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iPod Doh - don't clean your iPod with paper

gekko513

gekko513

macrumors 603
Original poster
Oct 16, 2003
6,301
1
I'm an idiot, I admit it now, but in case anyone else gets the same idea, here's a warning. :eek:

I had gotten some pineapple goo on my iPod nano screen and was looking for a way of cleaning it off. I figured that the paper hand towels in the rest room would be a bad idea, because it is quite coarse. Then I got the bright idea that regular copy/printer paper might work, because it's quite smooth, and smooth paper is good for wiping windows with, right. Well, guess what, copy/printer paper isn't good for wiping stuff off your iPod, it scratches it badly.

Time to buy some metal polish, I guess.
 
You should have used your shirt. Brasso does work though. I even used it on a set of soundsticks I got for $50 because they had a few scratches on them. Now my soundsticks look brand new!
 
but be sure to use a lint free cloth otherwise it will scratch.

It does work cus I tried it on my nano.
 
Good suggestions there.

Lint free it will be ... I hope lint free clothes are clearly marked, because I can't really tell for sure just by looking at it.
 
yeah, paper is a good way to clean off GLASS . . . newspaper works particularly well (as long as its not color or the glossy stuff) but glass i believe is the only thing the paper trick works on. ive always used a damp (not dripping wet) soft paper towel to clean any of my electronics (from iPod to PB) and that always seems to do the trick with no scratches.
 
I cleaned my ipod off with this towel I got for buying some Oakley sunglasses. its a really soft, smooth material -- Kind of like a really cheap silk.
 
The cheapest source for lint-free cloth is a old tee-shirt or kitchen towel that is just about worn out and has been through the wash many, many times.

The microfibre cloths that are sold at optical shops are more pricey but are also good, for cleaning displays and flatbed scanner glass as well as eyeglasses.
 
I'm glad I kept part of the frontal sticker on my iPod nano. :) Once that gets too scratched/grimy to read, I'll just replace it with one of those cellphone protectors.
 
The only way to keep an iPod scratch free is to seal it in a vacuum and use the same stuff to clean it that they use on the hubble space telescope - which you still must do, even if you have your iPod locked floating in a vacuum, because the iPod will seemingly naturally scratch itself if you so much as look at it. I wonder if Ive has ever actually held an iPod in his hand, or if he's only familiar with it in his technical drawings and mockups. He must not have put one in the pocket of his 100% cotton khakis, because it would have come out scratched to hell.
 
To clean my ipod i use the same stuff i clean my SLR camera lenses : Kodak lens cleaning paper. Its soft, lintless paper specially prepared for cleaning highly polished glass surfaces. Its also safe for glasses and whatnot. Its pretty cheap and comes with 50 sheets. Go to Henry's and purchase some. They come in a small package you can keep in your bag or something.
 
I couldn't find Brasso. It's probably not available in Norway, anyway. I found some other metal, ceramic and plastic polish called Strahldur.

It didn't work. I think it was too coarse. Now my iPod nano is covered in scratches all over the front and in all directions. And to be honest, that suits me just fine. It looks exactly like my 3rd generation iPod did after a while and still does. The scratches only show when it's held at a certain angle to the light and it's so uniform that it doesn't bother me. Now I don't have to baby the nano so much and everything's perfect.
 
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