I cleaned my MacBook Air M4 with a glasses cloth and a little bit of my lens spray. Now, when the screen is in low light, it shows these blue patterns. Did I damage anything on the screen? ChatGPT said it’s just residue from the spray and that it will go away if I clean it with a dry microfiber towel. What should I do?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.5
Although you can use a dry or dampened micro-fiber cloth to clean the Mac screen, it should only be dampened with water. Your use of lens spray, containing solvents, has likely damaged your screen surface and you should make an appointment with the nearest Apple store, or Apple Authorized Service Center to assess screen replacement cost.
Although you can use a dry or dampened micro-fiber cloth to clean the Mac screen, it should only be dampened with water. Your use of lens spray, containing solvents, has likely damaged your screen surface and you should make an appointment with the nearest Apple store, or Apple Authorized Service Center to assess screen replacement cost.
Thank you for your reply! I went to an Apple Store and they cleaned the screen properly, so it now looks perfect. In fact, under the store’s lighting we couldn’t see those blue spots — I guess I was only able to see them in natural light. The spots must have been residue from the spray I used.
As the screen cover is one component of a sealed assembly, it cannot be separately replaced. If any component of the assembly fails or is damaged, the entire assembly must be replaced.
We cannot quote costs on Apple's behalf but can repeat what other users have posted here. Parts + labor costs for the service are reported as starting around US$500 and go up with screen size. Ouch.
You may find those blemishes are less apparent in use.
Clean your Mac computer’s screen or display - Apple Support
I purchased a cleaning cloth from the Apple Store that says: Safe for use on all Apple displays and surfaces. For infrequent cleaning of hard-to-remove smudges on nano-texture glass, a 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution may be used. I recall it was pretty expensive for a cloth.... but I use it without problem.
I purchased a cleaning cloth from the Apple Store ...
Then you need to take it up with Apple. We are other end users with no influence over Apple decisions. First look at this Apple online store page featuring a third-party device
Anker Charger (30W with USB-C Cable) - Apple
and note this warrenty disclaimer there:
I cannot imagine Apple retail stores having a difference policy.
Blue patterns on my MacBook screen after cleaning
