white spot cleaning on lcd panel made in china

Remember when your LCD or OLED display had that brand-new, fresh-out-of-the-box shine, feel and look? You are in the right place if your display is now due for deep cleaning.

Things to consider before cleaning or handling an electronic displayAvoid static by grounding your body and following proper ESD-safe handling techniques.

A microfiber cloth and distilled water is recommended for cleaning the display glass. Use Qtips and Isopropyl alcohol for cleaning the printed circuit board.

Although distilled water is recommended for wiping the display glass, you can use a cleanser developed explicitly for cleaning displays. However, do not spray it directly onto the display. Spray a tiny amount of the cleaner onto a microfiber cloth first to avoid getting any cleaning solution inside the display.Never spray any liquids directly onto the display.A spray is too hard to control and confine. The fluids can seep into the other display layers or surrounding components and cause irreversible liquid damage.

Only use a microfiber cloth and don"t use chemicals to clean a resistive touchscreen.Disconnect the display from the power supply and remove any screen protectors or liners.

Cleaning soldering residue on LCD with Isopropyl alcohol and a Q-Tip.Cleaning residue around soldering elements is not necessary if Newhaven Display performed the soldering.

Cleaning your electronic display is a simple task. However, it is essential to consider these steps to handle and clean it properly. You should now have a better understanding of what cleaning products are safe to use, how to clean the display screen glass, how to clean touchscreens and how to clean soldering residue.

Porcelain is a type of hard-fired clay originally made in China used for a variety of purposes, from decorative tea sets to bath fixtures. The fragile nature of porcelain and variants like bone china can make cleaning your dishes and ornaments seem risky. Often some of the most valuable items in the home are made of porcelain, so it’s a good idea to establish a safe cleaning routine that enhances your prize collection at the same time! Let’s take a look at the best ways to take care of porcelain.

One by one, wash the porcelain items in warm – not hot – water and mild detergent. Always wash the pieces in a plastic bowl, or place rubber mats on the bottom and sides of the sink, as even a slight knock against the hard surface may damage the chinaware.

When cleaning porcelain, the most important thing to avoid is any change in temperature. This could be difficult to do if you have a porcelain kitchen sink, but the same guidelines apply. Don’t use water which is too hot for either washing or rinsing, and try to slide thin items like plates slowly into the water, using the larger surface first to allow the piece to acclimatise. Metal-trimmed dinnerware is also easily damaged, and the trimming can flake off when in contact with heat.

Many people have a china dinner set in the house for special occasions, but it can be a worry when it comes to cleaning off tea rings and cutlery marks. Fortunately, there are a few gentle methods to get rid of any food or drink stains on porcelain.

Though china variants, such as stoneware, are dishwasher and microwave-safe, it’s usually advisable to hand-wash porcelain and bone china dishes. Despite the hardness of the material, these pieces are often brittle and easy to damage

Instead, tackle marks and stains by dampening a soft sponge and sprinkling over some baking soda, rubbing the area gently to remove the mark. You can substitute this for toothpaste, but never use a toothbrush or anything too abrasive for porcelain cleaning

When it comes to cleaning older bathroom fittings, such as tiles, porcelain bathtubs, and taps, wash these with a mild solution of dish detergent and warm water in the same way you would dinnerware or other porcelain ornaments. The best way to clean porcelain tiles is to ensure they are not subjected to harsh cleaners or scourers. For limescale and watermarks, try mixing a baking soda paste and soaking the stains, or buy a specialist tile and bathroom cleaners for porcelain.

Cause: There are several possibilities that can cause white lines on an LCD screen. One would be high temperature on the logic board. Logic board drives the LCD panel and when it overheats can cause this display problem.

Solution: One solution would be to clean the vent holes around the TV. One possibility that I have experienced myself servicing is a bloated capacitor on the power supply board. The worst possibility is a defective LCD panel, which is costly to repair, and sometimes it’s more practical to buy a new TV set.

Cause: There are two IC’s on the mainboard and that probably caused the IC to overheat, which in turn caused the main controller board to malfunction. They may be possible panel failure. No signal from the mainboard to the LCD panel is the usual cause of solid white screen or flickering white screen.

If you have a white screen with error V3.41.0 flashing along the top, try this first– I pressed Exit and OK buttons together and was able to then click on input/source and bring up the HDMI input and, Hey, Presto! all working again.

Check the cable connecting the mainboard to the T-Con board, (LVDS cable) try reseating and cleaning it (you can use Isopropyl Alcohol). Clean the LVDS cable at both ends.

The most common cause for the white screen is missing 12V supply for the panel. Sometimes though, it can be something very simple like a loose LVDS cable on the panel side. If this is not the case, then you will need to check the 12 V supply on the LVDS cable on the main board side (usually 2-4 pins on the end/beginning of the connector). If the 12 V is there, you should check it is secured onto the panel, where the LDVS connects to.

Responsible for performing installations and repairs (motors, starters, fuses, electrical power to machine etc.) for industrial equipment and machines in order to support the achievement of Nelson-Miller’s business goals and objectives:

• Perform highly diversified duties to install and maintain electrical apparatus on production machines and any other facility equipment (Screen Print, Punch Press, Steel Rule Die, Automated Machines, Turret, Laser Cutting Machines, etc.).

• Provide electrical emergency/unscheduled diagnostics, repairs of production equipment during production and performs scheduled electrical maintenance repairs of production equipment during machine service.

You may have heard of crazing but what is crazing? You may have heard it called crackling or even, heaven forbid, grazing. Perhaps, you’ve been told that it is minor or okay and not to worry about it because it adds character. Sometimes, this is true. There are certain ceramic techniques like those used to produced Raku ware where the network of fine lines is a desired decoration technique. This is not the case for fine English dinnerware. Crazing diminishes the value of most pieces depending on the severity and rarity of pieces. Royal Winton is a manufacturer known by collectors to have a propensity to craze. Most collectors use pieces as display-only and therefore accept crazed pieces into their collection though as a general rule, crazing isn’t a good thing.

The definition of crazing is a network of fine lines in the glaze. This defect can be produced through several situations, one of which is at the time of firing. Crazing is the product of stress. Many factors can produce crazing including the composition and thickness of the glaze applied, the firing temperature, and the rate at which pieces are cooled after firing all of which affect the rate of shrinkage of a piece and its relationship to the glaze.

Temperature fluctuations contribute to the crazing of fine china pieces. We cannot stress enough how imperative it is to wash your pieces by hand in warm water using mild dish detergent like Dawn. Although some dishwashing machines have a fine china setting, your most assured way to keep your china safe is to wash it by hand. Abrasive detergents and the high temperatures of a dishwashing cycle are not recommended nor will they produced good results long term. You may get away with a quick run through the dishwasher but repetitive use will see wear to the gold edges and pattern. If you admire and appreciate your fine china as it should be valued, keep it out of the dishwasher. For a complete guide on cleaning and caring for your fine china, read our blog post here.

Crazing that is relatively recent or that has not been contaminated yet can be difficult to spot. Using a flashlight can help detect that network of fine lines. Gently tapping your piece of china can tell you if something is amiss. A teacup and saucer or other pieces that produce a thud or dull ring instead of a clear ring can indicate crazing. Stained pieces are often clear signs that crazing is present as the dirt is now trapped.

Crazing cannot be stopped. Once the process has started there is nothing you can do to prevent it from continuing. There is, additionally, no way to resolve the damage. Over the years, we have heard all sorts of wives’ tales from well-intentioned people and we were dumbfounded when one seller told us to “soak” a teacup and saucer overnight in water and the next morning we would see the cracks “filled in”. The mere thought of this is preposterous. Water does not replace glaze.

Sometimes crazing is hard to see. Sometimes, it becomes apparent because a stain appears. That stain is the result of organic matter like tea and coffee or even wine (we’re not judging) that have evolved into bacteria under the glaze. Now, it’s a tiny city of multiplying microbes is waiting for your next tea break. They will turn black or brown sitting between the crazed lines or on the porcelain body itself. Nearly inaccessible, bacteria enjoy this environment. You must recognize that regardless of the method you use to clean crazed china, it is no longer food safe.

Follow the steps below to safely clean your flat screen monitor, TV, laptop screen, or other device in just a few minutes. This information applies to televisions from manufacturers including LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and Vizio.

Turn off the device. If the screen is dark, it will be easier to see the areas that are dirty or oily. Turning the device off also prevents you from accidentally pushing buttons you don"t actually want to push, which happens a lot when cleaning touchscreen devices like tablets, iPads, etc.

If the dry cloth did not completely remove the dirt or oil, do not press harder in an attempt to scrub it off. Pushing directly on the screen can often cause pixels to burn out, especially on laptop displays, desktop monitors, and LCD/LED TV screens.

If necessary, dampen the cloth with distilled water or with an equal ratio of distilled water to white vinegar. Many companies also sell small spray bottles of special cleaner for flat screens.

Avoid using paper towels, toilet paper, tissue paper, rags, or something like your shirt to wipe the screen. These non-ultrasoft materials can scratch the display.

Avoid cleaning products that contain ammonia (like Windex®), ethyl alcohol (Everclear® or other strong drinking alcohol), toluene (paint solvents), as well as acetone or ethyl acetate (one or the other is often used in nail polish remover).

Never spray liquid directly onto the screen. It could leak into the device and cause damage. Be sure to always put the cleaning solution directly onto the cloth and then wipe from there.

These same cleaning "rules" apply no matter if your TV is 8K, 4K, or 1080p (HD). Those differences don"t mean the display is necessarily made out of anything different, requiring different cleaning, it"s just a measure of how many pixels per inch they shoved in the same space.

Want to buy your own cleaning products to clean your TV screen and other electronics? See our Best Tech Cleaning Products list for some of our favorite picks.

If you"re cleaning your TV because it appears dirty, but then find that the screen is actually physically damaged, you might be ready for a new HDTV. See our Best TVs to Buy list for our top suggestions, or this Best Cheap TVs list for some budget-friendly HDTVs.

I have a DB T20 that is projecting a brown smudge/ spot on the screen. It looks like it’s on the lcd if I look through the front lens. I know can see the lens is fine. What could it be? Is it worth opening it to take a look? Also it makes a buzzing sound like a fan sticking for first minute on power up then works fine.

Ok So there is a SOLUTION. If you want to fix your little projector you need to order the part below or one of the same dimensions. This part is a little bit thicker than the stock one but if you carefully press it in or widen the side guides a little bit it will fit and work perfectly. I ordered two so I would have a back up. It did take over a month for the part to come. I wrote it off because they never sent an email to say it had shipped, but eventually it did show up. That"s ordering Chinese parts for you. Good Luck! Haribol

Do not use fine silver to serve food containing eggs or mayonnaise. Since such foods can tarnish silver, use glass bowls, or liners that may have accompanied such silver pieces.

When washing with warm soapy water, make sure to use a NON-lemon based detergent, as it can spot the silver. Make sure to dry silver thoroughly using a 100% cotton cloth, such as flour-sack cloths. Tiny water spots may eventually turn into black spots which are very hard, or impossible, to polish off by hand.

Occasionally, because of the porous nature of old silver plate, small white spots may appear on silver just after it has been replated. These spots are NEVER present when we wrap and ship an item, but they can appear days or weeks after plating as the base metal dries out. DO NOT rub the white spots with the tissue that the piece is wrapped in, use ordinary silver polish and a soft cloth to remove them.

Using dips to clean silver can remove the oxidation, or darkness, from the ornate areas which is supposed to be there in order to accentuate the details of a given piece. Dips can also remove large amounts of silver from plated items so be very careful when using it!

Once clean and dry, wrap silver items in silver cloth for storage.You can also store wrapped silver items in airtight plastic bags. The silver can be wrapped in plain cloth or silver cloth when stored in airtight bags. Use silver bags for flatware.

NEVER store unwrapped silver in plastic bags or wrap and make sure that rubber bands do not come in contact with the silver. Since these are petroleum based products, they break down over time and stain the silver. In fact, rubber bands can leave black imprints almost immediately!

Issues with your favorite china? Let us help! It"s no fun dealing with porcelain staining and discoloration, but sometimes you can"t avoid it. Heirloom china can harbor tiny cracks in the glaze that become discolored, or your relatively new wedding china may become marred by utensil marks. Stains happen because we"d rather be enjoying our pieces—not looking at them stacked, unused, in the china cabinet. So start taking care of your porcelain and work to reverse the damage that comes from using and enjoying your favorite plates, bowls, and table settings. Try these tips for cleaning the porcelain stains from your china, and let us know what works for you.

Follow this regular routine for china care: When cleaning china, always start with the mildest cleansing agents. Wash your pieces with warm water and a mild dishwashing liquid, like Dawn. This should prevent further staining and keep your china looking shiny and new. If your regular china cleaning routine doesn"t do the trick, try soaking your stained china in a combination of water and your regular dishwashing liquid. For the soaking technique, you should leave your china submerged in the soapy mixture for a few hours. When you"re combating more intense stains, increase the time spent soaking. Though your first line of defense should always be warm water and a mild dishwashing soap, if the mild solutions don"t work, then you should try more specialized cleaning methods.

Whether you"re doing an everyday cleaning or trying some serious stain lifting, pros suggest you can avoid chipping your special dinnerware by lining the bottom of your sink with dish towels or a protective rubber mat. Have a dish rack set up so the dishes can drain a bit before you dry them with a lint-free cloth.

If mild soaking and spot cleaning don"t work, try the super-charged soak. Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar with 1 cup of water. (For 2 cups of water, you"ll need 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.) Increase the added amounts in relation to the number of cups of water you use. Mix the solution, and soak the stained china for a few hours. Rinse and repeat until the china is clean.

Be sure to wash your china soon after using it to prevent further staining. (Don"t even think about leaving your china in the sink overnight!) To minimize the chance of scratching use plate protectors or paper towels when stacking and storing china.

You should avoid bleach when dealing with china, but if you have stubborn tea or coffee stains, you can try using a hydrogen peroxide solution to brighten up your china pieces. A 20% hydrogen peroxide solution has been known to remove yellow stains. The bottles of hydrogen peroxide that you typically find at stores are 3% strength, so ask a pharmacist for the 20% solution. Wash or soak using the solution, and rinse with water. This is a good technique to try with china with crazing—a network of fine cracks in the glaze.

Another common china staining issue is grey marks caused by knives and forks rubbing against plates. To remove, rub stains very gently with a paste of baking soda or cream of tartar with water.

Festive holiday china, often embellished with gold or platinum rims, calls for extra care. Use only mild solutions and soft cloths with these pieces. Be particularly careful to soak food that can be hardened on the rim, as it could pull the metallic trim away. Dry thoroughly so the gold or platinum doesn"t tarnish.

Cracks, chips, stains, and issues with gold or platinum rim that can"t be fixed with home cleaning should be addressed by a professional. Look for a china repair and restorations specialist in your area.

Once your china is looking its best, make your dinner table even more beautiful by cleaning and polishing your silver and trying this technique to make your glassware sparkle.

What strategies do you use to clean your china? We"ve also heard about mixing lemon juice and salt to use as a cleaning agent and another version that calls for making a solution of vinegar and salt. What"s your go-to?

There is a long history behind the use of blue and white china, and the classic color combination is often reinvented in modern-day spaces. Design by Deborah Leamann Interior Design.

Although dishware is often associated with vintage or rustic spaces, Annie Downing Interiors uses a sophisticated corner hutch in this contemporary dining room.

If you own fabric furniture, you have most likely googled the phrase “how to remove stains from fabric sofa” at least once in your life. The most common type of stain iswater stains on upholsterybecause of thewater spotsthat are left behind even after it has dried. The good news is that removing water stains does not require any fancy equipment or cleaning supplies. You can use what you already have at your disposal in your own home. Read on to learn more about how toremove water stainsfrom fabric.

The reason why water stains fabric is not the water itself, but the minerals found in the water that can leave a ring of residue after drying. This is why distilled water is needed for this process. If possible, always begin the stain removal process while your fabric is still wet, blotting thearea with a clean, dry cloth. This simple process only applies to fabric that has not dried yet. If your fabric has dried already and has left a water stain, then follow these additional steps.

Once the stain has been removed, you should be left with a damp spot that can dry into another stain if not dried properly. Take your hair dryer and dry the spot from a safe distance on the “cool” setting.

If you foresee water stains becoming an unavoidable part of life, you can invest in a waterproof cover for your furniture. The best types of covers are those that do not require dry cleaning and can simply be thrown into the wash when the time comes. However, if you prefer the look of your couch’s fabric to be on display, there are water shield sprays that you can use on your furniture to make it water-resistant. This is also a cheaper method than buying a sofa cover. Do be aware that using a spray may change the feeling of the fabric. However, your furniture will look nice and pristine.

The easiest way to avoid fabric furniture stains is to avoid buying fabric furniture. While there is a lot to love about this style of furniture, faux leather can be a great option for people who are tired of wondering how to remove stains from fabric sofas. Bel Furniturehas a large selection of not only fabric furniture (such as microsuede), but faux leather and leather-aire furniture as well. There’s something for everyone at Bel, so feel free to shop around and take your time to find the perfect sofa, chair, or sectional.

Despite industry best practice of inspecting and cleaning fiber optic endfaces, contaminated connections remain the number one cause of fiber related problems and test failures in data centers, campus and other enterprise or telecom networking environments.

As the industry moves to higher data speeds, more stringent loss budgets and new multi-fiber connectors, proactively inspecting and cleaning fiber endfaces is more important than ever to ensure network uptime, performance and equipment reliability.

Even when users think they have properly cleaned the fiber, every connector endface either field terminated or factory terminated should always be inspected before connecting to a component or piece of equipment. This document covers the tools and techniques for inspection and cleaning of fiber end faces.

Every fiber installation relies on proper endface cleaning practices for good reason. Network performance is only as good as the weakest link, and the weakest link is wherever a fiber endface is exposed – whether at a patch panel, equipment port or at the end of a patch cord or jumper.

Regardless of the type of fiber, application or data rate, the transmission of light requires a clear pathway along a link, including through any passive connections or splices along the way. A single particle on the core of a fiber can cause loss and reflections, resulting in high error rates and degraded network performance. Contamination on a fiber endface as shown in Figure 1 can also adversely impact the interface of expensive optical equipment, and in some cases even render equipment inoperative.

With fiber networks at the core of a business’s most important asset – the data center – and with the need to keep up with consumer demand for high-speed access to information anywhere and anytime, downtime and poor network performance are simply no longer an option. As network applications require more bandwidth and transmission speeds continue to climb from 1 and 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) to 40 and 100 Gbps, loss budgets have become tighter than ever. Dirt, dust and other contaminants are the enemies of these higher-speed data transmission rates over fiber networks. It is therefore critical that all optical connections be kept free of contamination to avoid application performance issues.

With contamination being the single greatest cause of fiber failures, spending the extra few seconds to properly inspect and, if necessary, clean every connector endface will save time and money in the long run.

While accidently touching a fiber endface and working in dirty, dusty construction environments are known causes of contamination, there are plenty of other ways to mishandle fiber that may not be obvious. Brushing an endface on clothing that can contain body oils, lint or other substances can cause contamination. In fact, any time an endface is exposed to the surrounding environment, it is subject to contamination – even if it was recently cleaned. Dust in the air can easily collect on a fiber endface, especially in the presence of static electricity.

Contamination also easily migrates from one port to another every time a connector endface is mated. Even a dust cover designed to protect the fiber endface can be a significant source of contamination. Unfortunately, many users are under the impression that if the endface was previously protected by a dust cover, it must be clean. However, no one can really know for sure what was in that dust cover. This is even the case for endfaces on new factory-terminated connectors. While dust caps are great at preventing damage to the endface, the plastic used to create dust caps can emit a residue as it deteriorates over time and the surface of the cap may contain mold-release substances used in high-speed production processes. Therefore you should not be surprised to find a contaminated endface upon removal of a protective cap on a connector fresh out of the bag.

Many also believe that an endface plugged into a piece of equipment must be clean and can therefore be unplugged and remated without concern. However, this too can cause contaminants to pass from one endface to another. Even if the initial contamination was outside of the fiber core, mating can break up a contaminant and cause particles to travel across the endface and redeposit on the core. The same holds true for equipment ports, which are often overlooked as being a source of contamination.

It is not enough to just clean every fiber endface. Users have no way of knowing if the endface is clean unless they inspect it using a fiber inspection tool designed specifically for that purpose, such as a professional video microscope or a handheld fiber microscope. That is why the golden rule is to always inspect, and if necessary, clean and inspect again before connecting.

This is especially a concern for multi-fiber connectors such as the multi-fiber push-on (MPO) style connectors that are rapidly becoming the norm in today’s data center fiber backbone channels as the required interface for 40 and 100 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) applications.

Consider a 12-fiber MPO interface with an array that features a much larger surface area than a single fiber connector. When cleaning these larger surface areas, it is much easier to move contaminants from one fiber to another within the same array. And the larger the array, the higher the risk. With 24-, 48- and 72-fiber MPOs used in high-density fiber interconnects, the greater number of fibers are more difficult to control and not all the fibers always protrude at the same height. Height variances across the fibers in a single multi-fiber connector can increase the risk of not every fiber being properly and equally cleaned.

Tube-shaped and compact, optical microscopes (Figure 2a) allow direct inspection of the end-faces. While these are popular due to their low cost, they don"t provide views of end-faces inside equipment or through bulkheads.

Video inspectors consist of a small optical probe connected to a handheld display (Figure 2b). The size of the probe makes it excellent for examining ports in hard-to-reach places. A large display easily enables identification of end-face defects. Some provide autofocus and automatic image centering for faster and easier inspection. These probes are also safer because they show an image and not the actual end-face, thereby reducing the risk of exposing one’s eye to harmful radiation.

One of industry’s longtime concerns with manually inspecting fiber endfaces has been that determining cleanliness has largely been a subjective and inconsistent process. What one person deems as clean can vary greatly from another. Additional variables such as skill level, years of experience, eyesight, ambient lighting and the fiber inspection tool being used can also lead to inconsistencies in determining fiber endface cleanliness. With more fiber networks being installed and maintained by a greater number of individuals, there is also a greater chance of inexperience regarding what constitutes endface cleanliness.

In an effort to establish consistency in fiber inspection and achieve more repeatable results for performance across multiple endfaces, the IEC developed the 61300-3-35 "Basic Test and Measurement Procedures Standard for Fiber Optic Interconnecting Devices and Passive Components." This standard contains specific cleanliness grading criteria to assess pass or fail certification for inspection of a fiber endface, removing the human subjectivity factor.

Figure 2c: Fluke Networks FI2-7300 FiberInspector Pro MPO / Single fiber inspection camera provides automated PASS/FAIL results and uses Versiv for display, user interface and recording of results.

The certification criteria in IEC 61300-3-35 varies based on connector type and fiber size, as well as types of events: defects or scratches. Defects include pits, chips, scratches, cracks, particles and embedded and loose. Scratches are identified as permanent linear surface features while defects include all detectable non-linear features that can typically be cleaned. Certification to determine pass or fail is based on the number of scratches and defects found in each measurement region of the fiber endface, including the core, cladding, adhesive layer and contact zones, as well as the quantity and size of the scratches and defects (see Figure 3).

For example, as shown in Table 1, multimode fiber with polished connectors can have no scratches greater than 3 μm in width or defects greater than 5 μm in width in the fiber"s core. Within the cladding zone, there can be no scratches or defects greater than 5 μm in width, 5 defects ranging between 5 and 10 μm in width and no limit on the number of defects less than 5 μm in width. The number and size of scratches and defects allowed in each zone varies based on the connector type and diameter.

While the IEC 61300-3-35 ED.2 standard can be used as a guideline for manually grading cleanliness, a manual procedure would require technicians to determine the size and location of the scratches and defects, which can still introduce human error and inconsistency not to mention take a lot of time.

Thankfully, automated certification solutions like Fluke Networks’ FI-7000 FiberInspector Pro use algorithmic processes to automatically and quickly inspect, grade and certify single fiber endfaces based on the criteria of the IEC standard. The FI-7300 can automatically test and inspect both single and MPO end.

These types of devices eliminate human subjectivity and result in faster, more accurate and repeatable results to help ensure optimum fiber network performance faces (figure 2c). These solutions also provide documentation of the fiber end face, in the form of images as well as pass/fail results. These results can be stored along with others, such as the loss or OTDR trace for the fiber.

Compared to a single fiber, MPO connectors have a more surface area that can collect contaminants. When the connector is unplugged and replugged, particles can move from a spot where they’re not a problem to one where they are.

Another thing to keep in mind is that automated inspection of MPOs can take some time – even the fastest systems take nearly two seconds per fiber to generate a pass/fail result – almost a minute for a 32 fiber MPO.

That"s why an MPO inspection camera that can provide an instant view of the entire MPO connector can save time. The FI2-7300"s Live View shows the entire connector face in about a second. Then you can use simple gestures to move to a view of the individual fibers.

Most of the time, the Live View will let you know if the MPO is likely to pass or needs cleaning. Then you can document it knowing it should pass, or clean it as needed and use Live View again. This saves time waiting for an automated inspection result that is going to fail, but also allows you to catch contaminants that are on the connector but not near any of the fibers.

Figure 4: FI2-7300 Live View of MPO connector shows you contamination on and adjacent to the fibers. Simple gestures allow you to zoom in on individual fibers.

The best answer to the question of what to inspect and clean is everything – every endface should be inspected, and every endface that fails IEC 61300-3-35 certification should be cleaned (see Figure 4). If upon inspection, the endface passes IEC certification, do not clean it. Cleaning can attract dust due to static electricity.

Figure 5: Is the endface shown on the left clean or dirty? Automated certification demonstrates that it is dirty per IEC 61300-3-35 due to defects in the core.

Any and all endfaces, even brand new ones and factory-terminated plugs and pigtails, should be inspected for cleanliness before mating. That includes both ends of fiber optic test cords, fiber jumpers and pre-terminated trunk cables.

If using an adapter to mate two plugs, the endfaces on both sides and the sleeve of the adapter itself should be inspected and cleaned before inserting them into the adapter. Interchangeable adapters used with optical power meters also need to be inspected and cleaned on a regular basis. Often the adapter has a light shield with pin hole that can accumulate debris. Always consult the documentation that came with the testing equipment as some vendors require sending certain adapters back for factory cleaning.

When testing or troubleshooting any equipment, including the tester itself, all plugs and ports should be inspected and cleaned before mating. That includes test equipment ports, adapters, test cord endfaces and any ports into which you will be connecting the test cord.

As previously mentioned, dust caps and mating can be a source of contamination. Therefore every time a fiber endface is unplugged or removed from a dust cap or port, even when it is brand new, it should inspected and cleaned as necessary prior to being inserted. Ports should also always be inspected and cleaned before inserting a connector, even if one was just recently removed.

Properly cleaned end-faces (see Figure 6) can actually “add” up to 1.39 dB onto your loss allowance. In other words, if you have a fiber plant with an overall loss of 5.0 dB against a specified budget of 4.5 dB, cleaning any dirty end-faces may help to drop the link loss down to just above 3.6 dB, providing a “Pass” and plenty of headroom.

Consequently, it is important to wisely choose your cleaning tools and methods while avoiding commonly practiced bad habits. Contamination easily migrates from one port to another every time a connector endface is mated. So it’s essential that port connections are clean. Quick Clean™ Cleaning pens are dry cleaners that are ideal for cleaning ports on devices and patch panels, but not patch cords where end-faces may be exposed to grease. Four sizes of Fluke Networks Quick Clean pens are available (see Figure 7):

If inspection reveals that contamination is not removed after dry cleaning, “wet” cleaning will be required using wipes and solvent. Fabric and composite wipes made of lint-free material provide the absorbency to remove contaminants from the endface. In general, it is recommended to avoid cleaning against a hard surface. When using a wipe, typically one or two short (i.e., 1cm) strokes on the cleaning material is sufficient. Enough pressure should be applied so that the wipe can conform to the end-face geometry and ensure that the entire end-face has been cleaned.

Using the right solvent with wipes is critical. Solvents add a chemical action that increases the cleaning ability of the wipe to lift particles and debris from the endface while eliminating the issue of static charge with dry cleaning. It is important to avoid using excessive amounts of solvent, which can leave behind a film of dissolved contaminants. To remove excess solvent, wet cleaning should be followed by dry cleaning by either moving to the dry area on the wipe (see Figure 8) or by following up with new dry wipe. Just be sure to not overdo it to avoid creating static charge.

Figure 8: “Wet to Dry”: cleaning methodology Using a Fluke Networks Optic cleaning card. The solvent drop is placed at "1", and the end face moved across the cleaning material from "1" to "4"

The solvent itself should also be specially formulated for fiber endface cleaning, such as Fluke Networks’ Fiber Optic Solvent Pen. While isopropyl alcohol (IPA) was used for many years to clean fiber endfaces, specialized solvents have a lower surface tension that makes them far more effective at enveloping debris for removal and dissolving contaminants (see Figure 9). Such sovents also provide antistatic properties, so dust in the air is less likely to be attracted to the end-face of the connector. IPA can also leave behind a “halo” as it dries that not only causes attenuation, but also can be difficult to remove. No solvent should remain on the endface after cleaning.

To wet clean fiber endfaces inside ports or equipment, specially designed lint-free swabs are used instead of wipes (see Cleaning Kits, below). When using swabs for port cleaning, it is important to apply just enough pressure to clean the endface while rotating the swab several times in one direction. When using solvents with port cleaning, it is even more important to not use excessive solvent that can saturate the plug interface. The evaporation rate of a solvent becomes significant with port cleaning as it is harder to guarantee removal of all solvent. Lingering solvent can become trapped during mating and cultivate a harmful residue over time. This is another reason to use solvents that are specially formulated for cleaning fiber–these solvents stay around long enough to work but evaporate much faster than IPA. Swabs may also be used for wet cleaning of MPO connectors.

It is also important to remember that these consumables are just that, meaning that once a wipe or swab is used to clean an endface, it should be immediately discarded.

Reusing a dirty wipe or swab is one of the easiest ways to spread contamination. While cleaning of jumpers and test reference cord endfaces is important, these components are also consumables that eventually fail-sometimes cleaning is not enough if these components have reached their end of life following the vendor’s specified number of insertions.

If network uptime, signal transmission performance and equipment reliability are important to your business, skimping on inspecting and cleaning fiber optic endfaces can result in dire consequences. And just because you may think you properly cleaned, does not mean you can forego inspection. Not only are best practices for fiber cleaning essential, but every endface should be carefully inspected and certified per the IEC 61300-3-35 standard prior to making a mated connection-including both endfaces and ports.

By incorporating fiber inspection and certification into your process, you can eliminate human subjectivity and quickly inspect, grade and certify fiber endfaces per the standard. In doing so, there should be no excuse for network failures due to contaminated endfaces.

The FI-3000 FiberInspector Pro makes inspecting MPO and single fibers easy and efficient. The multiple camera Live View provides an instant, real-time image with simple touchscreen gestures to view the full connector down to individual end faces. Automated pass/fail results based on IEC 61300-3-35 in seconds. Store results on your phone and share them through text or email or use the industry-leading LinkWare™ to store complete project reports including copper, fiber loss, OTDR and end face images. Compact, ergonomic design with autofocus makes it comfortable and fast even when you’re testing hundreds of cable or ports.

Fluke Networks’ FI-7000 FiberInspector Pro certifies fiber endfaces to the IEC 61300-3-35 industry standard in just two seconds, providing automated PASS/FAIL results that take the human subjectivity and guesswork out of fiber inspection.

Ideal for inspecting endfaces inside ports or on patch cords, the FI-7000 FiberInspector Pro detects and measures defects found on fiber endfaces and automatically certifies the results based on the IEC 61300-3-35 standard. To provide clear graphical indication of which defects pass or fail the standard’s requirements, the FI-7000’s pinch-and-zoom touchscreen colors each defect and highlights the defect’s background – defects that fail are colored Red while defects that pass are colored Green.

The FI-7000 is built on Fluke Networks’ Versiv Cable Certification Platform that enables storing endface images and certification in Versiv test results and taking advantage of Versiv capabilities like ProjX™ for managing job requirements, the Taptive™ user interface for easy set-up and the multifeatured LinkWare Software for managing data and generating professional test reports. The FI-7000’s PASS/FAIL fiber endface certification is available to all Versiv inspection camera owners by downloading the latest Versiv firmware.

CertiFiber Pro integrates with LinkWare™ Live to let you manage jobs and testers from any smart device over Wi-Fi. The Taptive™ User Interface provides simple, animated guidance to eliminate incorrect reference setup and “negative loss” errors. Future-ready design can be easily upgraded to support Cat 5 to Cat 8 certification, OTDR testing and double-ended Pass/Fail certification of fiber optic connector endfaces. It is Encircled Flux compliant out of the box. Analyze test results and create professional test reports using LinkWare PC reporting software.

OptiFiber Pro OTDR’s ultra-short dead zones facilitates the identification of fiber patch cords in virtualized data centers. SmartLoop™ technology enables the testing of two fibers in both directions, and averages the measurements as required by TIA-568.3-D in seconds - without taking the OTDR to the far end.

Future-ready design can be upgraded to support Cat 5 to Cat 8 certification, singlemode and multimode fiber loss and fiber inspection. Integrates with LinkWare™ Live to manage jobs and testers from any smart device.

Forests contribute to maintaining balance in the atmosphere, purify the air that we breathe and are part of the water cycle. They nourish wildlife biodiversity and provide homes for indigenous communities who depend on forests for their livelihoods. 90% of plant and animal species living on the planet need forests to survive. They provide sources of food, fuel, timber and many other ecosystem services that we rely upon. Sourcing approximately 19 million m3 of roundwood per year from some 50 countries, IKEA has a significant impact on the world’s forests and the timber industry and a huge responsibility to positively influence how wood is sourced. Responsible wood sourcing and forest management ensure that the needs of people dependent on forests are met, that businesses can work sustainably, that forest ecosystems are protected and biodiversity is enhanced.

At IKEA, we work with strict industry standards to promote responsible forestry. We don’t allow any wood in our supply chain from forest areas that are illegal or contain high conservation values or from forest areas with social conflict. Before starting to work with IKEA, suppliers must demonstrate that they meet IKEA critical requirements on wood sourcing. IKEA requires all suppliers to source wood from more sustainable sources (FSC-certified or recycled wood). All suppliers are audited regularly and non-compliant suppliers are required to implement immediate corrective actions. By working together with our suppliers, we are proud to announce that we have reached our more sustainable sources goal, which we set out to achieve by 2020. Today more than 98% of the wood used for IKEA products is either FSC-certified or recycled.

As pressure on the world’s forests and the surrounding eco-systems increases due to unsustainable agriculture, the expansion of infrastructure and illegal logging, it is time to take an even more holistic approach to protect and support these important resources for generations to come. The IKEA Forest Positive Agenda for 2030 set out to improve forest management, enhance biodiversity, mitigate climate change and support the rights and needs of people who depend on forests across the whole supply chain and drive innovation to use wood in even smarter ways. The agenda focuses on three key areas: • Making responsible forest management the norm across the world. • Halting deforestation and reforesting degraded landscapes. • Driving innovation to use wood in smarter ways by designing all products from the very beginning to be reused, refurbished, remanufactured, and eventually recycled.

For many years, IKEA has partnered with businesses, governments, social groups and non-governmental organisations to fight forest degradation and deforestation and increase the volume and availability of wood from responsibly managed forests both for our own supply chain and beyond. We are on a journey to improve global forest management and make responsible wood sourcing the industry standard, contributing to building resilient forest landscapes and improve biodiversity.

Whether you have pets, kids or simply forget to slip off your shoes before entering your home, there’s a good chance you’ve thought about investing in one of the best carpet cleaners over the years. Floors of all kinds naturally accumulate their fair share of dust, dirt and debris, but that’s even more true if your home is lined with carpet. Now, with full-on stains part of the equation, your trusty vacuum cleaner doesn’t stand a chance—and don’t even think about putting your robot vacuum up to the test. Fortunately, there are tons of ultra-effective, real-deal carpet cleaners on the market. Not only can these genius devices lift stains, but they can even eliminate the bacteria that lives within carpet fibers, ultimately neutralizing odors as well.

According to Leanne Stapf, COO of The Cleaning Authority, top-of-the-line models lift dirt and stains quickly—and they should be incredibly easy to use. “The best cleaners are portable, easy to store and make it easy to reach small corners,” she says, adding that bulky cleaners should be avoided. If you’ve been pining for the look, feel and smell of a brand-new carpet, investing in a high-quality carpet cleaner will quickly pay off. Read on to learn more about our favorite models.

Weight and dimensions:12.5 pounds; 15.25 x 10.13 x 43.5 inches | Additional features:20-foot cord, HeatForce drying technology, Hoover Nozzle Cleanout Tool | Brush style: Antimicrobial brush roll

This upright cleaner features a half-gallon clean water tank (which is enough to deeply clean a 300-square-foot room or multiple smaller rooms), an antimicrobial brush roll designed especially with pets in mind and a dirty water tank into which used water filters. In the event that anything gets trapped in the brush roll, the nozzle that covers it comes off and the machine itself comes with a Nozzle Cleanout Tool to help ensure your carpet cleaners stays in tip-top shape.

Depending on the size of your home, the carpet cleaner may be more or less convenient for your needs. As an upright carpet cleaner that doesn’t come with nozzle attachments, this machine works best on large carpeted areas, as opposed to smaller, tighter spaces.

The Hoover Spotless Portable Carpet & Upholstery Spot Cleaner comes with a 5-foot hose (on top of a 14-foot extension cord) along with a self-cleaning triangular suction attachment, and we believe it’s one of the best carpet cleaners to buy in 2022—especially for those hoping not to spend hundreds. Often on sale, this carpet cleaner touts over 13,000 5-star Amazon reviews, many of which are dedicated to applauding just how powerful the suction is on this small device. Best of all, while it works wonderfully on carpets, it’s also suitable for upholstery. (Just keep in mind that it doesn’t feature HeatForce like many other popular Hoover units do, so it may take longer to dry post-use.)

All that said, despite the ultra-high ratings the Hoover Spotless Portable Carpet & Upholstery Spot Cleaner touts, some shoppers complain that the dual tanks are prone to leaks if over-filled. That said, there’s a simple solution: Follow the instructions and don’t surpass the fill line. Additionally, when trying to detach the tanks to empty and/or fill them, remember that they’re designed to be unhooked. So, if you’re having trouble getting them off, lift and remove them rather than trying to pull them straight off.

Weight and dimensions:32.8 pounds; 27.5 x 18 x 14 inches | Additional features:LED cleaning display, temperature-regulating design, and Dry Mode | Brush style:2-in-1 brush roll cleaning nozzle plus suction hose attachment

The Tineco Carpet One Smart Carpet Cleaner Machine is basically the Dyson of carpet cleaners. It’s designed with an LCD panel that indicates how dirty the carpet is, which then prompts the device to automatically adjust suction and water flow for the most effective cleaning. What’s more, the screen changes colors to let users know when the carpet is fully clean—it’s red when dirt and stains still remain, and blue once cleaning is complete. It’s also expensive, but as Todd Manegold, Tineco North America general manager, points out, carpet cleaners are surprisingly cost-effective. “Some consumers may be hesitant in purchasing a carpet cleaner and consider calling a professional cleaning service instead,” he says. “Typically, though, the cost of a professional service will cost as much, or more, than the cost of a regular carpet cleaner.”

Beyond the LCD screen, the Tineco Carpet One Smart Carpet Cleaner makes carpet cleaning even more intuitive with its PTC heater and temperature controller that keeps water at the perfect stain-lifting temperature. And if you’re unsure of how to put those nifty features to use, the cleaner is also compatible with a smart phone app that provides voice prompts on how to best utilize all of them.

Weight and dimensions:13.25 pounds;10 x 14 x 14 inches | Additional features:Two bottles of PET PRO OXY Urine Eliminator Formula; two brush attachments | Brush style:Stain Trapper Tool plus 3" Tough Stain Tool

Tired of not only soiled carpets but pet beds, car seats, drapes and more? The Bissell SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner is here to save the day. The portable carpet cleaner is lightweight and comes with a 20-foot cord plus a 5-foot hose, both of which make it easy to clean every nook and cranny of your home. What’s more, it has one of the larger tank sizes—especially among portable carpet cleaners—so it can work for larger areas or between spaces without refills.

As far as the brush itself is concerned, the Bissell SpotClean Pet Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner comes with a stain trapper tool, which keeps liquid spills and messes in the tool rather than filtering back into the machine). Then, for deeper, more stubborn stains, there’s a 3-inch tough stain tool that’s lined with three rows of individual scrubber heads (15 in total). No matter the attachment you use, though, you can expect optimal stain lifting thanks to the included PET PRO OXY Urine Eliminator Formula that comes with the machine (but keep in mind that there are only two trial-size bottles, so you’ll likely want to buy more).

Weight and dimensions:9.65 pounds;8.25 x 17.25 x 12.5 inches | Additional Features:8-ounce trial-size Spot & Stain with Febreze Freshness | Brush style:3-inch Tough Stain Tool and HydroRinse Self-Cleaning Hose Tool

The Little Green Machine is one of the most recognized carpet cleaners around. The pale green machine features dual tanks—one for fresh water and one for dirty water. The fill tank (which has a 48-ounce capacity) is marked with a max fill line to help users avoid overflow, and both tanks are easy to remove from the machine itself, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally spilling in the process.

This is also one of the most sanitary carpet cleaners on the market: It comes with a HydroRinse Self-Cleaning Hose Tool, so the dirty, stain-filled solution that it absorbs doesn’t tarnish the machine and/or future spot cleans.

Most upright carpet cleaners are designed solely with large surface areas in mind—but not the Hoover SmartWash Pet Automatic Carpet Cleaner. This exceptional model combines the high-quality, commercial-level suction with the ease of being able to use it just about anywhere. Weighing in at 18.5 pounds, it’s fairly easy to move between rooms and floors, and it comes with a 20-foot cord plus an additional 8-foot hose attachment. It also has a 1-gallon tank, making it the largest capacity on this list, so it can be used to clean various rooms and surfaces without having to refill it between spaces.

The reason this machine works so well to lift stains is thanks to its five spin-scrub brushes, which spin 360 degrees to tackle each and every stained fiber. It also auto-mixes the detergent and water to ensure its the perfect ratio for effective stain lifting, and it features Quick Dry technology so that your carpet and upholstery won’t feel wet hours after cleaning.

To determine the very best models out there, we spoke with a handful of industry experts about what to look for in a carpet cleaner, including size, additional features, and brush style. One such resource was Leanne Stapf, COO of The Cleaning Authority. Then, we applied their knowledge to our research process to uncover the top seven carpet cleaners with the highest ratings to ensure top-notch machines.

When it comes to shopping for a carpet cleaner there are certain factors to consider, such as the weight and size of the machine, the included attachments and the machines ability to tackle stains. Here are some tips you’ll want to keep in mind before you bring home a brand new carpet cleaner.

When deciding on which carpet cleaner is best for you, Meighan McLaughlin, the Associate Director of Portable Deep Cleaning for Bissell, says it’s important to consider the environment you live in and your common mess-makers.

If pets that track in mud, grass, and dirt are your biggest concern, she says that reaching for a portable carpet cleaner is best. “They’re engineered for quick removal of spots and stains (you may have seen them in action onTikTok’s #CleanTok!) and use specially formulated solution to spot treat and deep clean carpet, upholstery, and other soft surfaces around your home and car,” she adds, referencing Bissell machines.

If you’re less concerned about spot treatments and more focused on making your rugs and carpets look fresh again as a whole, McLaughlin says that upright cleaners will be the quickest and most effective option. “The larger the machine, the greater the suction power and tank capacity,” she says.

Not all carpet cleaners come with the same features, whether its attachments or the carpet solution itself. To ensure you’re maximizing your clean, McLaughlin says to always look for carpet cleaners that come with specialized tools and accessories. That way, you’ll be able to easily clean full rugs, as well as smaller upholstered areas, in between cushions and tight corners, and more.

There are various different brush styles when it comes to carpet cleaners. Where upright carpet cleaners tend to feature a brush roll or a series of spinning brush heads, portable carpet cleaners rely more heavily on suction and textured attachments. Generally speaking, the more textured a brush is, the more likely it will be able to treat stubborn set-in stains.