Mac Book Pro Screen Smear

David Clark wrote:
> I have a bad screen smear on my MacBookPro. It first looked like
> some kind of food item -- grandchild's finger-smear? -- but now has
> become permanent. I've tried Office Depot's Screen Cleaner, and went
> to the Apple store to buy some iKleer. Neither have worked and the
> screen is still smeared with whatever it is.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions to get rid of the stuff?

I've found that sometimes, but rarely, a smear that cannot be cleaned
with cleaners designed for screen cleaning, is actually a part of the
coating on the screen (or the screen itself) that was accidentally
dissolved and smudged by a more abrasive cleaner or chemical.

Hopefully, thats not the case for you.

At 6:21 AM -0800 11/16/07, David Clark wrote:
>I have a bad screen smear on my MacBookPro. It first looked like
>some kind of food item -- grandchild's finger-smear? -- but now has
>become permanent. I've tried Office Depot's Screen Cleaner, and went
>to the Apple store to buy some iKleer. Neither have worked and the
>screen is still smeared with whatever it is.
>
>Does anyone have any suggestions to get rid of the stuff?

Dave,
I've never tried this for grandchild finger smear, but its worked
wonders cleaning my 14" iBook G4, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (or in my
case the Target brand generic.)

I had a build up of what I assume was my own finger oil below the
lower left hand corner of the keyboard that I thought was
discoleration, and it took it right out.

The Eraser is just Melamine Foam, and its really interesting stuff
take a peek at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam

Good luck in getting your MacBook Pro clean!

~Nick
http://www.inmff.net

David Clark wrote:
> I have a bad screen smear on my MacBookPro. It first looked like
> some kind of food item -- grandchild's finger-smear? -- but now has
> become permanent.

I think it's generally a somewhat bad idea to use anything other than
water on non-glass screens (and your MacBook Pro does not have a glass
screen), even if the cleaner you bought is specifically made for
laptop screens. If water does't clean your smear, maybe it was
*caused* by your cleaner, as borovoy wrote.

Apple writes:
Cleaning Your MacBook Display: Dampen a clean, soft, lint-free cloth
or paper with *water only* and wipe the screen. Do not spray liquid
directly on the screen.
<http://www.apple.com/support/macbook/care/>

lukas

As a result of a suggestion by a Mac owner, I used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and a soft, cotton handkerchief to remove the smear successfully. I had to go over it several times, and it worked. The eraser is Melamine Foam and you can read about it at http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam.

Since getting the smear, I've used a pillow case from an American Airlines night flight to prevent more finger oil smears. The case, folded in half, just perfectly fits between the keyboard and the screen on the laptop. Alternatively, the Apple store will sell you a $20 item designed for the same thing.

Dave

Dave Clark http://home.earthlink.net/~dc1999/ http://web.mac.com/dave28c http://www.clarklawfirm.com

Continuing the tangent, I use (and recommend) a microfiber cloth commonly sold to clean your eyeglasses. These are usually just about the right size to use for this purpose, and can be found for not much $ at places like Office Depot...

On Nov 20, 2007, at 3:32 AM, jiclark wrote:

> Continuing the tangent, I use (and recommend) a microfiber cloth
> commonly sold to clean your eyeglasses. These are usually just
> about the right size to use for this purpose, and can be found for
> not much $ at places like Office Depot...

The microfiber cloths (REALLY great for just about anything -- my
Motorcycle, bicycle, car, you name it) came with iKleer purchased at
the Apple store, and they did not work. The directions were to spray
the liquid onto the cloth, rub off the smear, then use the dryer part
of the cloth to in effect finish the job including polishing.

Dave Clark

You misunderstood my post (which was why I said "made as a tangent"). I was recommending the microfiber cloths simply as screen protection for when the laptop is closed and being transported...

Sorry for the confusion!

On Nov 24, 2007, at 4:21 AM, jiclark <jclarkouraynet.com> wrote:

> You misunderstood my post (which was why I said "made as a
> tangent"). I was recommending the microfiber cloths simply as screen
> protection for when the laptop is closed and being transported...

That's a good idea. Currently am using an airline pillow case. Works
very well.
Dave