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Home / Cleaning Guides / Things You Own / Electronics / How to Remove Ink from LCD Screens

How to Remove Ink from LCD Screens

Table of Contents:
  1. You Will Need
  2. Steps to Remove the Ink Stains
  3. Additional Tips and Ideas

Heidi asked: How can I clean ink from an LCD TV screen? My daughter “cleaned” our TV screen with an ink pen. I’m afraid of making it worse if I try to clean it. Any suggestions would help.

LCDlcd-clouds screens offer many valuable options and features that make them appealing to many users. Taking care of the screen and cleaning it requires careful steps so the surface does not become scratched and dull. Commercial cleaners are available, but they can be easily made right at home. Follow the methods below to safely and effectively remove the ink marks from an LCD screen.

You Will Need:

  • Isopropyl alcohol
  • Distilled water
  • Microfiber cloth
  • Spray bottle

Steps to Remove the Ink Stains:

  1. Begin by mixing a solution of one part rubbing alcohol with one part distilled water in a spray bottle.
  2. Moisten the microfiber cloth by spraying it lightly with the solution. Do not spray liquids directly onto an LCD screen. Doing so may cause damage.
  3. Use the moistened cloth to gently wipe the area clean.
  4. Avoid using too much pressure as this can cause damage to the screen as well.

Additional Tips and Ideas

  • Never use any abrasive cleaners or scrubbers on an LCD screen!
  • If your screen is left with white smears, the water used in the solution was not distilled. Tap water contains minerals that will leave a coating on the screen and should be avoided.
  • Microfiber cloths should be used at all times. Even though tissues and paper towels feel soft, they are too abrasive and will cause tiny scratches all across the screen. While it may not look scratched, it will take on a dull or filmy look.
  • Keven Ellison submitted an effective solution of using insect repellent to remove the stains quickly and effortlessly. Spray on sunscreen has the same effect. The chemical make-up of these products allows water to penetrate under the stain allowing it to lift right off. Keven also recommends WD-40 for ink.

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Susan

I'm a stay-at-home mom who used to run a small housecleaning business. These days I consider myself more or a mad cleaning-scientist. I do most of the testing for our articles - as well as helping Mark & Melanie write them.

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Comments

  1. Jennifer says

    November 16, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    This was a great tip! I sprayed insect repellent on the LCD screen then wiped it clean with a baby wipe. It came right off!

    Reply
  2. Anita says

    January 27, 2012 at 1:46 am

    Thanks a lot. Because of your suggestion, I was able to remove a ball pen scratch from my LCD screen.

    Reply
    • Chanoy says

      June 3, 2018 at 12:30 pm

      How do I remove ink from an Xperia XA Ultra phone?

      Reply
      • Avatar photoMelanie says

        June 3, 2018 at 12:48 pm

        Chanoy,
        The Xperia XA Ultra has an LCD screen, so the steps in this article should work. However, because it has an oleophobic coating, try to avoid using any more alcohol than necessary. Use a cotton swab instead of a cloth to keep the alcohol only where needed on the ink area. Alcohol should not damage the coating the first couple of uses, but better to be conservative with it if you want to preserve the coating as much as possible. Good luck!
        Source: Wovow.org – Introduction to Sony Xperia XA Ultra smartphone
        Source: iFixit – Should you use alcohol wipes on iPhone screen?

        Reply
  3. Jhanna says

    August 8, 2012 at 5:24 am

    Thank you, now I can remove the ink from our LCD monitor. Just rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball, and it removed the ink!

    Reply
  4. Jon says

    August 27, 2013 at 8:07 pm

    Bug spray worked great for me.

    Reply
  5. Tom says

    February 12, 2014 at 11:54 pm

    Bug spray worked fantastically; took the black ink right off the screen. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. Rob says

    August 9, 2014 at 4:02 am

    Just used the fly spray on a microfiber cloth and it wiped straight off; thanks heaps. Brilliant tip.

    Reply
  7. Jessica says

    January 1, 2015 at 11:24 pm

    Spray-on sunscreen did the trick! We just got our new TV a week ago and I thought it was ruined! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  8. Mindy says

    May 30, 2015 at 9:04 pm

    Thank you a whole bunch!! I used sunscreen on the ink and it came right off…so thankful as it is a new TV!!

    Reply
  9. Barbara says

    August 9, 2015 at 5:45 pm

    It actually worked great thanks to bug spray.

    Reply
  10. Marni says

    August 22, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    Just used Aeroguard (insect repellent) and a cloth… It came off so easily. Thanks heaps!

    Reply
  11. Gloria says

    February 10, 2016 at 6:00 pm

    I sprayed insect repellent on a cotton swab and the ink came off immediately.

    Reply
  12. Call Me Mom says

    February 23, 2016 at 10:09 pm

    Thank you. I used spray-on sunscreen with a microfiber cloth. It came right off. Serves me right for pointing at something on the screen while holding a pen.

    Reply
  13. Julie says

    July 19, 2016 at 12:10 am

    Started a show on Netflix. When the white screen came up, I paused the TV because I saw scribbles. I asked my boyfriend, “What is that? Do you see that?” I thought it was my hair or pen. Turns out my three-year-old used pen. Well, Lysol Dual Action Cleaning Wipes did the trick! (; Kids…

    Reply
  14. Belinda says

    October 18, 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Our toddler also used the LCD screen as her drawing board. The spay-on sunscreen and microfibre cloth did the trick.
    Thank you!

    Reply
  15. Mr. Fetus says

    February 19, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    Does this work with LED screens?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoMelanie says

      February 21, 2017 at 2:07 pm

      Mr. Fetus,
      Alcohol will work to remove the ink on most surfaces. With LED screens you want to be especially careful because they may not be covered, or they may have a chemical treatment on them. You can call the manufacturer to determine if alcohol is safe for your specific screen or you can test it on a small corner to look for any adverse reaction.

      Reply
  16. Harmony says

    May 7, 2017 at 8:07 am

    I have a Gionee P5W smartphone and I woke up and saw a black round ink stain with colour around it. I tried using alcohol to clean it, but it’s not working and the ink is now spreading little by little.

    Reply
  17. Rob says

    August 6, 2017 at 2:33 am

    I used a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and Dawn dish washing liquid. Awesome! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  18. Emmanuel says

    April 12, 2018 at 4:11 am

    Can you help me out? Ink on my iphone 7. How can I clear the ink on the screen please?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoMelanie says

      April 14, 2018 at 10:59 pm

      Emmanuel,
      Use isopropyl alcohol. Although the alcohol can remove the oleophobic coating on an iPhone, it usually only does so with repeated exposure. Just using it once should result in a removal of the ink without any/much removal or the coating. Good luck!
      Source: iFixIt – Should you use alcohol whipes on iPhone screen?

      Reply
  19. Julian says

    April 27, 2018 at 11:04 am

    I am removing the screen and circuits of the PSP body and putting them in an iPhone 6. It totally works, but as I was getting rid of the screen, ink spread, so now I know what to do to make it work. Thank you very much.

    Reply
  20. Nelly says

    May 27, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    Please guys.. my iphone 6s has the blue ink by the top right hand side and it’s spreading little by little. Please kindly advise how I eradicate this. Will appreciate your help guys. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoMelanie says

      May 28, 2018 at 7:15 pm

      Nelly,
      The alcohol should remove it. A little alcohol is safe to clean your iphone once or twice, just don’t use it too often or rub very hard as it can remove the oleophobic coating over time. Good luck!

      Reply
  21. Aiden H. says

    March 23, 2019 at 4:29 pm

    None of the methods work. In fact, the method with the nail polish remover made the stain worse; the area is all white now; the nail polish remover just took the ink and the plastic color off.

    Reply
  22. Joy says

    August 26, 2019 at 4:36 pm

    How do I get off permanent ink off of S8 edge screen?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoMelanie says

      September 23, 2019 at 4:14 pm

      Hi Joy,
      These methods can work for all types of ink, including permanenet marker like Sharpie. Good luck!

      Reply

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