Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Screen cleaning

This is topic Screen cleaning in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Paul Looker (Member # 5420) on 03-25-2014, 09:47 PM:

Looking for tips. On cleaning the screens at my theater. I know nothing so any thoughts and tips would be appreciated.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 03-26-2014, 05:01 AM:

loose dust can be brushed off, anything more than that is difficult, and with silver screens just about impossible, to remove without leaving a shiny mark.

There are brushes made for removing dust from screens. Think of something similar in shape to a wire coat hanger, but about twice the size with a soft bristle brush on the straight part, and a long bamboo handle where the hook would be on a coat hanger, and you get a rough idea. I think they're quite expensive for what they are.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-26-2014, 02:15 PM:

We have one of those brushes. It works well and I think it cost about 40 bucks, but we've had it for a couple of decades so who knows what they cost now. The bristles are super-soft and about 2" long.

If the screen is really dirty (think popcorn grease or soda stains), John Eickhof gave me this cleaning technique which we've used a couple of times:

1. Mix up a solution of half water, half window cleaner

2. Spray the solution on the screen liberally, covering about a 3 foot section from top to bottom

3. Take the screen brush (or a push broom will work) and wrap it with a couple of layers of damp terrycloth towels.

4. Wipe the screen from top to bottom, making sure to cover every area thoroughly.

5. Do each section across the screen, then repeat the process using plain water and a set of clean towels.

6. Important: When wiping, do not "rub" the screen or use pressure on the brush/towel assembly. Let the water and cleaner solution do the work. If stains are stubborn, give it another spray with the cleaning solution.

The important thing is whatever you do, do it uniformly across the screen so it will hopefully all be the same color of white when you're done.