Safely and Properly Clean an LCD Screen

My displays were getting pretty dusty and had a few fingerprints (don't you hate it when people touch your monitor?!). It was time to clean them. I did a thorough search to find out all the facts on properly cleaning LCDs. So here's what I found, and I think that you will find it's pretty reasonable. Don't listen to anyone that tells you stuff without backing it up with reason. There is a surprising amount of misinformation out there!

Obviously, LCD screens are sensitive equipment, so the least invasive approach is the best. Do the minimum required to achieve the necessary results.

• If your LCD contains an anti-glare coating (has a purplish or blue hue—most do), then be extra careful. I'll explain below.
• If your screen is the glossy kind (reflects lots of light and looks more like glass) you have a little less to worry about when it comes to scratches, simply because this surface is harder.

Start by turning off the display. Aside from the obvious safety reasons, it's often easier to see dust this way.

1. The first step in actual cleaning is the safest and least invasive: Blast the screen with compressed air. This will get some dust off, and is the best way to get up in the corners of the bezel (my personal experience). The compressed air will get rid of the larger particles of dust, reducing the possibility that you will scratch your screen.
2. Often, compressed air alone will not be enough. If it's not, try wiping the screen with a dry microfiber cloth. You can get these at a camera store. Microfiber cloth is ultra-high density, so its weave will not scratch your screen. Don't use paper towel or a kitchen / bath towel as they can scratch your screen. A few sources I've found say that if you don't have microfiber laying around (heh, who does?) you can get away with using a soft, plain white 100% cotton t-shirt. This makes sense to me because 100% cotton shirts have tight weaves and a certain texture that is not nearly as coarse as a bath towel or paper towel.
3. Most of the time, a dry cloth won't even cut it, especially if you have finger prints to deal with. Apply distilled water to the cloth (not directly to the screen, because don't want it dripping into the frame) and wipe on gently. Some sources I found say a circular motion is the best, while others say to go in just one direction, top-to-bottom, for example. I went with gentle circles and that seemed fine. I think the most important part here is just to be gentle. About the type of water: Whenever any one of the sites I've found actually specified the kind of water to use, they recommended distilled water. One site said that tap water or mineral water could leave a mineral residue. I'm not sure if that's true but distilled water is easy enough to find so that is what I went with.
4. Finally, if water alone is not cutting it, use a 50/50 mix of distilled water and isopropyl alcohol (which is usually already a 70% mixture). All sites I found that explicitly mention the type of alcohol mention isopropyl alcohol, and some go so far as to say ethyl alcohol-based rubbing alcohol is bad because it contains oils. Do NOT use glass cleaners like 409 or Windex, because they contain ammonia, which can damage the display's protective coating.

That's everything I found and it's been working really well for me. Most of the time the microfiber and distilled water is all I need! My displays cost over $2000 combined so you can bet I take this seriously :)