If you’re like most people who own a big-screen projection TV and have noticed after years of use, a lint and haze on your screen, it’s time to clean it. Cleaning your projection TV is not that difficult. There’s really no need to pay someone to come to your house and clean it, it’s something you can do yourself. Be sure to unplug the power to your TV, and be aware that voltage may still be running through it when it’s open. Most TVs are sealed and won’t hurt you even with low voltage. If you have an RCA projection TV or almost any other type of projection TV, you want to start by removing the screen first. This is usually accomplished by removing a large number of screws from the back of the unit. The screws are usually not standard Phillips or flat head. Most screws will have a square hole and will require square bits. These bits can be picked up at your local hardware store. The bits themselves are dirt cheap, if you don’t already have some in your toolbox. Once you find the right square drive bit to drive the screws into your particular projection TV, you’re ready to go. Carefully remove each screw with a manual or automatic screwdriver at a very low speed. Once you have removed all the screws, you will be able to remove the screen. As always, during this entire process you must be very careful. Having more than one person will make this whole task much easier. After removing the screen, place it on a flat surface, carpet is a safe bet.
Now that the screen is off on your TV, you should now be able to see inside the lenses. On a projection television there are three lenses of different colors. If you look closely you will see a layer of dust on each of the lenses. That dust is the first important part of cleaning your TV. Carefully take a DAMP thin cloth, nothing thick, not wet, and gently wipe each lens in a circular motion. After doing this, let it dry for a minute and repeat with a dry cloth only.
The next step in cleaning your projection TV, whether it’s RCA or any other brand, is to clean the mirror on the back. You will see this mirror above the lenses mounted on the body of the TV. When cleaning this mirror, be sure to use care. Gently clean the mirror with a fine cloth and, as long as you see that it is free of dust, do nothing else. If there is still dust on your mirror, wipe it gently with a damp cloth and then again with a dry one. Do not use chemicals when cleaning anything inside your TV.
The last step in the cleaning process is to clean the screen. With the screen on the carpet, gently scrub and clean the inside of the screen. If you tilt your head down and have the light reflect off it, you can really see what needs cleaning and what you have already cleaned. Using your fine damp cloth, wipe off all dust and dry with the dry cloth. Gently rotate the screen and repeat the process again.
After everything has been cleaned and dried, now it’s time to put the screen back on the body. On RCA projection TVs, this screen must be inserted from the bottom into a pin and then tilted into position. If you don’t have an RCA TV, your TV may look very similar. Just be careful and watch how you took it apart and how you have to put it back together, it’s not that hard. Once the screen is back in place, take your screws and put them back into their holes. Be careful when bringing the screw to its final torque. Gently tighten each screw.
The next step is to turn on the TV and watch in amazement at how much brighter and clearer the picture is. As a side note, most projection TVs are designed to be cleaned and once you remove the screen, everything else is sealed.
