Windex is a popular American brand of glass and hard-surface cleaner. Due to the product’s widespread use, its brand name is now frequently used to refer to any type of window cleaner. In addition, the product is recognized for its distinctive blue hue. But, can you use Windex to clean the TV screen?
It is not safe to clean a TV screen with Windex because it contains ammonia which is not good for the coating of the TV screen. Moreover, even though Windex offers ammonia-free products like Windex Electronic Wipes, still it’s not a fully safe option.
Keep reading to discover why Windex is not a full-proof solution to clean your lovely TV screen, what you should do instead, and more.
What Is Windex: A Complete Overview With Ingredients
It was in 1933 that Harry R. Drackett came up with the idea for the Windex window cleaner.
As the original formula contained some extremely combustible solvents, the product was packaged and sold only in metal cans.
After WWII, surfactants were widely available to consumers. A surfactant, being a molecule that is soluble in both organic solvents and water, allows the formula to be watered down during the reformulation process.
One of the old Windex compositions included ammonia, water, sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant), ethylene glycol, and isopropyl alcohol (a flammable solvent) (a strong base used to dissolve organic compounds).
This mixture was both inexpensive to produce and user-friendly, so the corporation could upgrade to transparent bottles with spray tops.
Nowadays, you can use Windex for more than simply cleaning your windows.
However, the original blue bottle is still what most people visualize when they hear the name Windex. Windex is a chemical cleaner that removes fingerprints, dust, and dirt off the glass without leaving streaks.
The composition for Windex, which has been around for a long time and has a solid track record, has been modified to reduce the product’s negative impact on the environment without sacrificing its effectiveness.
The latest Windex Original Glass Cleaners consists of a combination of ingredients that include water, fragrance, dye, cleaning, and wetting agents. Here’s a more precise description of each ingredient component.
| Ingredients | Brief Overview |
| Water | Liquid base |
| Isopropanolamine | Solvent cleaning agent |
| Ammonium Hydroxide | Ammonia – cleaning agent |
| 2-Hexoxyethanol | Cleaning agent |
| Lauryl dimethyl amine oxide | Cleaning agent |
| Fragrance Ingredients* | For fragrance |
| Liquitint sky blue dye | Dye |
*So the fragrance ingredients further include the following components:
- benzyl acetate
- citronellol
- citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil
- butylphenyl methylpropional
- c9-11 pareth-3
- linalool
- terpineol
- dipropylene glycol
- ethoxydiglycol
- hexyl cinnamal
Windex currently offers a variety of products that are targeted for different cleaning purposes.
| Windex Products | Usage Purpose |
| Windex Original Glass Cleaner | Glass |
| Windex Dissolve Concentrated Pod Glass Cleaner | Glass |
| Windex Vinegar Glass Cleaner | Glass |
| Windex Ammonia Free Glass Cleaner | Glass |
| Windex Foaming Glass Cleaner | Glass |
| Windex Original Wipes | Glass |
| Windex Glass Cleaner Concentrate | Glass |
| Windex Outdoor Sprayer | Outdoor |
| Windex Outdoor All-In-One Starter Kit | Outdoor |
| Windex Disinfectant Cleaner Multi-Surface | Multi-surface |
| Windex Dissolve Concentrated Pod Multi-Surface Cleaner | Multi-surface |
| Windex Disinfectant Cleaner Multi-Surface With Glade Rainshower | Multi-surface |
| Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner Lavender | Multi-surface |
| Windex Electronic Wipes | Electronics |
Should You Clean A TV Screen With Windex?
You can use regular Windex on windows and other hard surfaces. However, it’s not the safest chemical combination for a TV screen because it includes ammonia and alcohol.
Windex Electronics wipes and cleansers are also available, so while the company doesn’t specifically forbid its usage on TVs, it is essential to draw your conclusions.
We recommend looking for a screen cleaner that specifically states it does not include alcohol or ammonia and is made for cleaning TV screens.
Why Is Ammonia-Based Windex Not Suitable For Cleaning A TV Screen?
Chemical reactions between ammonia-based Windex cleaners and the coating on the TV screen can result in clouding or screen damage.
Ammonia and alcohol might be effective cleaners for older glass television screens. However, anti-glare coatings on new TV screens are likely to be damaged by improper cleaning items.
Cleaning the television screen requires careful consideration of the products used.
Are Ammonia-Free Windex Suitable For Cleaning TV Screen?
Some of the products offered by Windex are said to be ammonia-free. Such products include:
- Windex Electronics Wipes
- Windex Ammonia-Free Glass Cleaner
- Windex Vinegar Glass Cleaner
- Windex Disinfectant Cleaner Multi-Surface
- Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner Lavender
- Windex Outdoor Sprayer
- Windex Outdoor All-In-One Starter Kit
- Windex Disinfectant Cleaner Multi-Surface with Glade Rainshower
As per Windex, we can use these products when ammonia-free products are recommended.
So let’s take the example of Windex Electronic Wipes – specifically made for use on electronic products.
As per Windex, the Electronics Wipes effectively clean without scratching or damaging your device. You may use them to wipe off your mobile devices, e-readers, laptops, cameras, TVs, and more.
But if we check the product page reviews, some users said they had a disappointing experience. One user even highlighted that streak marks were observed after using it on their HDTV. Another user highlighted that wipes left streaks on their computer and TV screen.
Although the product’s overall review is positive, some users still have reported issues. After all, it’s our beloved TV screen, and we can’t take a chance to have those unsightly steaks and marks after using any product.
So although it may be possible to use ammonia-free products like the Windex Electronic Wipes, we recommend being on the safe side – and looking for alternative and safer options.
What Can You Use To Clean The TV Screen?
Danny Lipford – a Home Improvement Expert, recommends not using glass cleaners while cleaning TV screens or any other electronic gadgets with plastic screens because of the danger of damage. Rather, he advises using specialized LCD cleaning wipes or a microfiber cloth dampened with water.
It’s time to implement a basic cleaning practice that takes care of all the problems caused by dust and annoying smudges on your TV displays.
Regarding what to use – nothing hard or abrasive, just microfiber cloths that are gentle and lint-free are the ideal option.
As far as what cleaning agent to use, I highly recommend this Screen Cleaner Spray by EVEO, available on Amazon. This screen cleaner is specifically made for the screens of TV and electronic devices.
The screen cleaner is made with a special solution that is safe for use on even the most delicate LCD, CRT, LED, and OLED displays. So it is worth a try.
But remember that Plasma TV displays are very vulnerable to damage, and even paper towels can scratch the screen.
Never mist your screen with a cleaner directly. Instead, simply mist it onto a cleaning cloth and wipe the screen clean.
When in doubt about how to clean anything, it’s best to check the manufacturer’s instructions, especially if the only products you have are harsh chemicals with a negative reputation.
Check the TV’s owner’s handbook before making any assumptions about what will work well with your TV. It is a good idea to take the guide from the manufacturer’s instructions and warranty documents first.
If you can’t find the hard copy, you can do a quick google search by the following keywords to find the soft copies of the manual in pdf format:
- “{Brand + Model Name} TV Manual”
- “{Brand + Model Name} TV Handbook”
- “{Brand + Model Name} TV Instruction Manual”
For example, searching the “Sony Bravia TV manual,” we came across the Sony Bravia Reference Guide Book.
How To Clean The TV Screen Without Damaging It?
Here’s how you can clean a TV screen:
- First, power off your screen and let it cool down before attempting to wipe it. Turning off the screen allows you to better inspect the fingerprints in natural light. Unplugging the TV is an extra safety measure you can take, although it’s usually not essential with newer models.
- Utilize a dry microfiber cloth to eliminate dust. Dust accumulation on ports and speakers might cause a drop in performance, so be sure to wipe out the entire screen.
- Spray a TV screen-safe cleaning formula onto a dry microfiber cloth. You shouldn’t oversaturate the cloth because various formulations dry at different speeds.
- If you want to avoid leaving moisture on the surface, wipe it down completely. Don’t let the saturation level go too high around the screen’s edges.
- The screen needs to dry naturally. If any stains persist after washing, you may remove them by buffing them with the dry edge of a clean, dust-free microfiber cloth.
If you accidentally touch the screen or see a stain, wipe it off with a clean microfiber cloth, so it doesn’t attract dust. Avoid using strong cleaners like ammonia, acetone, or high-proof alcohol.
There could be pre-existing streaks to remove if you’ve tried to clean your TV screen with a cleaner in the past.
Regularly cleaning with a dry microfiber cloth is essential, but it might not be strong enough to eliminate tenacious spots left by prior, unsuccessful cleaning attempts. Thankfully, a clean towel and some distilled water will do the trick.
For a perfectly flat screen, here’s what you can do:
- Wipe in soft, circular strokes with a dry microfiber cloth.
- To finish, wet another lint-free cloth with water. You don’t want it to be too diluted, and you shouldn’t spray water directly on the screen, as this might cause damage to your TV’s internal components.
- Dampen the cloth slightly and wipe away the streaks; then, use a dry cloth to clean up.
There’s also another way to clean that you can try. You can mix Distilled water and white vinegar at a ratio of 50:50 and use them as an effective alternative to chemical cleansers.
Simply mix the two in a spray bottle and apply to a lint-free cloth for cleaning. To prevent leaving streaks, wipe the flat screen in an S-pattern with a damp cloth, and then repeat the process with a dry cloth.
The homemade vinegar combination will not be able to leave behind any residue on the screen, preventing ugly water stains.
If you don’t have a lint-free cloth handy, an electrostatic duster is another easy option for trying to clean your flat-screen TV. Although microfiber towels are ideal for cleaning, you can also use a duster. Lint from paper towels can be difficult to remove from a display; thus, they are strongly discouraged.
The dust is drawn away from the surface and collected on the electrostatic duster, as the name implies.
Using one on devices like a television can be very effective at eliminating dust. Most can be cleaned simply by rinsing in warm water and shaking out the feathers. Click here to get an electrostatic duster delivered straight from Amazon.
How To Prevent TV Screen From Getting Dirty?
The dust, film, and fingerprints on your TV will be much easier to remove if you clean it once a week. To make things even simpler, keep a microfiber cloth handy to wipe away dirt and dust as you encounter it.
Not dusting the screen before cleaning it is a common mistake when tidying up a TV. Scratches of a microscopic nature might result from this, reducing image quality over time.
Clean the television by spraying a damp cleaning solution onto a towel and wiping it dry. Spots caused by spraying straight onto the screen may be difficult to erase.
TV screens today are extremely fragile and should be handled with care. Screens can easily break if wiped too roughly or with too much force.
Using store-bought glass cleaners on OLED or LCD televisions is not good. Harsh chemicals like alcohol and ammonia in these items might corrode the glass in your display.
A small amount of cleanser designed for screens is all needed; using more than that might cause damage.
If you clean your TV at least once a week, it will keep dust and fingerprints from settling on the screen and disrupting your viewing experience. It’s essential to remove any smudges, dust, or fingerprints from your TV screen for the clearest picture and to extend the life of your TV.
