How to clean the 14” Pro screen?

[delsoul]

Hello! I’ve read the instructions on the apple website but it still seems a bit vague on how to clean the 14” screen on the Pro. The website says to use the special cleaning cloth on XDR displays, of which the 14” has, but there’s no cloth and there’s no mention of it being nano based. So does it need the special cloth or does a standard microfiber for computer screens work?

 

[nosnhojm]

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172

For my ASD, I use the Apple polishing cloth and a spray bottle with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

 

[wilberforce]

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172

For my ASD, I use the Apple polishing cloth and a spray bottle with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

Some people have found isopropyl alcohol damages the anti-reflective coating, despite Apple saying it is OK. Also, the 14" screen is very easily micro-scratched.
I suggest be very gentle and patient.

 

[nosnhojm]

Some people have found isopropyl alcohol damages the anti-reflective coating, despite Apple saying it is OK. Also, the 14" screen is very easily micro-scratched.
I suggest be very gentle and patient.

I wonder if such an issue occurred, would Apple Care cover it? The cleaning method is per their own guidance.

 

[Feek]

A lint free microfibre cloth with just a few drips of water on it. Nothing more, certainly not any alcohol at all.

 

[nosnhojm]

A lint free microfibre cloth with just a few drips of water on it. Nothing more, certainly not any alcohol at all.

I would use distilled water. Tap water will leave behind minerals that could abrade your screen.

 

[nosnhojm]

Here are the instructions from the Apple Polishing Cloth box:

 

[tlab]

I'm pretty sure the Macbook Pro screen is not nano-texture glass. That's an option on the Pro Display and Studio Display. I'd be reluctant to use IPA or any chemical solution on a MBP screen due to the risk of damaging or removing the anti-reflective coating.

 

[DavidChoux]

Lint free microfiber cloth and a dab of water.

I would not listen to anyone who says to use any kind of alcohol or soap. It might wear off the anti reflective coating. Then again it might not. But it's a pointless risk to take when a dab of water on a microfiber cloth works perfectly.

 

[solouki]

I believe that many eyeglass lens cleaners, even ones for eyeglasses that have coatings, contain isopropyl alcohol, for instance, see:

https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-eyeglass-lens-cleaner-4-oz-prodid-251599
Isopropyl alcohol by itself is not corrosive nor abrasive, but it does lower the surface tension of an aqueous solution so the solution will perform a decent job removing particulate dirt from a lens. Isopropyl alcohol also helps dissolve oils and olefins that water itself won't touch. When the alcohol/water solution also includes a mild detergent/surfactant to further lessen surface tension, then this solution becomes a good lens cleaner.

So, it depends on what materials coat your eyeglasses/lens/monitor screen. It may be magnesium fluoride (MgF_2) or titanium nitride (TiN) or some other materials. Some of these coatings are actually much harder than the underlying polycarbonate lens, and thus serve the added purpose of resisting scratches. These coatings are not soluble in isopropyl alcohol nor aqueous detergent/surfactant solutions. Sometimes fluoropolymers are employed as anti-reflective coatings. The fluoropolymers are softer than TiN so they scratch more easily, but they also repel water and are not soluble in isopropyl alcohol. It is also possible for the lens to have, besides its anti-reflective coating, an additional, much softer, hydrophobic coating that may be soluble in isopropyl alcohol/detergent solutions and even may be fairly easily rubbed off. Thus you have to ask your optician whether your eyeglass coatings are soluble in isopropyl alcohol or not.

In general, a microfiber cloth will not easily remove oils and fatty acids off of a monitor screen without some heavy wiping. The harder you wipe the greater the risk that some particulate matter embedded in the microfiber cloth will scratch the screen. But an isopropyl alcohol aqueous solution will readily dissolve these oils and olefins, hence the Apple recommendations of the use of a 70% isopropyl alcohol aqueous solvent.

Personally, I have my screens angled slightly down so that dust does not readily settle on the screens themselves, and I attempt to never touch the screens. Eventually, the screens, no matter how careful I am, will collect dirt and dried spittle that is not readily blown away with an air stream, but I let this dirt build up until it becomes quite noticeable. I then use an isopropyl alcohol aqueous solution to clean the screen, wiping it with a clean microfiber cloth as little as possible. I have never had any problems with this strategy, but I do recommend that you first test your cleaning solution on a tiny patch of the screen's border before using it to clean the entire screen.

P.S. Windex contains ammonia (NH_3) and ammonium salts, and thus is alkaline (pH>7), corrosive, and will dissolve many materials. I would never use any ammonia containing cleaner on a screen without testing it first on a tiny patch of the border. And some other cleaners and detergents/surfactants are acidic (pH<7) and thus are also corrosive and will also dissolve many materials. I would be wary of these cleaners too and would definitely test them on a tiny patch of the screen's border before using them.

Above is my earlier response to isopropyl alcohol use on display screens. In a nutshell, water alone won't dissolve skin oils, and so using a microfiber cloth with only water will usually require considerably more pressure and wiping than if you use a dilute solution of isopropanol. I believe the greatest risk to damaging screens is the dirt particles on whatever cloth you are using to clean your screen. I have been using the above method with isopropyl alcohols on all screens of graphic workstations, terminals, monitors, laptops, etc. for the last 40 years, and I have never damaged a screen yet.

Regards,
Solouki