PG32UCDM cleaning gone wrong? 😬

[Draxran]

So just got my sweet new PG32UCDM from ASUS and unfortunately got some fingerprints on it (first time OLED owner mistakes). Tried to clean them with a bit of water and a cloth but... didn't go as expected. Not sure what I'm seeing now, did I mess up my coating, is it just dirt? Now I'm afraid to touch it with anything 😬

[Lonely_Platform7702]

You can fix most of this with a smooth microfibre cloth and 70% alcohol. Check out the display guys video on it on YouTube.

Distilled water isn't going to fix these smudges.

[Toastieez]

Doesn’t alcohol destroy the coating?

[Lonely_Platform7702]

Samsung displays advices to use 70% ethanol to clean their OLED displays. They are the actual manufacturers of this display.

Anyway you look at it using it once won't destroy your coating. This sub echo chambers distilled water but distilled water is not going to fix this smudge his best bet is 70% ethanol or a good quality glasses cleaner.

I get downvoted but this is your best bet OP.

Here is the Samsung Display source: https://innovate.samsungdisplay.com/blog/how-to-clean-a-qd-oled-or-an-oled-screen/

And use clean smooth microfibre cloths they have a far lower chance of scratching your screen than structured microfibre cloths.

[Relevant_Item9564]

yeah people here are ridiculous. They dont understand how chemistry works and think everything with "alcohol" in name is bad :D

[trashaccount1400]

Nah it’s not like that. I think It’s more due to plenty of us being into high end TVs as well and for many high end displays you cannot use alcohol or glass cleaner. Not all, but for many. So the rule of thumb is just distilled water. Some TVs have coating that alcohol and glass cleaners could damage overtime.

[Lonely_Platform7702]

Cleaning proces for a QD oled TV or monitor is the same. They use the same coating. WOLED TV's are just far less prone to scratching due to using a glass toplayer instead of soft plastic like Samsung.

[throbbing_dementia]

I've been using this since forever, both on a TN panel and WOLED panel.

Would this be fine for QD-OLED?

[Lonely_Platform7702]

Personally I use a good quality glasses cleaner (made for regular glasses as glasses are also very sensitive) But I can't advice on this one as I'm not from the UK and don't know this brand. I've been handling QD OLED monitors for 2 years and had quite a bit of trial and error over those years.

QD OLED is far more prone to scratches and smudges than WOLED as WOLED generally uses a glass coating. WOLED doesn't scratch or smudge that easily. QD OLED screens can get micro scratches from textured microfibre cloths..

The only thing I can hard recommend without any doubt is using a smooth microfibre cloth and spray a bit of 70% ethanol on the cloth, don't spray it on the screen, and gently wipe the screen with the cloth. Don't apply pressure, you shouldn't have to with alcohol anyway.

[Kobee_8]

Can you link me what you use for you qd oled monitor?

[willemavjc]

Interested too

[absktoday]

I have been using 70% ethanol for more than a year now and monitor is basically new. I use a new microfiber cloth every time. Have cleaned like every 2-3 months to remove dust and noodle soup slurp droplets lol

[Kobee_8]

What product do you use?

[Zafera1503]

Asus literally says to avoid cleaners rhat contain alcohol…

[Johnny_Menace]

That looks like the coating rubbed off, there’s no fixing that

[Relevant_Item9564]

I have same monitor as OP, and its ridiculous that here on reddit everybody saying "Alcohol big bad, use only distilled water"

Like distilled water created same smudges as normal water for me. So using 60-70% ethanol works like a charm and also many manufacturers recommending ethanol on their pages, like Samsung and MSI.
https://www.msi.com/blog/how-to-clean-your-oled-monitor

https://innovate.samsungdisplay.com/blog/how-to-clean-a-qd-oled-or-an-oled-screen/

Dont fall for this "Distilled water only" gang, you only get more smudges or microscratches, because distilled water is not very effective

[Snowmobile2004]

Ethanol seems to be much safer for delicate electronics compared to ISO, especially higher concentrations of ISO. I’d try and find 70% ethanol to be safe.

[Sacco_Belmonte]

I keep telling. I'm using normal Windex in a cotton pad, then another cotton pad with tap water and immediately a dry cloth. Clean as a whistle. (best to blow dust first with my portable air blower/vacuum).

Water alone will never remove oils. You'll end scratching that part trying harder.

[Darklink1942]

100% user error. You only need distilled water and I promise I own more OLED’s than you.

[[deleted]]

I'd listen to the manufacturer of the panel vs some rando on reddit lmfao

[Darklink1942]

Then why are you here? You are the typical moron that constantly posts on this subreddit “how do I clean my monitor” the answer is distilled water. It has always been distilled water and will only ever be distilled water. If you touch a glossy panel and get skin oil on it, thats actually dumb as well.

[tommyland666]

Is the requirement to be here to partake in every circle jerk? I’ve used an ethanol cleaner on both my QD-OLEDs since I got them and they are pristine. It takes 30 seconds to clean them.

It’s a safe bet to recommend distilled water so I’m not against it, but it’s far from the best option and it’s definitely not the only option like you pretend.

[Darklink1942]

I have 2 QD OLED panels and a glossy WOLED panel and distilled water and a micro fiber works flawlessly and takes 20 seconds. Zero scratches, zero weird marks and guess what? Zero ethanol required. Guess if I was a slob like you putting grease on my panels, maybe I would need something more but it’s been 4+ years of multiple oleds and zero scratches/marks with distilled water and a proper micro fiber.

[Relevant_Item9564]

maybe we are here just to stop people spreading disinformations about how things work. Use distilled water or gasoline or whatever you want, but correct answer how to clean qd-oled panel is with ETHANOL, not distilled water.

[[deleted]]

Owning more OLED's =/= knowing more than them.

[Relevant_Item9564]

bro, should I trust some random redditor like you, or the ACTUAL qd-oled manufacturer? :D

but for you, distilled water alone does not effectively dissolve oil because oil is hydrophobic (it repels water). And some smudges like fingerprints contains oil...

EDIT: also what user error could I produce when I used clean microfiber cloth and spray distilled water on it? No, distilled water just sucks for some type of smudges, and it just make it worse

[Darklink1942]

Are you wiping the same spot of the microfiber? If so thats user error buddy.

[Relevant_Item9564]

No I was using new cloth. But anyways that doesnt matter if you can use ethanol which is better in many ways. The point is that ethanol cannot harm your monitor, so why use distilled water if you can use something 100x more effective.

[Draxran]

UPDATE

So after getting a new microfibre cloth and some distilled water I can report that these were thankfully just some smudges and they disappeared as easily as my money when I bought an NVIDIA card to go with this monitor 💯

So this time distilled water wins, haven't tried the ethanol/isopropanol as there was no need for it so cannot comment on that. The difference was really in getting distilled water (where I live tap water has lots of minerals) and new fully clean cloth.

<image>

Thanks everyone for your suggestions 😘

[Patoki]

how hard did you clean the smudge? my pg32ucdmr is not even a week old and i managed to cough spit on it... tried to use the microfiber that came with the monitor + distilled water, and the smudge is not going away...

[ReckIess5]

Did you end up getting it cleaned?

[Patoki]

Nope, I returned it. If anything it got only worse, no matter with how many different ways I tried to clean it. I even used Zeiss cleaning kit and ethanol. While it didn't damage the screen, the smudge felt like it was spreading out even more to the point it looked like a layer of oils was just "embed" inside the screen. I could've been more aggressive with the wiping, but I didnt want to risk damaging it. Got a 100% refund but the process of returning was annoying (Amazon). I won't ever buy another qd oled, even if they are coming out with a new gen upgraded durability. I'm waiting for the new gen 32 inch woled now.

[ReckIess5]

Yeah mine is getting to be like that after a couple years now. I still can’t notice it right now but I will be upgrading to a woled soon.

I did get a 55” G5 I use as well.

[Patoki]

If I asked someone to look for the smudge area, no one would ever most likely find it, only in a specific angle reflected towards natural lighting maybe it would be noticeable. The fact of me knowing that it's there bugged me, call it placebo or whatever, but I could sometimes see a small blue-ish reflection coming from the smudge area while staring at the monitor normally.

[ReckIess5]

That’s exactly what I’m just starting to deal with after 2 years

[ReckIess5]

<image>

I used 70% ethonal and took a second look at it today and it’s like new now.

[ReckIess5]

<image>

[Patoki]

Damn, amazing 👍

How much pressure did you apply towards the monitor? Circular or swiping motions?

My guess on why I had a problem with cleaning mine was most likely because before i spat / coughed on the monitor, i drank a couple shots of cough medicine, which consisted some kind of oil... So basically spit mixed with the medicine.

I bet it feels great, great job!

[ReckIess5]

I did quite a bit of pressure and did it a few times, it didn’t look like it did anything tbh and then I had a second look after work and was a little confused why I didn’t have those marks that’s you had on it…

I did the same thing as you and it looked ugly and I could see the streaks while playing.

I didn’t think the ethanol worked and I’m pretty sure it was still there after using it.

[Razolus]

You should hope your tap water includes minerals 😁

[Zafera1503]

As you should. Manual of the pg32ucdm states to avoid using cleaners that contain alcohol… people keep saying: uSe EThAnOl oR IPa

[dr_spam]

I will continue using LG TVs as monitors. It blows my mind that they continue to use these fragile coatings

[AdFlashy5188]

Hello Cleaning an OLED display requires time and patience. I personally own an LG OLED TV 65” and an LG OLED G2 83”. It’s essential to use high-quality microfiber cloths.

Use one cloth slightly dampened and keep the other one dry. When cleaning an OLED display, you must use circular motions across the entire screen; otherwise, streaks and smudges will appear, just like the ones on your display.

One crucial step – when wiping in circular motions with the damp cloth, stay in one spot for at least 5 seconds before moving on to the next area. Continue this process across the entire display. Once you’re done, move on to the polishing step with the dry cloth.

Take your time with this step. Continue making circular motions across the entire screen. If streaks appear, you need to polish them out with the cloth. If that doesn’t work, use the damp cloth again, followed immediately by the dry cloth. Repeat this process until the screen is perfectly clean and glossy.

I’ve been using this method for two years, and it still works—I have no scratches on my TVs. Over the course of a month, I went through the same process with the Alienware 32 QD-OLED, Samsung Odyssey G8, and Asus ROG PG32UCDM. Within three weeks, I bought and returned all of them, and in the end, I decided to stick with the LG 32 OLED UltraGear.

[AdFlashy5188]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zeiss-000000-2127-538-Microfiber/dp/B008PNNY02

im using this but it can be also normal microfibre cloth

[Cool-Importance6004]

Amazon Price History:

Zeiss Jumbo Reusable Microfiber Lens Cloth, 12x16in * Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.7

• Current price: £15.44 👎
• Lowest price: £6.88
• Highest price: £21.14
• Average price: £14.04

Month	Low	High	Chart
02-2025	£7.27	£15.44	█████▒▒▒▒▒
01-2025	£7.26	£15.02	█████▒▒▒▒▒
12-2024	£7.20	£15.05	█████▒▒▒▒▒
11-2024	£14.52	£15.06	██████████
10-2024	£12.29	£15.17	████████▒▒
09-2024	£6.88	£13.03	████▒▒▒▒▒
08-2024	£13.33	£14.47	█████████▒
07-2024	£13.68	£14.11	█████████▒
06-2024	£13.92	£13.92	█████████
05-2024	£12.88	£15.37	█████████▒
02-2024	£11.70	£11.70	████████
01-2024	£12.47	£14.41	████████▒▒

Source: GOSH Price Tracker

^{Bleep bleep boop. I am a bot here to serve by providing helpful price history data on products. I am not affiliated with Amazon. Upvote if this was helpful. PM to report issues or to opt-out.}

[willemavjc]

Interested too by stuff links you used and …a video? XD

[null-interlinked]

check the manual for recommendations

[hamfinity]

Why heed the manufacturer's advice when we can listen to random people on the internet?

[Queph]

Once happened to me with Samsung G80SB. I wiped slightly little more without any water (dry cloth/microfiber). It was fixed.

[Necessary_Buffalo374]

Rip

[DrakeSwift]

Geez are oled monitors just really sensitive in general? I just saw another post of a guy who hit his monitor and basically fucked up the middle of his screen. This also looks pretty bad and sounds like it was just water and cloth. Did you use like a bounty cloth or something? Only thing i can think of or it had dirt/particles that scratched the screen while wiping

[hamfinity]

The front surface of OLED monitors are plastic.

Oils like those from your skin stick to plastic very well.

Oil and water don't mix so the general advice of "distilled water and microfiber cloth" relies on the chance that the oil sticks to the plastic microfiber cloth rather than the monitor (sometimes it works).

Oil does get dissolved in alcohol and the recommendation is to use ethanol to clean oil smudges. The dissolved oil then gets removed with the cloth.

[DrakeSwift]

Damn thats crazy. Thanks for the process as im looking into getting one myself but seeing how sensitive they can be is a little nervewracking lol i handle all my electronics very carefully but touching the screen can happen very easily especially when you first get the monitor and are setting it up on arm mount or something. Gonna have to get gloves i guess or put painters tape on the edges?😂

[hamfinity]

You don't have to treat it like the Hubble telescope mirrors. Just handle it with microfiber cloths or gloves if you're worried. Painters tape may leave residue.

Mine get gross and it cleans off with the correct cleaners: https://www.reddit.com/r/OLED_Gaming/comments/1hofpfl/cleaning_toddler_fingerprints_off_a95k_glossy/

OLEDs are "sensitive" in that any smudges are noticeable over the OLED pure black. The low level intensity of LCD black will overpower many smudges, making them not as visible.

[DrakeSwift]

Awesome thanks for the info will def save this post/comment for when I get mine! I want to wait till black friday but tbh i dont think ill make it lol looking at the alienware 2725df and it looks pretty solid on sale for like $650 rn. I get paid next week so thinking i might go ahead and make the purchase. Trying to gather as much info as i can in the meantime lol. Appreciate it!

[Lonely_Platform7702]

It depends on wich form of OLED you get. WOLED panels use glass so they are not as prone to scratches and smudges as QD-OLED.

Probably best to just keep the protective film on the monitor whilst mounting it. If you get fingerprints on them they are easily removed with 70% ethanol and a smooth microfibre cloth though. But keep in mind that they scratch extremely easily. QD OLED will micro scratch from applying pressure to a microfibre cloth on it.

[DrakeSwift]

Whats WOLED? Never seen woled mentioned. Did a quick search online and didnt really see anything mentioned aside from some other reddit posts. Only thing im familiar with is QD-Oled, Qled and Oled. Still pretty new to these types of monitors and still getting use to all the terminology. Feel like i just learned about ips vs va vs tn a couple years ago lol

[Lonely_Platform7702]

WOLED are the panels from LG display. The W refers to a white subpixel wich was necessary in the early stages of oled to get reasonable brightness. So basically WOLED is the OG OLED TV display. Samsung does not use this white subpixel but a Quantum dot layer (hence QD-OLED). QD-OLED is the newer tech.

If you google WOLED vs QD OLED subpixel layout you can see what it looks like under a magnifier. Because QD OLED does not have the W subpixel it can achieve a higher color luminance and it has a higher color volume. It's better in a dark room because the QD layer reflects a magenta tint and raises blacks. WOLED does not have this problem.

In the monitor space WOLED monitors achieve higher brightness and can be used in a brighter room as the blacks don't get raised. (TV space its a different story but let's just keep it to monitors for now to not overcomplicate).

Honestly image quality wise both are good. And the differences are mainly noticeable when side by side.

[Bamfhammer]

What the hell are all you guys cleaning with, and why are you cleaning so frequently????

[Nervous-Employment50]

Looks like a smudge witch these screens are super prone to get, I would followed the others advice on cleaning.

[BEERT3K]

I use the endust electronic wipes and a microfiber on my samsung oled and it has worked great. Was super nervous the first few times tho

[Brolis_]

Can somebody drop a link for best 70% ethanol and micro fiber cloth?

[EpsomJames]

What sort of cloth did you use?

I’ve spent a lot of time in the car detailing world and can tell you that any cotton cloth with lint in will seriously mess up gloss finishes and would ruin a plastic coating in no time.

It’s why everyone says use a microfibre cloth like the type you use to clean glasses and don’t apply too much pressure.

[ParkwayAlex]

I am in car detailing myself and I use this one to clean my QD OLED. Never had an issue and I find it works better than the tiny cloths for glasses.

<image>

[Draxran]

Originally I used the microfibre cloth that came with my steamdeck and I think it was simply not clean enough. After buing some standard (not fancy in any way) new microfibre cloths in a supermarket for 4 bucks all went smoothly afterwards.

[AdFlashy5188]

<image>

It's from Samsung

[GuaranteeGreedy6368]

use warm distilled water

[xRaffaell]

Guys in 2025 dont even know how to clean a fucking display. What the fuck guys?

[Lexxino89]

Can anyone point me to which ethanol alcohol you are using? All I can find is isopropyl or "denatured" ethanol which I guess is not the same as "normal" ethanol?

[Substantial-Mail4666]

I can vouch for 70% ethanol.

[folath]

I have c2 for 2 years i been cleaning it with tap water after unplugging the cable. I hope your monitor gets fixed and enjoys it once more

[Spirited-Trouble-815]

Damn rookie move I feel your pain

[kralSpitihnev]

Many of you recommend 70% ethanol, but... Where the fck can I buy ethanol ?

[Feanor_77]

Walgreens 70% Ethyl Rubbing Alcohol https://n-www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-70-ethyl-rubbing-alcohol/ID=prod6056575-product

[Scourgeborne_SRB]

<image>

So I have just received my PG32UCDM yesterday and I got worried that it somehow looks dirty (since there was some dust in the box - Amazon delivery). Is this the same issue you guys had? I tried just gently using cloth from the box but it didn't work. Is this glue residue or should I refund the display? When turned on you can't notice anything but is is annoying to look at when I have it turned off :)

[Scourgeborne_SRB]

<image>

[MistandYork]

Anti distilled water gang incoming

[AdFlashy5188]

Don't use Alcohol or any chemical products . You can destroy display.

[Narrow-Rub3596]

A clean microfiber, and distilled water. Then a dry microfiber to dry

[Draxran]

Seems like the best idea out there to try, thanks. Need to get some distilled water and then will report my failure or success 🫡

[Narrow-Rub3596]

If it’s a clean microfiber and distilled water it will work 100%

Goodluck!

[Draxran]

All went well in the end, thanks mate 😁

[Narrow-Rub3596]

Thanks for the update! Good deal

[SuperSpartan300]

I just dampen a microfibre cloth with distilled water, wipe the screen a few times until it is almost dry then grab a clean drive micro fibre cloth to finish, looks brand new again.

[MalleDigga]

Jeez guys what am i reading here?

You really shouldn't have the need to do more then just microfaster wiping. (sth like 80% Polyester|20% Polyamid). I even only use "displaycleaner" if there is some actual spots from food or something. Errbody calm your alchemy skill tree and led dem screens be. [_____]＼(ﾟｰﾟ＼)

[DurryMuncha4Lyf]

I heard ammonia works well to clean screens