How do you clean a MacBook screen?

Time needed: 10 minutes.

How to clean a MacBook screen

1. Gather your equipment

   To clean your MacBook screen, you ideally want two microfibre (or lint-free) cloths – one for wet cleaning, one dry – and some water. That’s it. No expensive cleaning kits, no chemicals.

2. Turn off your MacBook

   Make sure the MacBook is fully shut down and unplugged before you attempt to clean the screen. If you’ve been using the laptop prior to cleaning, leave it to cool for ten minutes, as attempting to clean a warm screen can leave smears behind, which rather defeats the object.

3. Dampen your cloth

   When we say dampen, we mean dampen. Don’t soak it under the tap. Don’t make the cloth dripping wet. Just dab it gently into a cup of water, so that part of the cloth is moist.

4. Wipe the screen with the damp cloth

   Gently wipe the screen with the damp cloth, using small circular motions to remove the more stubborn stains. Do not apply any great pressure to the screen, as it’s easily damaged and you don’t want to squeeze water out of the cloth, causing it to drip on to the laptop below. Indeed, you may want to lay the laptop on your lap, with the screen resting against your thighs while you clean, to avoid the risk of drips hitting the keyboard area.

5. Use the second cloth to dry the screen

   Use the second cloth to remove any damp marks from the screen before they dry naturally, to avoid any smears being left behind. Trust me, they can ruin your day.

6. Check for drips

   Before you turn the laptop back on, give the laptop a thorough visual check to make sure there are no drips on the keyboard, for instance. Obviously, quickly mop up any you find, as you don’t want water seeping beneath the keyboard. There lies pain.