How to clean your touchscreen SAFELY

Protect your gadget's gorgeous touchschreen by following these steps.

Cleaning the touchscreen of a smartphone is pretty simple. You do not need a cleaning solution or any special cleaning kit for cleaning your tablet safely or the touchscreen of your smartphone. You can now do it with the materials that you have on hand already.

However, you should know what needs to be avoided as several types of cleaning solutions and cloths can damage your touchscreen. Once you learn what can be done and what not to be done, you can clean your screen in a few minutes, removing build up of dust, oil and grime that could accumulate on such devices as you rub, slide, glide your fingers over them throughout the day.

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1. Get microfiber cloth

For cleaning your touchscreen, all you need is one microfiber cloth. You may need a small quantity of water as well for cleaning purposes.

Term 'microfiber cloth' might sound fancy but they are extremely cheap and common. These cloths often come with the pair of eyeglasses for the purposes of keeping the glasses clean.

A microfiber cloth cleans the surface of sensitive glasses without even scratching them whether it is a glass touchscreen or a pair of glasses.

A microfiber cloth contains very small fibers which do not scratch the touchscreens. They also attract oils and dust, pulling them off from the screen instead of just rubbing them around.

A quick few wipes with this cloth is generally all that you need. Often you can use the corner of any cotton t-shirt or a cotton cloth but keep in mind that this would not show the same results.

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What to do while cleaning the touchscreen or tablet

The process of cleaning is very simple once you have an appropriate cloth in your hands. You just need to take care of the following things:

Turn off your device. It is a wise idea if you are using water otherwise this step is optional. Also if you turn off your device before cleaning, you would be able to see the dust and dirt more clearly and easily.

Wipe vertically or horizontally across your touchscreen or tablet in one repeating direction with the microfiber cloth. Start from the left side and wipe it straight across to the right side of your screen.

Now move the microfiber cloth lower and then repeat the same process for cleaning the entire screen.

Sometimes people rub this cloth in small circles that helps in removing the stubborn grime but at the same time it could rub the dirt in your screen too which could damage it badly.

The motion of wiping it across the screen sweeps the grime off and it is also the safest way of cleaning the screen.

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If you need then use water for making the corner of microfiber cloth little damp but do not add any kind of washing liquid or soap to this water. Use this damp part of cloth for cleaning your touchscreen or tablet in the same way.

If you feel that the grime is not coming off then you can rub it in small circles.

After this, wipe the entire screen with any dry corner of this cloth in the same manner for drying it off little bit. It is recommended to leave the tiniest amount of water on your screen so that it can get air-dried. Just do not try too hard for drying it up with microfiber cloth.

It is important to clean your microfiber cloth itself too and prevent the build-up of dirt and oil. Just soak this cloth in soapy, warm water then rinse it well and leave it for drying. Do not use any kind of harsh cleaning chemicals for cleaning the cloth as it can damage it.

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What should not be done while cleaning your touchscreen or tablet

Never use any chemicals including Windex or anything that contains ammonia or any alcohol-based cleaners. You can use a little bit of water on your cloth if liquid is really necessary.

Never use paper towels, tissue paper or abrasive clothes, which can scratch your smartphone's touchscreen or tablet. The scratches on the screen are usually small but they build up over the time, dulling and damaging the screen.

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Microfiber clothes are good in this aspect as they are designed especially for cleaning sensitive surfaces.

If you are using even little bit of water for cleaning up your screen then make sure that you turn your device off ahead of time.

While cleaning, never press the cloth too hard on the screen as it can damage the device and its proper functioning.

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Keep in mind that all these tips are just for the screens that do not have any screen protector. The cleaning process would be different if your smartphone's touchscreen or tablet has a plastic cover protector on it.

You would have more leeway so other types of cleaning solutions can also be used. Also try to keep your hands clean on a regular basis as your touchscreen would be touched by your hands.

Remember, less oil and dirt on your hands mean less scratches and smudges on the touchscreen.

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