How do you deal with MacBook screen?

[LetteIT]

Hello everyone!
How do you clean your MacBook screen? I was trying to remove smudges and dust from my MacBook M1 Pro with the microfiber cloth (which is meant for glasses, new and clean). But for some reason, a strange greenish discoloration appeared where I was wiping. It’s not visible, when the screen is on, you can see it only when it’s off and at the specific angle. The screen itself seems very sensitive to the smudges. Did you experience something like that with your MacBook? How can I get rid of this discoloration? Is it normal or is it some kind of damage (how?!)? Did you try any sprays for the screen?

 

[Fishrrman]

Uh oh.

I suggest you read up on "StainGate".
Sounds like you've got it.

The MacBook Pro's have a sprayed on anti-glare coating -- just particles in a mixture.

This makes them vulnerable to the anti-glare coating then "flaking off" when the screen surface is "cleaned" too hard or too vigorously. It doesn't take much. When they do start flaking off, the area "underneath" is the glossy surface of the display panel itself.

That's why MacBook Pro owners should refrain from "too much cleaning".
Don't get the display surface dirty in the first place (I realize this involves effort).

I've had a 2021 M1Pro MBP since early 2022, and the screen is still fine.
BUT
I almost never "clean" it.
I take a soft cloth and "dust" the surface to remove any stray particles -- NO pressure.

If something still won't come off, I use a bit of moisture on the cloth, with as little pressure as possible to dislodge it.

There's no "fix" for StainGate, other than to replace the display.

What some folks have done is to REMOVE ALL the anti-glare coating (literally scouring it off), so that the display is left "glossy". But this is an extreme workaround and one should go into it with "eyes wide open".

 

[LetteIT]

Uh oh.

I suggest you read up on "StainGate".
Sounds like you've got it.

The MacBook Pro's have a sprayed on anti-glare coating -- just particles in a mixture.

This makes them vulnerable to the anti-glare coating then "flaking off" when the screen surface is "cleaned" too hard or too vigorously. It doesn't take much. When they do start flaking off, the area "underneath" is the glossy surface of the display panel itself.

That's why MacBook Pro owners should refrain from "too much cleaning".
Don't get the display surface dirty in the first place (I realize this involves effort).

I've had a 2021 M1Pro MBP since early 2022, and the screen is still fine.
BUT
I almost never "clean" it.
I take a soft cloth and "dust" the surface to remove any stray particles -- NO pressure.

If something still won't come off, I use a bit of moisture on the cloth, with as little pressure as possible to dislodge it.

There's no "fix" for StainGate, other than to replace the display.

What some folks have done is to REMOVE ALL the anti-glare coating (literally scouring it off), so that the display is left "glossy". But this is an extreme workaround and one should go into it with "eyes wide open".

But does my MacBook Pro M1 Pro have anti-glare coating? I’ve just looked up for the "MacBook staingate" images, and my problem looks nothing like that, thankfully. I don’t have those stains, it’s just there’s not black-black, but slightly greenish tint to the display in places where I cleaned. And also, I did clean very gently, with the microfiber cloth meant for glasses. Didn’t use any chemicals either. So, I don’t think that’s it.

 

[ISKOTB]

Hello everyone!
How do you clean your MacBook screen? I was trying to remove smudges and dust from my MacBook M1 Pro with the microfiber cloth (which is meant for glasses, new and clean). But for some reason, a strange greenish discoloration appeared where I was wiping. It’s not visible, when the screen is on, you can see it only when it’s off and at the specific angle. The screen itself seems very sensitive to the smudges. Did you experience something like that with your MacBook? How can I get rid of this discoloration? Is it normal or is it some kind of damage (how?!)? Did you try any sprays for the screen?

When I had a 16” M1, I used a microfiber liner cleaning cloth with a warm water like in this video also for imprint protection between the screen and the keyboard eventually, I got tired of cleaning the screen, so I bought a screen protector. I now have a 14" Nano screen and it is much easier to clean.

 

[benholt]

that greenish cast where you wiped is the AR coating starting to lift, not normal residue. cause is usually solvent plus pressure together — "new" microfibers from glasses kits often have residual surfactant baked in from manufacturing, and a circular scrub with that on board pops the layer right off. on my M3 Max 16 I only use the Apple Polishing Cloth dry, or distilled water on the corner of a microfiber, one wipe in one direction, no rubbing. before you spend money on it, take it to a Genius Bar — Apple has covered AR coating delamination on MBPs out of warranty in the past when the damage is bad enough to see at an angle, so the visit is worth a shot.

 

[boswald]

I usually just dust my screen with a microfiber and then polish it gently with the Apple polishing cloth for any stray fingerprints. Granted I only have a MacBook Air, but I feel it's the same with both Air and Pro?