I used to spray glass cleaner straight onto my laptop screen and wipe it with a paper towel. The result was a streaky, smeared mess that looked worse than the dust I started with. I was also slowly damaging the coating. Here is the right way.

Why glass cleaner is wrong

Laptop screens are not glass. They have a thin anti-glare coating that harsh cleaners and ammonia can strip. Paper towels are rough enough to leave fine scratches. Both are a fast way to ruin a screen.

How to clean it properly

1. Turn the laptop off and unplug it.
2. Wipe the screen gently with a dry microfiber cloth to remove dust.
3. If there are smudges, dampen the cloth with water, never spray the screen directly.
4. Wipe in one direction, then buff dry.

Water on a microfiber cloth handles almost everything. For stubborn marks, a tiny drop of dish soap in the water helps. Wring the cloth out so it is damp, not wet.

What I stopped doing

No more paper towels, no more spray bottles, and definitely no more window cleaner. I keep a clean microfiber cloth in my laptop bag and give the screen a quick dry wipe every couple of days.

The screen looks better and the coating is intact. A streak-free screen is mostly about what you do not use on it.