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Instrument cluster cleaning -- Any cautions about how to do it?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by cyberpriusII, Sep 26, 2015.

  1. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    I'm talking about the flat glass that lies on top of the dash -- not the screen that you see while you drive...

    A moth managed to die in the corner of the display, under the lip of plastic. I managed to tease it out enough that I could vacuum most of the moth debris up, but there is still some bits and pieces and a small smear that I created when I was getting the moth out of there.

    I was going to tackle it with a soft cloth, latex gloves and a dose or two of Stoner's Invisible Glass, but then I thought about how I managed to screw up the plastic cover of our old Camry's instrument cluster years ago....

    And, I suppose I should clean the touch screen, too.

    So, any tips.
     
    #1 cyberpriusII, Sep 26, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2015
  2. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    I use a dry or slightly damp microfiber cloth on mine, no cleaners. If I had something stuck under a lip, I'd probably try a toothbrush (my spouse's of course) or something else as soft as the vacuum brush but much smaller. Moth debris should be soft enough to not worry about scratching.
     
  3. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    Try vacuuming with one of those small computer vacuums used on keyboards and the like. I would then spray a little Invisible Glass on a microfiber cloth before lightly using the cloth on the glass.

    If you're careful not to get it on the dash you could also try one of those eyeglass cleaning cloths in individual packets you can pick up at any pharmacy. They're alcohol based.
     
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I would start with a damp Kleenex moistened in water, and then see what happens - before trying something more aggressive than water.
     
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  5. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    That does make a lot of sense, Patrick.
     
  6. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Thanks for the tips everyone. I actually don't have any "facial tissue" around, but I do have an assortment of cut-up pieces of T-shirts, so I went ahead and tried that slightly moistened with water, but our water here is extremely strange.

    The tapwater leaves small, crusty mineral deposits on everything, even when my roomie cleans her eyeglasses with tap water.

    Which is why we always have a fair amount of distilled water on hand. So, back on topic, I used the distilled and the cloth and it seems to have worked well enough. Not totally, "clean room" spotless, but much better.

    Thanks again,

    Kris
     
  7. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I buy distilled water, used in Nursery Evaporators, and use to be recommended to use in irons. This is mineral free. And it's cheap. I use it for cleaning windshields and screens. I buy a gallon and a spray bottle.

    My tap water has a lot of minerals-if I use it straight it will leave deposits that are visible.