Ever wonder why it’s so hard to manage your tv? In the past few years, the device has undergone a significant array of digital renovations — 32-inch, 46-inch, 65-inch, OLED, 4K Ultra HD, Smart TV, Smart TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV. And while every new television manufacturer is hustling to come up with more and more unique ways to display and consume all that news, sports, and entertainment that draws Americans away from work every so often, the one thing each company is missing is simplicity.
With that in mind, we present to you the following wisdom derived from numerous conversations with some of the foremost experts on maintaining current-generation TV technology. We have found that the most important tip involves the very most fundamental element of TV technology — the TV screen itself.
WARNING: The above story contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 7, an unfortunately lost opportunity for some, considering how much I want to see Tyrion Lannister blow the hell out of Jon Snow’s face, but they don’t count.
The tip? The best way to clean your TV is to do it by…standing on your toilet.
We’ve heard plenty of practical solutions, but the single best way to clean your TV screen is to stand on it. This will allow you to suck the dust out of your TV with ease, without disrupting the image in any way.
“A lot of times, you get at the dust and what not, but you just kill that picture quality so it’s almost like putting a straw in your eye and roasting it,” explained Jason Nisbet, a freelance TV installer who has been helping to repair television screens for 25 years. “It’s kind of messy but clean but sucks too.”
“In your arm pits and arms and legs, when you do the ergonomic position, that’s really where the best air comes in,” Nisbet continued. “I mean, you could use elbow grease on those areas, or dryer sheets and all of that type of stuff, but it’s hard to even get dust and dirt and stuff out of the cord, because those are un-occupied areas. That’s where the good air comes in.”
So don’t be too surprised when you discover years later that you have no idea how to do that.
One notable exception to this rule is when you’re dealing with an old TV: in those situations, there’s no use in getting your butt out of the shower or even in your car. These pastimes simply get in the way.