In general, computer displays tend to get quite dirty with fingerprints, whether we're talking about notebook displays or PC monitors. Whether you try to show something to a friend or simply want to catch a mosquito or fly that's been bugging you for the past hour, you'll most like wind up getting your fingerprints all over the screen.

There are several ways in which one can either prevent the display from getting dirty or “cure” it. However, before talking about what you need to do in order to clean-up your dirty display, let's see what can be done in order to keep it clean in the first place.

First of all, quite obviously, the best way to keep a display clean is by not touching it. However, for some people, keeping their hands off the display might prove to be pretty irresistible, so the second advice would be to place it somewhere relatively out of reach. And by that we don't mean “on the ceiling” but rather beyond your immediate reach. It's very likely that, if you can't touch it while sitting down on the chair, you won't get up in order to do so.

Another thing you could try is place a “post-it” note on the corner of the display. While some of you might laugh at this particular method, the truth of the matter is that it could actually prove to be quite effective, especially if you're the type of person who tends to forget things quite fast. Obviously, you can try pretty much anything that crosses your mind, although surrounding the display with barbwire or an electrical “fence” might be a little too extreme.

Now, enough with the prevention, let's see what can be done in order to wipe those fingerprint marks off the screen. Probably the first thing you might wanna do is check the surface of the display very attentively, as to find the areas that require more attention.

Then, you should assemble a cleaning kit, which is typically formed out of a bottle of clean water, a small bottle of alcohol, a special spray bottle and a piece of non-abrasive cloth. Of course, you can either purchase each of these items separately or get a complete kit from a specialized store. However, we'll talk about the first solution here, since the second one is pretty much identical (and in most cases, it's also accompanied by a rather detailed guide).

So, after getting the items mentioned above, you'll first have to mix the water with the alcohol in the spray bottle. Typically, it's a good idea for the mixture to have half alcohol, half water, and to be very well shaken. After you're done with the mixing, you'll have to spray the solution onto the cloth, NOT directly onto the screen. After that, you can start cleaning the display, and the best way to do it is by using some circular moves, so that you won't leave any “lines”.

After you're done with the cleaning, leave the display to dry on its own. Due to the high content of alcohol in the solution (alcohol is a highly volatile substance), the display will be all dried up in a matter of minutes.

The case of the PC monitor (or, respectively, the body of the notebook) should also be cleaned, by using both a clean cloth to remove the dust or even a vacuum cleaner, if you have reason to believe that there's an abnormally high quantity of dust in the device.

Also, it's a pretty good idea to repeat this operation quite frequently, depending on the degree to which your display or PC monitor is subjected to dust and/or fingerprints. Twice a month would be a great idea, but the bottom line is that you should clean the display each time you feel that it's gotten way too dirty for you to stand it.