The MacBook Pro M1 2020 display glass has stains at the top of the screen

Question

I found some stains on my MacBook Pro M1 2020 display glass at the top of the screen. They won't go away with regular cleaning. I'm worried about how they look and if they'll cause problems.

Can anyone suggest simple ways or products clean these stains off my laptop screen? Also, how can I stop this from happening again?

I've hardened up the contrast a lot in this & cropped to the most significant area, to make it easier to see…

It's hard to tell whether that's on the outside or the inside of the front layer. Could you define 'regular cleaning'? What with? Method? Some screens are coated & anything other than plain water can damage the coating. — Tetsujin, Apr 11 '23 at 07:47
The red and green streaks? Are you sure they are 'stains', and not graphical artefacts? Are they still there when the display is off? (You may need to shine a light on it.) — benwiggy, Apr 11 '23 at 07:49
@benwiggy - vertical 'squiggly stripes' - I dropped in a hard-contrast edit to make it more visible. Almost looks like condensation run-off, but I can't be sure. — Tetsujin, Apr 11 '23 at 08:04
@Tetsujin This is the same way I clean the screens of my iPhones and iPads. Using a spray to clean LCD screens or a dry cloth to clean glasses. Could this happen due to the temperature and humidity (while I was taking it home from the office in my bag where outside was cold weather)? It's visible only on the center top part of the glass. — Łukasz D. Tulikowski, Apr 11 '23 at 08:25
'spray' doesn't really tell us much, but as @benwiggy says below, spray the cloth not the screen. It does look like you've managed to get liquid between the screen layers. — Tetsujin, Apr 11 '23 at 08:32
See also - Cleaning my Macbook Pro Retina leaves greasy 'streaks' across the screen — Tetsujin, Apr 11 '23 at 08:33
Does this answer your question? Cleaning ‘staining’ off bottom of MacBook screen — Allan, Apr 11 '23 at 13:32
@Tetsujin I think this is the most likely cause. Can you please elaborate an write an answer? — Łukasz D. Tulikowski, Apr 14 '23 at 10:29

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 11 '23 at 08:29

Apple provides guidance on how to clean their products, including the screen. https://support.apple.com/HT204172

From the photo, it looks like that could be salts and other dissolved matter that's been left behind after the water has evaporated.

I've always used "Screen cleaner" spray, which you can buy from most Office supply stores. A quick look at the ingredients shows it's 95% water, with some anti-bacterial chemicals, and 'surfactants', which are mild detergents.

I've used this on every external part of Macs, displays, iPhones and iPads for many years without problem. (You might not want to spray directly onto a keyboard, but spray onto a cloth and then wipe.)

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 14 '23 at 10:42

After comments…

This is speculation, but a likely explanation is that in using a spray cleaner too liberally, liquid may have got between the protective coating & the actual LED element itself, with either gravity or capillary action causing it to travel further inside, resulting in this as a permanent stain.

The MacBook Pro M1 2020 display glass has stains at the top of the screen

2 Answers2