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I Figured Out How To Eliminate Screen Protector Bubbles!

KWarp

KWarp

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 22, 2009
25
0
The secret: Rubbing Alcohol

Screen protector bubbles annoy me a lot. Had my screen protector not been built into my Otterbox Defender iPhone case, it would have been ditched long ago.

Yesterday I decided to wipe down my iPhone and it's protective case with Rubbing Alcohol, since it's a super effective cleaning agent. When I put my iPhone back in, and carefully smoothed the screen protector over the iPhone, the bubbles were effectively gone! Awesome!
 
@KWarp thanks for your tip, will investigate the Rubbing Alcohol counterpart in Italian language. When installing any screen shield be sure to operate in a clean environment (no powder floating in the air) eg. a steam filled bathroom. Bubbles are made by either trapped air between the display and the shield itself, that kind of bubbles will disappear within a few days (when little) or lints get caught by the adhesive side of the shield, in this case you need to lift the film and pick up the lint with some adhesive tape :)
 


So I didn't get that, is it wiser to use it in a steamy bathroom, or its not? I used it in my basement and apparently there was lots of dust particles flying about..silly me!! :eek:

I tried to put my own I. Shield on and this was the result, I thought I save a few bucks by ordering it online and doing it myself, but I think I should've gone to the mall and got the retailer to do it for me.

I did a terrible job, not only air pockets (bubbles) also trapped dust particles , I will leave it on for now i guess till I get a chance to go to the mall and get a "pro" to do it:(
 
Bdubb said:


So I didn't get that, is it wiser to use it in a steamy bathroom, or its not? I used it in my basement and apparently there was lots of dust particles flying about..silly me!! :eek:

I tried to put my own I. Shield on and this was the result, I thought I save a few bucks by ordering it online and doing it myself, but I think I should've gone to the mall and got the retailer to do it for me.

I did a terrible job, not only air pockets (bubbles) also trapped dust particles , I will leave it on for now i guess till I get a chance to go to the mall and get a "pro" to do it:(
Click to expand...


how about you save money.... get 6 of them online for about 3 bucks... and try again......
 
fenderbass146 said:
how about you save money.... get 6 of them online for about 3 bucks... and try again......
Click to expand...

hah yeah it did cost me 3 bucks on eBay, but it took over 2 weeks to arrive... and they come in pairs, I messed up the first one ( got lotta dust on the sticky side) and pretty much botched the second one too, the air bubbles are a little less than since yesterday...but I still got about 8-10 dust particles randomly spread across the screen here and there.... I also have become to think that these "screen protectors" are waste of time and money but it just gives you this "added security" weather it's superstitious or not: really doesn't matter...

I just like the idea of having every square millimeter of my iPhone covered with something...no original (body) parts exposed...I know it may be superstitious and stupid, but you just feel more confident lugging it around in your pocket here and there everyday...

Now off to ebay to order 2 more pairs of these for 6 bucks :p

can anyone please tell me whats the best conditions (environment) to do this in? I live in a pretty dusty house, almost every room in my place is dusty...plus its spring...and seems like things are dustier than ever around the house....is the steamy bathroom a good idea or not? can anyone confirm?
 
Buy some decent screen protectors like Power Support; make sure the iphone is very clean and it should go on very easy and bubble free, any small bubbles squeeze out with a credit card or something similar.

It really is not hard to put on a screen protector!
 
Make sure the surface you are going to cover is clean.
Don't remove the protective film over the adhesive.
Clean environment, although a dust particle isn't going to cause a hunkin' big air bubble.
Start at one corner, and use a credit card to gradually make your way across the phone, pushing the film down onto the phone. It should peel off the adhesive and immediately be applied to the phone, via credit card downward force. Credit card is also thin, so air bubble risk should be low.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
 
The most effective way to get rid of bubbles is to apply the screen protector to the phone "WET". You clean your screen with LCD or computer screen cleaner. Then after its clean, your spray a little bit of the LCD/computer cleaner onto the screen. You then apply the screen protector on your screen. It will move freely since it's wet so that you can line it up perfect. Then take a credit card smoth out bubbles and squeeze out excess liquid. Then you can hit it with a hiar dryer to dry it or just let it air dry for a few hours. It works perfect everytime!!!! Hope this helps!!!!
 
nitro6527 said:
The most effective way to get rid of bubbles is to apply the screen protector to the phone "WET". You clean your screen with LCD or computer screen cleaner. Then after its clean, your spray a little bit of the LCD/computer cleaner onto the screen. You then apply the screen protector on your screen. It will move freely since it's wet so that you can line it up perfect. Then take a credit card smooth out bubbles and squeeze out excess liquid. Then you can hit it with a hair dryer to dry it or just let it air dry for a few hours. It works perfect every time!!!! Hope this helps!!!!
Click to expand...
Well...I used eyeglass cleaner (spray) and the screen wasn't exactly wet, but moist when I applied the sticker and I did it very carefully, but I wished I used a different room than my basement (dust central) and my guess was the moisture from the eyeglass cleaner caused the air bubbles..but I guess the wetter the screen the better.

Well since my last post I ordered Six "screen protectors" for $1.44 Canadian off eBay :p my Guess is once these babies arrive, they are gonna be the worst and cheapest clear film you can stick on your iPhone..but really I do not care, as long as I can get them on clean and air bubble free, I am happy, and at least this time I have 6 tries before I get it right, unlike last time. (2 tries)

thanks for the tips guys :eek:
 
iBecks said:
I found out too how to eliminate screen protector bubbles.

Answer = Don't bother with screen protectors, they're useless.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with you. After the last big screen protector thread--"the no more screen protectors in the Apple store" thread, I took the plastic off of my phone--the ATT guy put it on when I bought the phone in December. I am perfectly happy without it and don't plan to buy any more. I can save money--and the frustration of trying to get those bubble out.
 
iBecks said:
I found out too how to eliminate screen protector bubbles.

Answer = Don't bother with screen protectors, they're useless.
Click to expand...

I find the otter box and screen protector very useful. My job tends to put the iPhone in some touch environments.
 
I find its best to work in a room that doesn't have lots of moisture or dust.

Work in a room that has a desk and work light. Wipe the area down of dust an hour before you apply the screen protector.

Set your phone down. Practice laying the screen protector down multiple times.

When you feel confident. Clean your iPhone screen. Then peel back the protector plastic and apply it quickly and as accurately as possible. Peel it back as close to the phone as possible. Dust or moisture between the phone and the protector have a higher chance the further away from each other. It's best to keep the distance minimal.

The longer you wait the more chance of dust sticking to it. Never put the sticking side up at any time.

Work out any small bubbles. Enjoy.
 
unplugme71 said:
I find its best to work in a room that doesn't have lots of moisture or dust.

Work in a room that has a desk and work light. Wipe the area down of dust an hour before you apply the screen protector.

Set your phone down. Practice laying the screen protector down multiple times.

When you feel confident. Clean your iPhone screen. Then peel back the protector plastic and apply it quickly and as accurately as possible. Peel it back as close to the phone as possible. Dust or moisture between the phone and the protector have a higher chance the further away from each other. It's best to keep the distance minimal.

The longer you wait the more chance of dust sticking to it. Never put the sticking side up at any time.

Work out any small bubbles. Enjoy.
Click to expand...
Guys, it's really not that hard. I've installed a lot of screen protectors, and generally have no issues.
  • First, select a clean area with excellent lighting. Turn off the AC, if it is on, so you have as few opportunities for dust blowing around as possible.
  • Clean the surface of the phone with a slightly damp microfiber cloth (or perhaps alcohol wipe, but there are those who say that long term use of alcohol wipes can affect your screen's oleophobic coating) until it is free of dust and oily smudges.
  • Take out screen protector (not removing backing yet) and line up over phone to see how it is going to fit on. Pay particular attention to fit over home button and ear speaker.
  • Go over screen with dust removal sticker to remove all dust.
  • When you are sure there is no dust left on your phone, carefully peel off adhesive backing from screen protector, keeping the adhesive side down to minimize the chance of airborne dust landing on it.
  • Go over phone screen again with dust removal sticker--there is probably more dust on it.
  • Line up screen protector very carefully and lay it down. Press in the center to start it adhering and move outwards.
  • Done!
Good luck!

Kristin
 
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kgenova said:
Guys, it's really not that hard. I've installed a lot of screen protectors, and generally have no issues.
  • First, select a clean area with excellent lighting. Turn off the AC, if it is on, so you have as few opportunities for dust blowing around as possible.
  • Clean the surface of the phone with a slightly damp microfiber cloth (or perhaps alcohol wipe, but there are those who say that long term use of alcohol wipes can affect your screen's oleophobic coating) until it is free of dust and oily smudges.
  • Take out screen protector (not removing backing yet) and line up over phone to see how it is going to fit on. Pay particular attention to fit over home button and ear speaker.
  • Go over screen with dust removal sticker to remove all dust.
  • When you are sure there is no dust left on your phone, carefully peel off adhesive backing from screen protector, keeping the adhesive side down to minimize the chance of airborne dust landing on it.
  • Go over phone screen again with dust removal sticker--there is probably more dust on it.
  • Line up screen protector very carefully and lay it down. Press in the center to start it adhering and move outwards.
  • Done!
Good luck!

Kristin
Click to expand...
Ditto for this method.

Also helpful to get the dust down first. I close my bathroom and let the shower run hot for about 5 minutes. I clean the screen and then go over it with a tape lint roller to make sure all the dust is off. Then I very carefully align the protector. I also use heavy shipping tape on each end to hold the protector while aligning it. I find that if I don't touch the edge or corner with my fingers, I can realign if I need to. I'm the screen protector installer in my family and at work. No dust and no bubbles.
 
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kgenova said:
Guys, it's really not that hard. I've installed a lot of screen protectors, and generally have no issues.
  • First, select a clean area with excellent lighting. Turn off the AC, if it is on, so you have as few opportunities for dust blowing around as possible.
  • Clean the surface of the phone with a slightly damp microfiber cloth (or perhaps alcohol wipe, but there are those who say that long term use of alcohol wipes can affect your screen's oleophobic coating) until it is free of dust and oily smudges.
  • Take out screen protector (not removing backing yet) and line up over phone to see how it is going to fit on. Pay particular attention to fit over home button and ear speaker.
  • Go over screen with dust removal sticker to remove all dust.
  • When you are sure there is no dust left on your phone, carefully peel off adhesive backing from screen protector, keeping the adhesive side down to minimize the chance of airborne dust landing on it.
  • Go over phone screen again with dust removal sticker--there is probably more dust on it.
  • Line up screen protector very carefully and lay it down. Press in the center to start it adhering and move outwards.
  • Done!
Good luck!

Kristin
Click to expand...

why was I quoted?
 
The screen protector debate is endless. For those of us not lucky enough to live in the land of perfect here's my method of install.

The hinge method is pretty straight forward and garentees a perfect alignment almost all of the time. Just Google it and look under videos. If after the install you see some dust just lift off the edge using some tape and then slide another piece of tape underneath to snag the offending dust particles. Continue until they're all gone and enjoy.
 
I used belkin and spigen screen protector,

Basically you get a sticker which you use on the screen before hamd to lift up any dust and bits. You do that over the screen number of times and then apply the protector.

If there manages to be one or two dust particles just lift it up and use the sticker to pull it off and you get a good smooth finish.
 
Patrick J said:
Make sure the surface you are going to cover is clean.
Don't remove the protective film over the adhesive.
Clean environment, although a dust particle isn't going to cause a hunkin' big air bubble.
Start at one corner, and use a credit card to gradually make your way across the phone, pushing the film down onto the phone. It should peel off the adhesive and immediately be applied to the phone, via credit card downward force. Credit card is also thin, so air bubble risk should be low.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1554724778][/doublepost]Help... I removed the screen protector and now sticky bubbles are on my actual device. It looks bad.
 
Sigh, this is s real headache, so thanks for your advice!

However, there are dozens of bubbles left. Do you think they will go away eventually? Also, is it best practise to try and get them all out just after you've placed the screen protector, or is it okay to wait a few days and see if nature has it's own course?
 
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