Question for Mr. Wizard about Desk and Office Cleaner

floyd!trb

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Apr 7, 1983, 8:07:49 PM4/7/83

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People have been noticing that I don't post enough gratuitous crap to
netnews, so in an effort to keep the customers satisfied, I have a
question:

I have been cleaning my crt screen with "3M Brand Desk and Office
Cleaner" for some time now and it seems to do a fine job. (Yes, I
clean my screen often, dusty screens drive me nuts, you can call me the
Howard Hughes of USENET.)

I just read the label on the spray can and it says:

Not recommended for glass or surfaces which could be
damaged by water.

What would the reason to not use it on glass be? Do they want me to
buy "3M Brand Window Cleaner?" Will my crt implode one day? There is
no list of ingredients on the can, but it's a white foamy aerosol spray
cleaner. I would be less curious if the stuff had an ill effect on my
screen but it seems to work fine. Glass is usually pretty inert stuff,
so I would think that you could clean it with any old solvent that
didn't leave a residue. I could call 3M but it would probably take a
while before I could find the person to answer my question.

Andy Tannenbaum Bell Labs Whippany, NJ (201) 386-6491

qubix!lab

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Apr 8, 1983, 10:07:10 PM4/8/83

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I'm not Mr. Wizard, but one would guess that the reason for not
using Desk and Office Cleaner on glass is the same reason one
should not use Fantastik or 409 or whatever or glass. The residue
from these tend to hold water, whereas the ammonia cleaners
evaporate away cleanly.
The most obvious effect is on your windshield. If you wipe the
inside with almost anything, watch out when moisture condenses on
it - you'll know EXACTLY where you used it. I have found this to
be true too often on my own windshield. That is also why I would
recommend using paper towel rather than cloth for such cleaning -
virtually no residue.
Learning the hard way so you won't have to
Larry Bickford
decvax!decwrl!qubix!lab

yale-com!leichter

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Apr 8, 1983, 10:11:04 PM4/8/83

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It's hard to imagine any kind of a solvent that would harm glass - at least
nothing you are likely to see around. There are two reasons why something
might be "not recommended" for use on glass that I can think of:

1. It leaves a film. Anything with a wax in it, for example, is in
this catagory. I've found that stuff like Fantastic is in this
class; the soap in it is hard to get off the glass.
2. It contains an abrasive. Most abrasives are hard enough to scratch
glass.

If you've been using the stuff for a while, and are satisfied with the results,
it's hard to imagine what kind of harm you are doing.
-- Jerry
decvax!yale-comix!leichter
leichter@yale

wivax!adams

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Apr 8, 1983, 11:18:46 PM4/8/83

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A few years ago my husband learned a trick for cleaning glass without any
streaks or residue: rubbing alcohol applied with newspaper. He was
told of this by some folks in a picture framing shop, where they have to
clean plate glass all the time. Apparently the alcohol is supposed to
react to the chemicals in the newsprint and form an effective solvent,
and the paper stock is absorbent enough to clean without lint. The one
time I used it on my car windshield ity worked fine.

sdcattb!wa146

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Apr 12, 1983, 3:28:21 PM4/12/83

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The best thing I have ever seen for cleaning glass is vinegar and
newsapaper. It will eat away the thickest grime imaginable.

Brian Sutin
philabs!sdcsvax!sdcattb!wa146

wateng!daemery

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Apr 14, 1983, 9:38:13 PM4/14/83

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If that stuff people place on food won't get grime off,
bleach.....(I don't recommend it for your oak desk.)