Advanced Television Cleaning

Cleaning a television doesn't seem like it would require much thought but in fact, using the wrong cleaner can cause some damage to your screen as well as leave residue on it. Also, television sets have different kinds of screens like plasma, LCD and the simple conventional set. Each surface requires has different requirements so be sure to only clean the surface with a specific cleaner.

Because newer LCD and plasma screens don't have that traditional glass screen, the surface is more susceptible to scratches so always use a very soft cloth on those. Make sure you clean the dust off of the screen before using any cleaner on it. Replacing a vacuum cleaner bag is a simple task once you have determined a few things:

• Plasma screens. After you've cleaned off the dust and it still requires cleaning, use a soft towel and some warm water. Some people recommend using a microfiber cloth or a yellow cloth from the auto store. Wipe off the surface so that there are no streaks left behind.
• LCD screens. Clean this surface the same as you would a plasma screen. However, make sure that when you clean the surface you don't put any pressure on the screen. These are fragile surfaces and any pressure or indentations can cause permanent damage to the way images are displayed.
• Conventional screens. Although these types of surfaces are typically found on older machines, you should still take care cleaning the surface as they can also scratch. A major difference, however, is that these surfaces can be cleaned with a glass cleaner like Windex. I recommend spraying the cloth with the glass cleaner and then cleaning the surface rather than spraying it directly on the surface. Glass cleaner can be hard to get off of television cases.

Cleaning your television screen simply increases the image display of whatever program you are watching. Each surface is different and therefore requires different care. These pieces of equipment are huge investments and should definitely be given appropriate care. Usually dusting the equipment once or twice per week will keep it in pretty good shape but your television set should really be cleaned like this at least once per week if you watch TV regularly or once every couple of weeks if you are a light watcher.

Remember that televisions are the perfect place for dust to accumulate and you might not even notice it on a screen that stands horizontal. I know I've been surprised at how much dust gets onto my cleaning cloth when I clean my screen.