PSA: Don't use Whoosh! Screen Shine Wipes

[TinyMito]

That Whoosh! wet cloth wipe liquid is good for Phone or Tablet but not good for MacBook Pro XDR screen. It leaves a streak behind and that streak is hard to get rid of. I think that is the anti-bacteria agent and oleophobic liquid.

It was a mess and made it worst than it was.


The best solution, just water only and never use dish soap on the XDR screen. It's the same coating like glasses for anti-glare and that coating can breakdown by the dish soap.

Alcohol is alright careful not to saturate too much, only use it to remove some finger print oil.

In the end I cleaned it up with just medium soaked nanofiber cloth with filtered water (those you get for glasses cleaning)

 

[ignaciobarrena]

you talking about this?

Never had any issues with any Apple display.

 

[TinyMito]

The wipe version, pre-wet. After cleaning it, look under the sun reflection.

 

[Aka757]

I noticed this as well, works fine on my M1 MBA but definitely causes streaks and the new MBP (and even the 12.9” iPad Pro). I usually just use a microfiber cloth for those (the kind that comes with eyeglasses).

 

[TSE]

I am coming in to report the same thing. I was very, very unimpressed with the performance of this spray on my 14" MacBook Pro. Are these streaks permanent? We have until January to exchange these MacBook Pros, right?

 

[kvlq]

you talking about this?

Never had any issues with any Apple display.

View attachment 1916580

i use this on my 16" m1 pro, and i didnt notice those "streaks". So, until now, i'm satisfied with the results.
from what i know, whoosh products are used in apple stores for cleaning devices.

 

[Fishrrman]

TSE wrote:
"I was very, very unimpressed with the performance of this spray on my 14" MacBook Pro. Are these streaks permanent? We have until January to exchange these MacBook Pros, right?"

Do you know what "StainGate" is...?
Do you know why it happens...?

MacBook Pros have a VERY thin "sprayed-on" antiglare coating that is VERY fragile and can be easily damaged from too much (or too aggressive) "cleaning".

You should endeavour to not even TOUCH the surface of the display, if you want it to last.

The more one "cleans" the display, the greater the likelihood that the sprayed-on coating will begin to flake off, hence... StainGate.

 

[Strelok]

Also never spray any of these directly on the screen, just slightly dampen a microfiber if you need to. Best to avoid using sprays unless the smudges require it.

 

[ponzicoinbro]

Don’t know about whoosh but all sprays will leave streaks on glass for a day until the streaks break down and evaporate.

The trick is don’t spray direct on screen and after you wipe use a dry micro cloth or dry side to dab gently with long stokes. Don’t make circular strokes. Wax on, wax off style.

 

[ponzicoinbro]

I am coming in to report the same thing. I was very, very unimpressed with the performance of this spray on my 14" MacBook Pro. Are these streaks permanent? We have until January to exchange these MacBook Pros, right?

Streaks on glass cannot be permanent unless there is an abrasive. Your MBP will not be refunded if you use some kind of damaging chemical.

Learn the correct technique and expect streaks to stay for a day.

 

[wilberforce]

It confuses me why people have to invent their own methods of cleaning Mac screens, instead of following Apple's instructions. I guess they know better than Apple. Or just don't believe Apple's instructions work, or are too impatient.

 

[3Rock]

Alcohol is alright careful not to saturate too much, only use it to remove some finger print oil.

In the end I cleaned it up with just medium soaked nanofiber cloth with filtered water (those you get for glasses cleaning)

I would never suggest alcohol regardless how small amount on the MacBook Pro screen

 

[upandown]

Here’s a secret.. micro fiber with water is all you need

 

[NoBoMac]

All good info here re: water and microfiber. IF need to use a chemical, I stick with eyeglass cleaner that is made for coated lenses.

A clean microfiber usually is sufficient, even on smudged touch screens.

ADD: see below. Also use the Zeiss for coated lenses wipes. Box of 400 popup on sale on Amazon every now and then. For my eyeglasses, a few in the camera bag, and and a few in the laptop bag.

 

[macintoshmac]

Zeiss pre-moistened wipes, thoughts?

 

[bill-p]

Zeiss pre-moistened wipes, thoughts?

Been using it with my MacBooks ever since 2017 with no issues. I think it's the only type of alcohol wet wipes that is not going to cause issues.

I also shined my phone's flash LED on the display to make absolutely sure that no micro scratch or streak is left behind by those wipes, and so far, nothing.

It makes sense. Zeiss made these wipes for camera lenses with very delicate coating as well, and they must have tested them extensively.

 

[Bandaman]

I use a wet microfiber cloth followed by a dry microfiber cloth. Saves a lot of money and works perfectly. I bought a whole stack of microfiber cloths for this purpose. Works on the phone, TV, laptop, and everything else. I was quite annoyed with myself how better this works over everything else I’ve tried trying to find the perfect cleaning solution when water was it all along.

 

[cardfan]

Here’s a secret.. micro fiber with water is all you need

Yep. Pretty much. https://klearscreen.com/collections/iklear/products/ik-mck

Don’t use the spray anymore but liked the cloths that came with it. Blue chamois. I have these in car, backpack, office, etc. This used to be what apple used in one of their stores years ago. Or something like that. Remember reading and buying and got used to it.

 

[3Rock]

Zeiss pre-moistened wipes, thoughts?

I’ve been using this for over a month now on both my iPhone, and my iPad. Works very well. I will now use them on my MacBook Pro Max and Apple Watch.

 

[TinyMito]

Been using it with my MacBooks ever since 2017 with no issues. I think it's the only type of alcohol wet wipes that is not going to cause issues.

I also shined my phone's flash LED on the display to make absolutely sure that no micro scratch or streak is left behind by those wipes, and so far, nothing.

It makes sense. Zeiss made these wipes for camera lenses with very delicate coating as well, and they must have tested them extensively.

Problem is that the new MacBook Pro XDR screen is different than previous gen. It's more flimsy or thin. iPhone screens are glass.

 

[Juraj22]

Lets have a look at oficial guidelines for cleaning.

How to clean your Apple products - Apple Support

Get recommendations and guidelines for cleaning your Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro, display, or peripheral device.

support.apple.com

"
To clean the screen on your MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air, first shut down the computer and unplug the power adapter. Dampen a soft, lint-free cloth with water only, then use it to clean the computer's screen. To clean hard-to-remove smudges, you can moisten the cloth with a 70-percent isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution.
"

Well, I always skip part "to shut down..unplug..."
The rest of the information is good advice. Also, if you have good quality cloth, you don't need IPA. Water is enough.

 

[Webster's Mac]

I've noticed that using Whoosh on my 2019 MBP 16" screen results in smearing that will never go away! It's fine on my 2015 and basically every macbook I've had before. Apple changed something about the coating...hopefully to make it more resilient but for now, just causes a good cleaner to not work anymore. Now I just use a damp (with water) microfiber and come back with a dry one to gently buff it dry. That seems to work the best. The dry cloth is key to getting rid of the streaks/smears

 

[wilberforce]

Lets have a look at oficial guidelines for cleaning.

How to clean your Apple products - Apple Support

Get recommendations and guidelines for cleaning your Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro, display, or peripheral device.

support.apple.com

"
To clean the screen on your MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air, first shut down the computer and unplug the power adapter. Dampen a soft, lint-free cloth with water only, then use it to clean the computer's screen. To clean hard-to-remove smudges, you can moisten the cloth with a 70-percent isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution.
"

Well, I always skip part "to shut down..unplug..."
The rest of the information is good advice. Also, if you have good quality cloth, you don't need IPA. Water is enough.

I have found these instructions (water only) work well, leave no residue; it just takes patience and gentleness. The screens often have an oleophobic coating, or are glossy smooth, that it just takes a bit of time for plain water to loosen dirt or smears, by gently stroking the surface repeatedly with a damp soft cloth.

The temptation is to rub it with some solvent or detergent to get it off in 5 seconds, because: who wants to wait, and can't believe just water will do anything. Then you have to do 10 times more rubbing to get the residue off, and who needs an anti-reflective coating anyway.

I advise against using paper-based products, even if it says it is for screens, lenses, glasses, etc. I have damaged coatings on eyeglasses (which are not glass!) with repeated use of so-called lens wipes, resulting in a hazy finish. Similarly for coatings on camera lenses.

It reminds me of cleaning polished stainless steel surfaces - it takes patience. Not steel wool, even though steel wool is advertised for cleaning stainless. Steel wool works very quickly the first time, but not so good the second time.

 

[Marshall73]

Can’t go wrong with a moistened microfibre cloth. Wet one corner, squeeze out the water, wipe screen clean, then dry with the non damp part of the cloth.

 

[44267547]

It confuses me why people have to invent their own methods of cleaning Mac screens, instead of following Apple's instructions. I guess they know better than Apple. Or just don't believe Apple's instructions work, or are too impatient.

People are ignorant. They don’t think to research Apples guidelines of how to properly clean a display. It’s the same people who are using 80% isopropyl solution on their iPhone 13 displays, and then the oleophobic coating is now damaged, then they want to deflect the blame likely to Apple.

For me, anytime I’m a cleaning a display, I use a quality commercial grade microfiber cloth (No, not the garbage ones from Target), which will remove smudges and prints without having to use any type of sprays.