How To Properly Clean Your Car's Infotainment Screen
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As modern vehicles continue to evolve, the car infotainment screen has become an essential tool for controlling and customizing your on-the-road experience. Many of these interactive displays manage everything from temperature and navigation to music streaming, and software like Apple CarPlay only adds to the infotainment panel's job responsibilities. With buttons and knobs losing favor, it definitely pays to learn how to keep your vehicular screens clean.
We aren't always perfectly clean, and fingertips are a surefire way to smudge an infotainment display with natural oils on your fingers. Fortunately, cleaning one of these screens isn't an adventure in rocket science; a bottle of liquid cleaner and a microfiber cloth are really all you'll need. We recommend EVEO Premium Screen Cleaner – the solution has excellent reviews and even comes with a microfiber cloth included.
For best results, start by spraying a bit of the cleaner on the touchscreen. Give it a few seconds to set in, then grab the microfiber cloth and begin wiping the display. Most screen and glass cleaners will leave streaks behind, but if you simply buff them with a dry part of the microfiber cloth (or use a second one just for this task), they should disappear.
Screen cleaner is safer and more effective than water or glass cleaner
We wouldn't blame you if you thought to yourself, "Can't I just use some water to clean my car's infotainment screen?" While regular water may vanquish some of the surface-level dirt that's caked onto the touchscreen, it'll struggle to cut through any deep-set dirt and grime. In fact, water tends to leave behind streaks and drip marks and can even damage the screen. So if you want that polished, final look, you'll want to stick to actual cleaners.
We also wouldn't blame you if you thought to yourself, "I'll just use that bottle of Windex that's been hanging around." Unfortunately, traditional glass cleaners usually aren't meant to clean screens, as these solutions often contain ammonia or alcohol. Using strong chemicals may damage your infotainment screen and neighboring dash features, so steer clear of using them. Many manufacturers actually advise against using them.
Much like the some newer TVs, vehicle infotainment screens use an anti-glare coating to stay legible even on bright, sunny days, but tough chemicals can eat away at this protective layer. That's why it's critical to double- or triple-check the contents of the cleaner you choose, and to not apply too much pressure when scrubbing.