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Best screen cleaner for 2017 Macbook Pro 13 inch?
- Thread starter Benz63amg
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According to Apple, the best way to clean your screen is with a soft, damp towel.
Clean your Mac computer’s screen or display
Clean your Mac computer screen or external display properly and safely.
support.apple.com
That’s all I’ve used on Apple displays since 2001. The only switch I’ve made is now I use microfiber towels instead of cotton towels.
I received a cloth with my 2019 iMac, it’s like a thin cloth, not sure if it’s microfiber, Shouldi use that to clean the screen of my MacBook Pro?
Water works as will any mild screen cleaner that is safe for optical coatings...the technique used is more important here as you want to be sure you aren't grinding any debris into that delicate optical coating. That said, I use screen cleaner much more often to clean the keyboard than I do the screen, as the oil and debris that accumulates on keys and the top case can cause a huge issues for the MacBook Pros and cleaning that greatly reduces the need to clean the screen.
So how would the proper way to clean the screen would be to be sure I’m not grinding the dust across? Should it be a swirl motion?
TLDR; you want to remove foreign debris before polishing or applying any force against against the screen, and you don't want to use a lot of force even in the polishing stage.
If you want to be extremely anal....The screen has an outer optical coating that is delicate. Harsh chemicals, skin oils, foreign particles, improper cleaning, and potentially excessive cleaning can all damage the coating. To be certain the coating is kept in tip-top condition, I like cleaning it in a few stages. If there is a lot of junk on the screen, first hit it with some compressed air or use a terry towel to 'swipe' horizontally to gently 'brush' the particles/junk off the screen without putting any pressure against the screen (you do this because if you just spray your towel down and start wiping, you may be grinding these foreign particles into the screen and scratching the crap out of it.) Then, spray/dampen your towel with a small amount cleaner or water, and wipe the screen with extremely light pressure to remove any additional particles the first stage missed and remove oils/stains. If the screen is extremely dirty, turn the towel to a clean portion frequently. Then, finally, using either a clean side of the towel or (preferably) a different towel entirely (that should always be clean), you can gently polish the screen with a slight amount of pressure to get it completely 100% streak free. I like to keep the towel I polish with in its own sealed bag and use it only for this purpose. (Some recommend omitting the last stage and using a 1:3 IPA to distilled water solution for AR-coated optics--I've used this solution when there was something on the screen that did not remove easily.)
After that, avoid touching the screen, and clean the topcase as needed to greatly reduce the frequency in the full screen cleaning and help avoid both screen damage and coating damage. You'll find that this almost eliminates oil buildup on the screen and that you rarely have to clean it beyond a quick light shot of occasional compressed air. Do not use any sort of keyboard cover.
Some may consider this overly anal and perhaps it is. But you wont find a single defect on my MacBook Pros, monitors/televisions, glasses, or telescopes even under an intense light.
If you want to be extremely anal....The screen has an outer optical coating that is delicate. Harsh chemicals, skin oils, foreign particles, improper cleaning, and potentially excessive cleaning can all damage the coating. To be certain the coating is kept in tip-top condition, I like cleaning it in a few stages. If there is a lot of junk on the screen, first hit it with some compressed air or use a terry towel to 'swipe' horizontally to gently 'brush' the particles/junk off the screen without putting any pressure against the screen (you do this because if you just spray your towel down and start wiping, you may be grinding these foreign particles into the screen and scratching the crap out of it.) Then, spray/dampen your towel with a small amount cleaner or water, and wipe the screen with extremely light pressure to remove any additional particles the first stage missed and remove oils/stains. If the screen is extremely dirty, turn the towel to a clean portion frequently. Then, finally, using either a clean side of the towel or (preferably) a different towel entirely (that should always be clean), you can gently polish the screen with a slight amount of pressure to get it completely 100% streak free. I like to keep the towel I polish with in its own sealed bag and use it only for this purpose. (Some recommend omitting the last stage and using a 1:3 IPA to distilled water solution for AR-coated optics--I've used this solution when there was something on the screen that did not remove easily.)
After that, avoid touching the screen, and clean the topcase as needed to greatly reduce the frequency in the full screen cleaning and help avoid both screen damage and coating damage. You'll find that this almost eliminates oil buildup on the screen and that you rarely have to clean it beyond a quick light shot of occasional compressed air. Do not use any sort of keyboard cover.
Some may consider this overly anal and perhaps it is. But you wont find a single defect on my MacBook Pros, monitors/televisions, glasses, or telescopes even under an intense light.