[Such87]

Looks like I messed up big time. Used windex on the screen and a little dripped into the space between the screen and the bottom frame. There is now a white "wetspot" on the bottom of the screen, such that it's a little lighter than the rest. Any chance this will go away with time?

[Randman]

Let it air out. If you have a fan, turn it toward the screen on low. It should dry out. It happened to me once on an iBook when I sprayed a little glass cleaner and more spurted out then I wanted. It faded it a few nervous days.

Oh, if you can keep from using it while it's airing out, that may help as well.

[hakstooy]

Also, from what I've heard, you don't want to use Windex on your screen, it is not good for the anti-glare coating. Just use water and an optical rag of some sort.

[liquidtrance123]

http://www.klearscreen.com/ > *

[bimmerphile]

Turn off the computer, disconnect teh battery, and take a moist (yes, with water) cloth and lightly wipe the area. Ammonia and alcohol-based window cleaners, like windex, will react chemically with the polymers that make up the screen. Don't go spraying water all over it or anything, just a moist cloth. Whatever is left after that is damage, unfortunately.

Klearscreen + microfiber cloth = best way to clean the screen

[babyjenk5]

Yikes! I regularly clean my screen with Windex. I'm sorry to hear what happened to you, Such87, but I'm happy I read this before I do any damage on my baby.

[sieb]

Rubbing Alchohol works too.

[Randman]

Originally Posted by sieb

Rubbing Alchohol works too.

NO! NO! Don't use alcohol.

[Ω]

Originally Posted by Randman

NO! NO! Don't use alcohol.

Why do so many sites recommend isopropyl alcohol/water mixes?

[bimmerphile]

Originally Posted by Ω

Why do so many sites recommend isopropyl alcohol/water mixes?

There's lots of sites, and lots of different types of screens. If you don't trust my background as a chemist, then here's directly from the site that matters:

Cleaning Your PowerBook Display
To clean your PowerBook screen, do the following:
• Shut down your PowerBook and remove the battery.
• Dampen a clean, soft, lint-free cloth or paper with water only and wipe the screen. Do not spray liquid directly on the screen.

[discotronic]

I never use any kind of chemical on LCD screens. It is possible to strip away the outer coating and you screen is screwed. A damp non-abrasive cloth is all you need.

[Such87]

just an update about what happened:

the spot was never on the surface of the screen, but was inside of it. it looked as though someone had spilled a bit of liquid inside of the screen (well, actually, that parts true), and the spill patch appeared to be significantly brighter than the rest of the display.

HOWEVER, it fully went away in 24 hours, by simply letting it be. phew.

[tooki]

There is nothing wrong with Windex or rubbing alcohol (isopropyl or ethyl alcohol). I've used window cleaner like Windex on all my LCDs for years, with no bad effects at all -- they definitely do not dissolve the screen in any way. Isopropyl or ethyl alcohol is the main ingredient in most LCD cleaning wipes and sprays, and likewise don't damage LCDs.

Mineral spirits, acetone, etc, on the other hand do dissolve plastics and will damage and LCD.

In any case, even with the safe cleaners, you should never, ever spray onto the screen, for exactly the reason this thread shows. Always spray onto a towel (spray away from the computer!), and then use that to wipe.

tooki

[hakstooy]

I wouldn't say that there is nothing wrong with using Windex, in fact most manufacturers recommend you don't. Anything that has a volatile chemical in it, like ammonia (which Windex contains), or ethyl alcohol has the potential to harm your screen.

In most cases there is no reason to use it anyway, so why do so?

Get a lint-free optical cloth that won't scratch the screen (Apple LCDs come with one) and just use water. This will do just fine 99% of the time. In the other cases, you could maybe try a diluted isopropyl alcohol solution or even a window cleaner, but per the recommendations of the manufacturers I'd hardly use them regularly.

[tooki]

For cleaning, ethyl alcohol (grain alcohol) is effectively interchangeable with isopropyl alcohol.

Water is an ineffective degreaser. Some kind of more powerful solvent is necessary, unless you choose to use dish soap solution, which then needs to be rinsed off, lest it leave a cloudy film.

tooki