How to Clean your iPad Screen Properly

Here's a full guide on the Do' and Don'ts of cleaning your iPad screen.

By Moses Johnson - Editor
2 Min Read
  • Your iPad screen is naturally resistant to water and oils, and should not require frequent cleaning, though occasional cleaning will improve the clarity of the screen and the function of the device.
  • Use only a soft, lint-free cloth when cleaning an iPad screen. Avoid abrasive cloths, towels, paper towels, or similar items.
  • Never use cleaners such as Windex or Lysol on an iPad screen, as these and other products will break down the oil-resistant coating and can shorten the working life of the device.

If you’ve owned your iPad for more than a week, you’ve noticed that it doesn’t look nearly as good as when it first came out of the plastic. Fingerprint smudges, dust specks, grease streaks — it’s hard to keep a device clean.

Luckily, iPads are easy to clean. Here’s a full guide on the Do’ and Don’ts of cleaning your iPad screen.

Things to avoid when cleaning your iPad’s screen

Before we talk about how to clean an iPad screen, let’s talk about what you shouldn’t use.

Here’s what you should avoid when cleaning your iPad’s screen:

  • Don’t clean the screen of your iPad with a cleaner containing acetone.
  • Don’t use aerosol sprays, bleaches, or abrasives
  • Don’t spray any cleaning products directly onto or into the iPad
  • Don’t leave the device plugged in or turned on
  • Avoid using abrasive cloths like paper towels
  • Avoid excessive wiping, which might cause damage.
  • Keep liquids away from the product.
  • Don’t get moisture into any openings.

If your screen is dirty enough and is covered by a screen protector, consider simply replacing the protector. Otherwise, here is how you clean iPad screens.

How to clean an iPad screen

  1. Unplug any cables connected to the iPad.
  2. Power off the iPad and remove it from its case.
  3. Using a clean lint-free cloth, wipe the iPad’s screen with small circular motions. The iPad’s screen is oleophobic, meaning that any oils or fingerprints should come off easily.
  4. If necessary, lightly dampen the cloth with water or 70 percent isopropyl alcohol. If you do this, make sure to only wipe the hard and non-porous surfaces (the casing and display). This should also help if something is stuck on your iPad’s screen, like a piece of dirt. Just make sure to dampen the cloth itself — don’t pour or spray water directly onto the iPad.
  5. If you’ve used a wet cloth, you can polish the screen afterwards with a dry microfiber cloth.

And for the record, the cleaning method described here can be applied to all iPad models,. Just be extremely cautious around the headphone jack, which is the most likely entry point for moisture and dust.

If your iPad Pro (M4) has a nano-texture display, follow these important guidelines to prevent damage when cleaning the screen.

  • To remove dust or smudges from the nano-texture display, use the polishing cloth that came with your iPad Pro (M4).
  • For infrequent cleaning of hard-to-remove smudges, you can moisten the cloth with a 70-percent isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution.
  • If you lose the included cloth, you can order a replacement polishing cloth from Apple.

To clean the polishing cloth:

  • Hand-wash the polishing cloth with dish soap and water.
  • Rinse thoroughly.
  • Allow the polishing cloth to air dry for at least 24 hours.
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Moses Johnson is the Editorial Director of GeeksChalk.com, who has a keen eye for news, rumors, and all the unusual stuff around Apple products. Moses is commonly referred to online as The Professor, with decades of experience in tech under his belt.
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