and it seeped into that little crack in the bottom of the panel, then expect to see it literally rear its ugly head again as it rises up behind the screen to obscure the display completely.
If you're a poor soul who has ever had to deal with that, you may have heard that repairing the screen might run you $600 or more, assuming it even can be fixed in the first place.
The right mix of TLC
The beauty of Digital HD Receiver units is that their maintenance and cleanliness isn't actually all that difficult. You will, however, have to be aware of what you can do and how to do it.
Please do just remember that the microfibre cloth is your friend. These cloths are the same ones used by car detailers and professional photographers. Since they don't attract dust and leave zero lint behind, they can be effective at wiping a surface clean, hence car interiors and camera lenses. They're also good at picking up oil residue that tends to stick on the screen surface when grubby hands make contact.
Start by very gently cleaning along the edges of the screen, corner to corner. Then use the same pattern until you get to the centre. If there's any leftover dust or blemishes, gently rub over those areas again until you get the desired results. Fingerprints and other marks can sometimes be a nuisance to eliminate but just be patient and rub them off in slow, deliberate swipes. You can dampen the cloth a little bit with warm water, if you want, but not too much or excess water could affect the screen.
From there, it's usually best to use the other side of the cleaning item or cloth to wipe down the rest of the TV, including the stand. After you're done, put it in a glass of hot water (with no soap) and leave it there for an hour or so. Take it out, rinse the excess water and hang to dry. When it's ready, it'll be exactly as it was before and ready to use again.
Setting some ground rules
Digital HDTV manufacturers have figured this out and most of them now include microfibre cloths with their units. But if you don't have one, go to a photography or electronics store or even Canadian Tire and buy them there. They're not really expensive, and you can probably get three for under $10.
But if you have kids or pets, it might not be such a bad idea to establish some kind of perimeter around the TV to at least keep the kids at bay. Doing the cleaning bit every week is usually a good idea as well, though it's not necessary. The schedule will largely depend on how much of a stickler you are for an HDTV that looks brand new, so it isn't fair to say that there's a right way or wrong way.
One more tip: If need be, you could also get a can of compressed air, like those used to clean out PCs or Digital HDTV receivers, to air out any dust that falls inside the vents at the top on the back panel. Getting rid of that excess dust could help reduce heat concentration inside.
So when the big cleaning day comes for your home, try to make sure that your HDTV isn't part of the festivities because you've already taken care of it. Read more
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