Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Amnesiac1

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 11, 2010
412
0
I followed the instructions of this forum last time (distilled water + microfiber cloth) and ended up with a streak filled screen.

I recently returned my iMac due to screen issues. A new one is being sent out so I will get to start fresh soon enough, as far as cleaning is concerned. Should I try the Monster iClean product this time? I was hesitant earlier for two reasons:

A) Apple suggests water and a lint free cloth. the Monster iClean or iKlear or whatever it is called is not exactly water.

B) Monster refuses to disclose one of the ingredients in their Mac cleaning products, which I find a bit suspect.

Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
For the entire thing, water and a lint-free cloth, as Apple suggests. BUT, for the screen, just get screen cleaners, can get them anywhere, no streaks.
 
I cannot understand why people shell out for overpriced screen cleaners. Just get some isopropyl alcohol and dilute it with distilled water to a 50% concentration. Apply with any old microfiber cloth.

Seriously you can make a gallon of your own solution for the price of a 4oz bottle of most of the stupid screen cleaners I've seen.
 
I cannot understand why people shell out for overpriced screen cleaners. Just get some isopropyl alcohol and dilute it with distilled water to a 50% concentration. Apply with any old microfiber cloth.

Seriously you can make a gallon of your own solution for the price of a 4oz bottle of most of the stupid screen cleaners I've seen.

I get the screen cleaners free from work in bulk, that's why I suggested it, but I see where you're coming from.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Best thing is to use water with a little bit of dish detergent, not even kidding!! :)
 
In your other thread, which got locked, I posted some tips for you. I use that approach regularly to clean large surfaces and never get streaks. I do find it quite surprising that you've made it far enough in life to be able to afford an iMac, but not learnt how to clean a bit of glass... How do you see to drive? Or watch TV? Or not gross out dinner guests by giving them mucky wine glasses?

All joking aside, though, a good start would be to just leave the screen alone in the first place so it doesn't need cleaning...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Amnesiac1 said:
The method suggested in the last response seems ill-advised.

Why do you think this is a bad idea? Dish detergent has an anti-streaking formula for your glasses and works just as well on the iMac screen!
 
I just had my iMac all torn apart and there was a lot of saran wrap residue left on both the lcd and glass panel. I used the condensation from my breath on the surfaces along with a large microfiber cloth (automobile section of Target) to wipe everything off. Just takes some firm pressure and repeated strokes. Had to use an unreasonable amount of compressed air to get all of the lint from behind the glass over the 10-15 tries to get it perfect, each time again having to completely clean the screen to make sure I hadn't missed anything!
 
I don't have a Thunderbolt iMac, but have a 2010 model. I generally clean my screen with whatever water I am drinking at the time and a Bounty paper towel. I live with a Mastiff and a Saint Bernard so drool on the screen is a daily occurrence. If I am feeling really ambitious I use Pledge Multi Surface cleaner (anti-static and labeled for electronics). My screen looks as good as when it came from the box. The reason I bought my iMac is because of how easy it is to keep clean.
 
I cleaned mine with iKlear wet cloth and a brand new iKlear polishing cloth: now I have a uniformly gray smudged screen. I guess that I'll think of it as an anti glare coating. :)
 
Windex will destroy the coating that's on your iMac screen. Paper towels contain wood fibers and could scratch your screen.

Use iKlear Apple polish and a lint-free cloth. Make sure the screen is cold. Spray the cleaner on a corner of the clean cloth(don't spray directly on the screen) and then wet wipe the screen. Get to a dry section of the cloth and polish the screen dry. Works perfectly and is recommended by Apple.
 
I think the OP had a valid concern. The issue is whether the screen is "just ordinary glass" in which case Windex would work or whether the glass has some sort of layer applied by the factory for protective or other reasons (in which case Windex might ruin the glass.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.