Cleaning a TV involves careful dusting and using the correct cleaning products. How much time do you spend in front of the TV? We bet you could give us an answer in a second.
Now, let’s try this: How often do you clean your TV?
Not so quick with the answer, are we?
Cleaning your TV is a simple task that you can easily handle. It’s a chore that should be done about once a week rather than waiting for your domestic cleaning agency to handle it.
General Tips For Cleaning Your TV
Dust and dirt accumulate on a TV screen over time, and you might not even notice the gradual darkening of the picture until someone points it out. At that point, a quick wipe with a damp cloth can make a noticeable difference to your viewing experience. Cleaning a TV is a straightforward task, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do it yourself. Please note that the following instructions are for normal CRT TVs, not LCD or projection TVs.
Getting Started
Before beginning, turn off and unplug the TV. First, remember that the glass screen is prone to static, which attracts dust and may slide off the screen and collect under the TV. It’s a good idea to have someone lift the TV once a month and wipe the table area under the TV and the underside of the TV itself.
What Cleaning Products?
When cleaning the body of your TV, it’s crucial to use the right cleaning materials. A general household cleaning spray is recommended. Spray the cleaner onto a clean, soft cloth and wipe all the external areas of the TV. Avoid spraying directly onto the body to prevent moisture from entering the TV through the ventilation openings. If there are any stubborn stains, dampen the cloth with the cleaner and gently rub the affected areas.
Be cautious not to apply too much pressure, which could make the TV unstable. The areas near the controls are particularly prone to staining from hands. Avoid pressing buttons or other controls too hard to prevent damage when cleaning them.
Getting Ready to Clean the LCD Screen
Before cleaning the screen, check your TV manual to see if you have a plain or coated screen. If your manual does not say anything about it, play safe and treat it like a coated screen so the coating is not accidentally damaged.
How To Clean LCD/LED/OLED TV Screen
Start by wiping the dust from the screen with a clean chamois cloth. Remember never to press too hard on the LCD screen, as you may damage it. Next, mix two cups of room-temperature distilled water with two cups of ordinary vinegar. Use only distilled water, with no mineral deposits to stain the screen. Stir until the solution is completely mixed.
Dip a clean, soft cloth in a general cleaning solution and wring it out until damp. Wipe the screen gently with the cloth, ensuring you do not touch any part of the screen with your hands. Again, remember not to press too hard. Wipe the screen first in a left-to-right movement and then in a top-to-down one. Let the screen air dry and look for any remaining spots or stains. Wet the cloth again, wring it out and gently rub the stained areas to clean them. Once again, let the screen air dry before turning the TV on.
Be careful that the cloth you use is only damp and no more if any liquid should get on the screen and flow down, it may enter the electronics and damage the TV.
How To Clean Your Remote Control
You’ve seen how surgeons scrub their hands before an operation and then wear sterile gloves and gowns. Operations are conducted in sterile operation theatres. And yet, infection is still a major worry during all surgical procedures.
Now think about the various remote controls in your home, how many people touch them? This does not imply that the people in your home are dirty, but does anyone ever wash their hands before touching a remote control? And what about the places they are kept lying around? Not the cleanest of places, are they? Let’s not forget about pets who love to lie on the remotes! You may have a home cleaning agency that keeps your house spic and span, but cleaning things like remote control units are not within their purview, and this is something you need to do yourself.
There are two reasons for keeping the remote clean: your family’s health, which could be affected by germs and dirt on the remotes, and keeping the remote control unit from getting clogged with dirt and damage. Remember that most remotes are designed not to show dirt, but that does not mean they do not get dirty over time.
Quick surface cleaning of a remote control is easy and requires no time or special equipment.
First, read the equipment’s operating and maintenance instructions and see if anything is said about cleaning the remote. If so, follow those instructions and only use what is below if it does not contradict what the manufacturer says.
Then, proceed to remove the batteries from the unit.
Use a cotton swab dipped in clean rubbing alcohol to clean the areas around the buttons on the unit. If dirt is caked or stuck in the small gap around a button, use a toothpick to extract the dirt. Be careful not to let the toothpick tip break off and fall in the remote. That will mean visiting the repair shop to get the remote opened up. Repeat the cleaning with the alcohol-dipped cotton swab until the areas around the buttons are spotless.
Spray a soft, lint-free cloth with rubbing alcohol or any house cleaner safe for use on plastic, and wipe the buttons and the rest of the remote surface. Use the same method to clean the dust from the battery compartment. If there are some crevices or areas behind the springs you can’t reach, use the swab and cleaner here, too.
That’s it. Cleaning your TVs and remote controls about once a month is a good idea, depending on how often you use your remotes and how dusty your rooms get. Why not time it with the visits of your domestic cleaner so you can keep track of when it should be done?
