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Beluga1000

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 12, 2022
20
2
Hong Kong
is it ok that is I wipe my imac24(blue), only white bezels(not include the screen) and the back that is made of aluminum, with alcohol?
Will the color become lighter? after I wipe back that is made of aluminum, with alcohol? last thing is, I wonder what will happen if I wipe my screen with alcohol(display panel)? thx
 

pshufd

macrumors G4
Oct 24, 2013
10,149
14,573
New Hampshire
I stick with water on a microfiber cloth. I've seen too many pictures of delaminated Retina MacBook Pros to try anything else.
 

StudioMacs

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2022
1,133
2,270
is it ok that is I wipe my imac24(blue), only white bezels(not include the screen) and the back that is made of aluminum, with alcohol?
Will the color become lighter? after I wipe back that is made of aluminum, with alcohol? last thing is, I wonder what will happen if I wipe my screen with alcohol(display panel)? thx
Follow Apple's cleaning directions.

If you must use a cleaner, use one that's well-reviewed and safe for use on displays – but try to avoid alcohol (even though Apple says 70% is OK in some areas sometimes).

I bought a bottle of Philips Screen Cleaning Fluid years ago, and I use it so sparingly that the bottle is half full years and years later. Unfortunately, this product is no longer available.
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,362
10,114
Atlanta, GA
I'm assuming the display glass covers the bezel. If that is the case, the alcohol will wipe away the antiglare coating which is also over the bezels and it will look awful. Follow Apple's instructions of a water-damp microfiber cloth and wipe gently. The alcohol probably wont do anything to the colored coating, but I can't imagine the back gets very dirty.
 

Tagbert

macrumors 603
Jun 22, 2011
6,256
7,281
Seattle
I just cleaned three pairs glasses with a Windex knockoff and never considered that solution mild.
Windex is not mild. I mean using cleaners specifically formulated for eyeglasses. I believe that they do contain isopropyl alcohol but in a low concentration that does not degrade anti-glare coatings.
 
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ZebedeeG

macrumors regular
Apr 26, 2021
215
308
iMac with alcohol?

Hmm... Personally I find that I prefer tonic water with ice and a slice with my alcohol...

After a few of these I don't notice how filthy my iMac screen is! ?
 
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spiderman0616

Suspended
Aug 1, 2010
5,670
7,499
For all you "wipe everything down with alcohol--it's fine!" people--I have a story that might deter you (trigger warning if you faint at thought of blood):

For the last several years, I have had to go to the doctor every two months for blood work. They have these little hard foam cartoon alligators (I'm assuming for the younger patients) that you squeeze to make your veins pop so they can get the needle in. During the height of COVID, they were obviously having to be even more careful than usual about how they wipe things down and what disinfectants they were using.

One day one of the nurses told me that they had to completely stop using alcohol to wipe things down. It was eating the foam alligators, pieces of the armrests on the chairs, etc. Alcohol is NOT a gentle cleaner. Best to use a disinfectant or cleaner that's approved or recommended for the product you're cleaning.

For example, not trying to pick on whoever it was above that cleans glasses with alcohol, but there is readily available GLASSES CLEANER on the market that doesn't risk destroying your expensive lenses. Similarly, there are plenty of cleaners and home methods out there for cleaning electronics that don't involve corrosive chemicals.
 
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solouki

macrumors 6502
Jan 5, 2017
339
213
I believe that many eyeglass lens cleaners, even ones for eyeglasses that have coatings, contain isopropyl alcohol, for instance, see:


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.
 
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