Most of the reviews I’m doing for this Month of Reviews are reviews of either software or some kind of Web 2.0-like service. In fact, all of my reviews but one fall under one of those two categories. This is the one exception. It’s still something that you put on your computer screen, but it’s not software.

But let me introduce this product from a different angle. Within a week of getting my new MacBook, I realized pretty quickly one little problem about these nice glossy MacBook screens: THEY’RE DUST MAGNETS!!! No kidding! Apple may include a cleaning cloth now with its iPhone and new iMacs, but us MacBookers currently earn no such luxury. Within less than a month of getting the computer, I could barely see my screen, and resorted to getting a damp paper towel to try to wipe some dust off. It didn’t do very good (I now know you’re not supposed to do that!), but it helped a bit. So in July I finally took my problem to one of the Apple Store people, and they pointed me towards the iKlear cleaning solution, a special package containing everything you need to clean your screen.

iKlear comes in one of those really hard to open packages that can scrape you all over and don’t allow you to store stuff back in there. It would be nice if it came in a carrying case or something that could be used to store what’s provided. However, it does contain everything you need to clean different kinds of screens, including three different cloths, a bottle of iKlear polish (which the Apple Store people say lasts a long time before you need a refill), a number of iKlear “Step 1″ travel singles–which are essentially pre-moistened cloths with the polish already on them for convenience, and directions. The directions, however, are a bit confusing. The fold-out pamphlet seems to contain “the” set of instructions for all screen types, but then another section says to look for special instructions for the glossy TFT screens, like the one I have, on “page 2″. Page 2, however, doesn’t have the special section–instead, the special instructions are on the other card that comes with the setup. Essentially, the thing gives you general instructions first and then additional product-specific instructions, but it took me awhile to figure out their layout. They definitely could have done a better job in this department.

However, the instructions are thorough and tell you exactly what to do. For example, to clean my MacBook, all I have to do is to moisten a corner of the micro-chamois cloth (the really smooth one that comes in two sizes) with the spray, or else use one of the pre-moistened travel singles, to apply iKlear solution to the screen using vertical and horizontal strokes. (If you’re using the spray, you may want to add more spray to the cloth to make sure you get an even coating. Then, use the micro-fiber cloth (the darker blue one) to wipe off small sections of the screen in vertical strokes. The process does require a bit of patience, and you also have to turn your computer all the way off and support the screen while cleaning, which does take a bit of getting used to. But after I finished the first cleaning of my screen, and turned it back on, I must have skipped a breath. I mean, my computer screen hadn’t looked that good since the day I bought it, and everything I had tried beforehand to clean the screen had been to no avail. I mean it, this product WORKS. Without a doubt, the best $25 I’ve ever spent. (Incidentally, they recommend you re-apply iKlear once a week, which makes sense considering how quickly the dust comes back.)

Although intended for Mac screens (iMacs, MacBooks, iBooks, MacBook Pros, PowerBooks), both standard and glossy, they also claim that it will work with Apple’s Cinema Displays and older CRT studio displays, along with HDTVs and Plasma TVs, iSights, Digital Cameras and Camcorders, iPods, and even keyboards. In fact, they even list CDs and DVDs on here, although I’m not sure if that would work right without harming data, as the instructions aren’t clear on that fact. Does anyone know if it does or not?

But regardless, the iKlear screen cleaning package has been an essential accessory for me, and a must-have for anyone who uses a computer more than once every other year, particularly laptop owners. The system loses some points for not being easy to store/manage and having some slightly confusing directions, but the product works absolutely wonderfully, making this accessory a must-have for any die-hard Mac user. No wonder AppleCare has recommended the use of this product for the last 14 years!

Final Rating:

Tags: accessory, cleaning, computer screen, iKlear, Mac, review