In the words of Chef Bob Vila, “there’s no substitute for good hand-washing of your hands.” Unless you’re cleaning your flat screen TV.
A new study by WiP Labs tracked air quality in home environments and found that among multiple televisions, the worst-offending device was a LCD television of 24 inches, the largest screen size that could accommodate the particulate matter found on a flat screen.
WiP Labs, a company that specializes in cleaning technology, monitored indoor air samples while surveying participants who had their TVs cleaned or not cleaned in their homes.
“Most common dirt and bacteria when a TV is dirty is the dirt that lives on the LCD panel, such as hair, grease and fat,” Brian Lebovitz, the founder and CEO of WiP Labs, said in a statement. “Another group of dirt and bacteria is the grease left on the back of the TV when it’s cleaned.”
Lebovitz said the dust-filled back and sides of televisions caused the most health hazards, adding that people should ensure that the TV’s back and sides are in the dirtiest part of the TV, but the air flow within the TV is also important.
“Sizing up the TV’s size before and after cleaning is key to cleaning it,” Lebovitz said. “All televisions get dirty at some point, so it’s important to know how to clean them properly. The optimum air flow into and out of a TV is within its side pixels. The air should also be warm to nearly 90°F (30°C).”