Parents often have a lot of baby wipes around the house and many might wonder if it is safe to use them to clean computer screens, phones, and TVs. Since I have definitely tried this before, I thought I would share my lessons learned with you all today!
Baby wipes should not generally be used to clean computer, TV, or smartphone screens because they often contain moisturizers and other ingredients that could cause streaky residue to form or damage the display. Modern LED screens should be cleaned with a microfiber towel moistened with distilled water or a 50/50 mix of distilled water and vinegar.
Although it can be tempting, it’s best to exercise caution when dealing with electronics because there is nothing worse than a damaged screen. Let’s check out some of the details.
Is using baby wipes to clean the screens on your electronics a good idea?
While it might seem like a harmless idea, you probably don’t want to use baby wipes to clean your electronics.
While baby wipes probably don’t contain enough moisture to damage your electronic screens, the solution is usually made of ingredients such as water, surfactant, preservatives, emulsifiers, humectants, perfume, and stabilizers.
Parents ideally use it to clean the delicate areas of the skin, including buttocks, hands, faces, and to wipe their babies’ mouths when they throw up or have a messy meal. With that in mind, most manufacturers add some amount of moisturizers, oils, and other things that help protect baby skin and keep it healthy. Unfortunately, this won’t do your electronics any good.
If you’re looking for something to clean your screen with, use microfibre glass cleaning cloths with a dab of distilled water or a 50/50 mix of distilled water and vinegar. They don’t leave lint stains on the screen, meaning more saved time for you.
Do baby wipes actually clean surfaces?
Baby wipes can wipe away things like dirty or food from a surface, but they aren’t going to necessarily clean it depending on your definition.
In most cases, baby wipes do not contain alcohol or other disinfectants because they can be irritating to the skin, especially sensitive baby skin. With that in mind, they won’t have the ability to actually kill any germs on the surface of whatever you are trying to clean.
Can you clean a TV screen with baby wipes?
Baby wipes don’t do well with screens. They leave residues on the screen. Depending on your screen type, there are different strategies for cleaning your TV screen.
LCDs and Plasma screens cannot handle wet clothes such as baby wipes. Instead, you should dust them with soft microfiber cloths without any solution on them at all. Plasma TVs have an anti-glare coating that can be damaged in the process. So for these types, it’s best to keep things dry. You shouldn’t try to spray antibacterial sprays directly on the screen because the liquid can also cause damage.
Here is an example of what I’m talking about. Cheap, simple, and effective.
If your TV is really dirty, especially with oil, then you will likely need to use a tiny dab of the vinegar solution I mentioned earlier to get it clean. Just be careful not to use too much.
Many new TVs ship with the soft microfibre clothes, but if you got your TV used or you’re like me that misplaced mine, they are easy to find.
Can you clean a computer or laptop screen with baby wipes?
Baby wipes generally should not be used on your computer screens.
The only thing suitable for cleaning computer screens is Microfibre cloths. They are gentle on the screens, keep them dry, and wouldn’t leave lint stains on them.
You can keep them around your house and use them for your other gadgets. You can place one in your laptop bag, your office drawers, bedrooms, and wherever you use your devices so you can simply stretch and reach out to it whenever you need it.
Some other things that shouldn’t touch your LCD or LED screens are:
- Windex
- Ethyl
- Ammonia
- Lysol spray or wipes
- Anything with Acetone or Methyl Chloride
All these can ruin your screen. To clean tough stains, you just have to use water, soap, and your microfibre cloths. Squeeze it and make sure there’s no water dripping out. Then, take the corner of the microfibre cloth and start cleaning from the side. Avoid cleaning in a circular motion or pressing too hard on the screen. Be gentle; you don’t want to ruin your screen.
Can you use baby wipes to clean a laptop keyboard
Baby wipes probably aren’t the best choice for cleaning your laptop keyboard because they can still leave an oily residue on the keys. Certain brands that do not include these ingredients, like Water Wipes, could be a decent choice though because I doubt they would leave anything behind.
For a step by step guide, make sure you:
- Turn off the laptop or unplug the keyboard from the computer.
- Get a soft bristle brush to wipe off the debris.
- Then wipe off the keyboard with a slightly damp microfibre cloth.
Can you clean your iPad screen with baby wipes?
You shouldn’t use baby wipes to clean an iPad screen. iPad is made of corning gorilla glass, and the moisture from baby wipes can negatively affect the display.
P.S. You should always get your kids to wash their hands properly before using their gadgets, so they don’t get it all greasy.
Moving on, the screens may still be greasy from day to day use, which is normal, but what should you use to clean it then? The microfibre cloth is your best bet when cleaning screens. Whether you’re trying to clean off grease, smudges, dried spills, or whatever, you should use microfibre cloths.
Can you use baby wipes to clean your phone?
It depends on what you’re trying to clean. If it’s a sticky stain, you can use baby wipes to brush it off, but it would still have lint stains. If you don’t want that, you can use a microfibre cloth. It’s necessary to clean your phone once in a while because if you think about the number of germs on your phone, you would see why it’s crucial.
Whether it’s an iPhone or Android, it’s the same process. What should differentiate the cleaning process is if the phone is water-resistant or not.
To clean a water-resistant phone, according to Business Insider,
- You remove the pouch.
- Disconnect the phone and remove all the attached cables
- Soak the microfiber cloth in water and squeeze all the water out.
- Wipe the phone gently, so you don’t spoil any parts.
- Dry the phone with another dry clean cloth.
For non-water-resistant devices, you should ensure that you don’t go near any of the ports, so you don’t damage anything or stick to the dry cloth.
