Can alcohol be used to clean mobile phone screens?

During the epidemic, various disinfectants and cleaners containing alcohol have become common household items. Since we hold our mobile phones in our hands every day, it is easy to be contaminated with various pathogens. Since various detergents containing alcohol can both clean oil stains and kill germs, wouldn’t it be the most appropriate to use them to wipe LCD screens? This is true, but if you use the wrong method, it is likely to damage your mobile phone or other electronic devices.

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Because, using alcohol to wipe the LCD screen is likely to cause irreversible and serious damage to the screen. So, why does alcohol have a strong corrosive effect on LCD screens? The LCD screen is composed of multiple layers of materials, and its core is a sandwich structure with a layer of liquid crystal molecules sandwiched between two polarizers. Both the polarizer and the liquid crystal molecules themselves are substances that are very soluble in alcohol. Once corroded by alcohol, they will immediately dissolve and the screen will become mottled.

However, modern LCD screens, especially various touch screens, are not so fragile because we have a glass cover on the top of the screen, which mainly prevents scratches and damage to the screen. At the same time, it can also naturally prevent various external moisture and solvents from directly contacting the structure below.

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But even so, wiping your screen with an alcohol-based cleaner is a risky practice for two main reasons.

First, the surface of the glass cover is actually coated with a special organic film, such as an oleophobic film, which can reduce grease absorption and prevent fingerprints from dirtying the screen. Most of these coatings are various organic compounds, which are very weak against alcohol. If they are wiped with external force, the coating will fall off more easily, causing the screen to become scratchy. Of course, if the phone screen is covered with a film, you don’t have to worry too much about this problem.

Second, although the top layer of the LCD screen, that is, its surface, is not so delicate, its sides are still very fragile. Most LCD screens damaged by alcohol are actually because the alcohol penetrates into the gaps on the side of the screen, which is equivalent to avoiding the glass panel and drilling directly into the lower structure. Alcohol has weak surface tension and strong capillary effect. Once there is a gap that can be drilled, it will quickly penetrate into it, and the consequences are naturally very annoying. If a small amount of alcohol enters the inside of the screen, you can immediately turn off the device to dry it or blow it dry with a hair dryer, so that it will not affect subsequent use.

Therefore, when the screen of our computer, tablet or smart phone needs to be cleaned, we can spray some special LCD screen cleaner and wipe it with a soft cloth to make the screen look brand new. LCD screen cleaner has a very good cleaning effect on fingerprints and oil film. In addition, many wet wipes also have similar functions.

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The active ingredients contained in these cleaning products are mainly surfactants, which have a good cleaning effect on oil stains and will not damage various organic coatings. If there is no such cleaning agent, you can also clean the LCD screen with a damp cloth dipped in a very small amount of pure water, but be careful not to let water flow into the gaps around the screen.

To sum up, if it is just for cleaning, it is safest not to use alcohol. If disinfection is required, then caution should be exercised. Some mobile phone products are marked as being disinfectable with alcohol. It is recommended to read the instructions before disinfection. In addition, when using alcohol to disinfect a mobile phone, it is also recommended to first apply the alcohol to a soft cloth, and then gently wipe it with a soft cloth. Do not spray or pour alcohol directly on the screen to prevent the alcohol from flowing everywhere, increasing the risk of corroding the original screen and damaging the mobile phone.

Author | Li Rui, PhD in Materials Science

Review | Yuan Zhiqin, Associate Professor, Beijing University of Chemical Technology

Editor | Jiang Fan

Editor | Ding Zong

This article is produced by the "Science Rumor Refutation Platform" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

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