How You Should Clean Your Car's Touch Screen (And Mistakes You Need To Avoid)

Here are the dos: Do use a microfiber cloth, ideally an entirely new one, and do use very basic soap and water. The don'ts: Don't spritz straight isopropyl alcohol onto the screen, or a cleaner that contains ammonia, like Windex.  As the name would imply, Windex is good for windows, but sites like Consumer Reports say ammonia can damage the anti-glare and anti-fingerprint coatings on a car's touchscreens.

You might then be asking for more details and more understanding. Why, for instance, is this advice different for screens in your car versus an iPhone? Well, for one thing, there's how they're designed to handle moisture. You should definitely avoid dunking your car's display in 20 feet of water for half an hour. According to Apple, that's the limit of your iPhone 17's ability to hold its breath. 

And Apple is cool with you using up to 70% isopropyl alcohol or 75% ethyl alcohol, but not a bleach wipe on their phones. But most carmakers explicitly want you to avoid anything like that chemical stew, and there are definitely other delicate surfaces to clean carefully in your car beyond the touchscreen.

Still, we mention phones because their screens are disgusting germ vectors. And because you touch them, and their pathogen-rich petri dish-like screens, which are often contaminated with fecal matter. And then you probably use your fingers and touch the interior of your car — and its displays. So you definitely want to clean both that phone and your in-car displays. Here's more on how to perform the latter operation properly — without damaging those interfaces.

If you've ever scratched a display or instrument screen, you know you're kind of stuck with staring at that mistake until you've sold that heap. You could spend the $1,000 (or more) to fix the cluster, but really, will you? No. You're going to suffer that eyesore until you finally part with the car. And with the average car now on the road for 14.5 years (per the Bureau of Transportation Studies), you might start that exciting ownership as a near-teenager — and end it as someone rapidly approaching middle age.

Scratch up that iPhone and there are many companies that can swap out your cracked or scratched display. And if you're the DIY type, a new screen will cost you way less than $100. No wonder Apple's dandy with you using alcohol-based cleaners on their phones now and then. But in your car, let's avoid scratching those displays or dulling them, which begins with using a soft cloth or a microfiber cloth, since that's what most automakers recommend.

Here we'll cop out (slightly) and say that you should consult your owner's manual, because, for instance, Tesla says to "use a soft lint-free cloth specifically designed to clean monitors and displays." The company does say not to use a wet wipe. Hyundai says never to use a "rough or hard cloth," like paper towel, or organic solvents like alcohol. The carmaker says if you do either, "the panel surface may become scratched or damaged due to a chemical reaction." 

Meanwhile, Toyota goes the microfiber route, and suggests dampening that cloth with an LCD screen cleaner. Toyota says a little diluted isopropyl alcohol on the cloth can be okay, but not every carmaker agrees. Kia says "nope" to alcohol.

We're not talking about a martini. Directly spraying a cleaner, even an LCD cleaner sanctioned by Toyota, bears the risk of penetrating behind the screen itself and harming the car's electronics. Again, this isn't your submersible iPhone. Automakers use electronics designed to withstand car crashes and extreme heat, but not a dunk into a bath of Windex. 

That's why Ford, for instance, says, "Do not pour or spray alcohol onto the display. Do not use detergent or any type of solvent to clean the display." However, like Toyota, Ford is okay with you using a small amount of alcohol on a microfiber cloth.

What's a universally acceptable cleaner? Great question. And the answer isn't so clear. Subaru says to use a "neutral detergent," while Ram says you can use a 50:50 water and alcohol solution on the screen of your 1500. Nissan is probably the only maker that issues a common sense rule of thumb, which is to avoid paper towel anywhere on the car's interior, to use plain old soap and water on surfaces, and if you're using alcohol, to dilute it. Yep, we know that car ownership is hard! But that's why we're here with lots of cleaning tips and tricks.

Speaking of that, there are many aftermarket sprays and solutions for car interiors, and they default to using content like isopropyl alcohol and plant-derived surfactants, which is a fancy word for the cleaning property of a soap for lifting oils and dirt. But a gentle soap you'd use on your skin applied to a clean microfiber cloth should do the trick, and if need be, a diluted solution of alcohol and water seems generally acceptable. Generally. Remember: We said to consult your owner's manual!