[hodaddy]

beh! sharpie accident this morning. dunno how it happened, really. one minute i'm just finishing up burning a CD for a customer, open sharpie in mouth. next minute the thing squirts out from between my lips and...well

no, it gets worse. it didnt just pop out of my mouth and hit the screen (that would have been bad enough)--it hit the edge of the case, flipped around and knocked the *other* end of the pen off. then, that little black plastic ink cartridge came out and literally *SPRAYED* my whole powerbook with black ink. it looked like i had pepppered the whole computer.

i immediatly broke out the klearscreen. but, alas it was already too late--the ink was dry. after my left eye quit twitching i started scouring the boards. basically apple suggests using water only. not an option unless i can wait a few thousand years (/me hopes for the glacial effect???)

i got to digging in the supply closet and found some 'goof off', basically a xylene/methyl carbitol and surfactant solvent. after trying in an inconspicuous place, i found this stuff works *GREAT* for every part of the powerbook EXCEPT the screen. the aluminum bits, the keyboard, the trackpad, the mouse button...all cleaned up perfectly.

but, i'm V~E~R~R~Y reluctant to try this stuff on the screen. i'm afraid it will eat right through. any other suggestions? (there's about 20-30 'specs' on the screen i need to get rid of )

[madmacgames]

don't drink so early in the morning

but seriously, I wouldn't want to try it on the screen either... If you had an old notebook or old LCD laying around somewhere, you could try it on that first... or maybe try it on a material similar to an LCD screen. Of coarse there is no telling the long term effects. Even if it appeared to work and not be harmful at first, it could eat away at your book on the microscopic level and the damage may not be visible for some time (a few days to a few weeks or more).

A search on google turned up this little gem that may or may not be of use:
http://www.appletechs.com/archives/00000088.html

[ingeniero]

I heard somewhere that regular rubbing alcohol will work. However, I'd call applecare and ask what would they recommend. I'm sure this sort of thing happens more often than not and there must be a safe cleaning substance to be used.

[popstand]

I like using the dry erase trick. I'm not sure it would work on a laptop screen though. I think the solvent is acetone so if you can get your hands on some of that you could try that too. The one caveat to the dry-erase trick is that the rougher the surface the worse it works. For instance, I use a dry-erase marker followed by a paper towel to scrub off permanent sharpie ink from my DVD-RWs which have a smooth upper surface, but the discs with a textured surface to not come fully clean. I'm not sure where the PB screen falls in this spectrum but it definitely has a matte finish to minimize reflections. Anyway, be careful and good luck.

[jasonsRX7]

I've always had good success using hair spray to remove permanant marker. I don't know how safe it would be for your screen. I guess if the rubbing alcohol doesn't work, you could try it.

[Fothb]

A Google search revealed the following...

The official word on LCD cleaning in Apple manuals is to use a solution of diluted isopropyl alcohol, no more than a 50% solution. Usually the rubbing alcohol you buy at a drugstore that is either 90% or 98% pure but 98% is pretty hard to get (you don't need it anyway). I mix 1 part water and 1 part 90% isopropyl alcohol, which works out to... um.. something just under a 50% solution.

Be absolutely sure to use a very VERY soft cloth. I use a piece of soft flannel. Do NOT use paper towels or anything more abrasive than an old worn out cotton Tshirt. Absolutely do NOT use windex or anything with ammonia in it, it can etch the screen surface and can cause the plastic to go cloudy. You don't want that to happen!
BTW, there is a commercial cleaning solution called something like Klear-Screen, it's pretty expensive. It is merely a 50% solution of isopropyl alcohol and water. Just like I make, for a fraction of the cost.

I use the Klear Screen (http://www.klearscreen.com/) stuff myself (they have wet and dry cloths for different purposes), but it sounds like a diluted alcohol mixture will work too.


Edit: Also found this handy LCD cleaning FAQ online...

http://pcsupport.about.com/library/weekly/aa030903a.htm

[tonewheel]

JASONSRX7 is correct. Get a clean, soft tee shirt wet with hair spray and lightly dab the Sharpie mark on the screen. Once removed, wipe with a clean, damped tee shirt and dry.

[hodaddy]

thanks for all the replies.

one of the first things i did was call applecare. the CSR sent me two links from the TIL that said nothing more than "never use anything but water".

someone on another board also suggested isop alcohol. this one in particular states not to use alcohol. but, as two of you have now suggested it, i think it'd be worth noting....for the future.

for the future?

yes, i'm not a patient man. immediately after i posted this message i started experimenting with stuff from the supply room. i found that 'computer endust', tho it makes a nice ricecrispies sound, does abosolutely nothing for ink. nor do 'Resolve' emergency wipes. but, Simple Green Cleaner and KlearScreen cloths did the trick. took a LOT of elbow grease. but, they all came off and left no scratches on the monitor.

so, all's well in the end i suppose. sounds like the isop alcohol may have been less work tho. damn conflicting apple advice

[baseten]

I use klear view + microfiber towel. I never notice the dust buildup on my pb screen until i give it a good cleaning. HUGE difference!

The microfiber towel allows you to buff away without marring the surface. they're great for everything. (especially auto detailing, glasses cleaning, and powerbook screen cleanin')

-b

[danbrew]

Klear-Screen works very well - I love 'em.

I'm having a hard time visualizing how a Sharpie would come apart just like that. I know plenty of people who would be calling Sharpie and/or a lawyer to get a new Powerbook at this point.

hmmm...

[tungtied07]

I would try the hairspray or rubbing alchol trick. Get a dry towel and put either hairspray or rubbing alchol. Now carefully rub a part on the screen where a black speck is there. If it comes off and leaves no crap/scratches on the screen, do it to the other small ink dots. If successful, use iklear and wipe the whole screen down with it. There---you have a clean screen again!
thanks, paul

[Podolsky]

Call the Sharpie folks before trying anything extreme. The eraser idea could be bad as some have fine sand/grit in them which is fine for paper but would permanently damage your screen.

[tonewheel]

The Hairspray trick removing Sharpie marks was featured last night on MythBusters. Worked perfectly.