Develop Bugs

[Q] Possible to polish Gorilla Glass? (need to remove residue from candle wax)

Edit: Solved! Read below
My SGS2 was sitting on a counter next to a lit candle. Someone blew out the candle and managed to get wax on the screen. I was able to get the wax off pretty easily but it left behind this residue that I cannot seem to get off, no matter how hard I try. When the screen is 100% clean you cannot see it. But after one wipe of your finger the smudges are blatantly noticeable and even have a texture to them.
I have tried everything from Windex to Goo-Gone and nothing works. At this point I'm thinking about treating it as a scratch and polishing the screen in an effort to remove the residue. I have looked at a few different techniques and I'm not sure which one to try.
I saw a thread on another forum mentioning using toothpaste and a paper towel to scrub the screen and polish it. I'd like to give this a try but I'm nervous about permanently damaging the glass by making it foggy.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks for any info!
SOLVED
Well after trying just about everything to get the wax residue off I finally resorted to what I feared the most, a razor blade. And much to my surprise it worked flawlessly. I held the razor blade at a 45 degree angle and just went to town scraping the screen. It was able to get underneath all the residue and any remnants of the wax. After scraping with the razor blade then wiping the screen with an alcohol wipe a few times my screen now looks and feels like it just came out of the packaging. And the razor blade didn't leave a single scratch on the screen.
What didn't work:
- Toothpaste and paper towel
- Alcohol wipes
- Dish soap and paper towel
- Damp paper towel heated in the microwave for up to 2 minutes
- 50/50 mixture of distilled white vinegar and water applied with paper towel

Tooth paste wont fog up your screen trust me i do it all the time. But what i do is use this spray you can buy at your local best buy called Monster
Sent From my Galaxy S II T-Mobile

Interesting.
I'll give it a try. Thanks!

sn0warmy said:
Interesting.
I'll give it a try. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know if Monster or the toothpaste works. This will be pretty interesting.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

sn0warmy said:
Interesting.
I'll give it a try. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that don't work, get a wet paper towel/shammy cloth. Wet and microwave it for about a minute, then vigorously rub the screen with the heated cloth. This will remove the wax residue.

How about using a hair dryer to melt it first, or at least make it pliable enough to remove?

I think I'm going to try the wet/heated paper towel trick first. If that doesn't work I will resort to the toothpaste/paper towel.
If neither of these tactics work I will just drink beer.
I'm going to give this a shot when I get home from work in 45 minutes. I'll keep yuo guys posted.
sixfoot7 - I'm hesitant to take extreme heat to my phone. Especially since I do not want to melt the glue holding the screen to the bezel.
Thanks for the input.

Microfiber cloth usually one that comes with a screen protector. 90 % isopropyl alcohol and distilled water mixture. Should give the screen a good cleaning. I think you can use and tv screen cleaner as well. Monster brand cleaner.

You needed 90% iso alcohol
just try
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

Most degreasers like dishwashing soap should remove it. Strips car wax like magic
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

UPDATE
I gave the hot/wet paper towel trick a shot but it did nothing. I tried this like 5 times with no positive results.
So I wiped the hell out of the screen with toothpaste and paper towel. At first I thought it solved the problem but after I cleaned it all off and dried the screen it was clear that all I did was smear this crap onto a bigger portion of the screen. Now the entire bottom half of the screen feels like it has one of those glare-free screen protectors on it.
It's strange because you can't see it at all. It looks 100% fine. But it's almost sticky to the touch.
Tonight I will try using 90% iso alcohol, distilled water, and a microfiber towel.
We have some dish soap here in the office so I will give that a try right now.

After spending about 5 minutes rubbing dish soap on the screen with paper towel, I'm happy to post that this has been the best solution so far. It appears to have gotten rid of a lot of the residue left from the candle wax. However, here is still a little bit caked onto the screen.
Tonight I am going to give the alcohol/distilled water/micro fiber cloth a shot to remove the rest. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.
It really is crazy to me how difficult this process has been.
But one key takeaway that I think everyone should know is that after using the streak free dish soap, I'm finding it nearly impossible to leave any fingerprints or marks on the screen after using it. So for those plagued with finger prints and smudges on your screen, I recommend giving it a good scrub with some dish soap and you'll find that the screen will look spotless even after heavy use.

sn0warmy said:
After spending about 5 minutes rubbing dish soap on the screen with paper towel, I'm happy to post that this has been the best solution so far. It appears to have gotten rid of a lot of the residue left from the candle wax. However, here is still a little bit caked onto the screen.
Tonight I am going to give the alcohol/distilled water/micro fiber cloth a shot to remove the rest. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.
It really is crazy to me how difficult this process has been.
But one key takeaway that I think everyone should know is that after using the streak free dish soap, I'm finding it nearly impossible to leave any fingerprints or marks on the screen after using it. So for those plagued with finger prints and smudges on your screen, I recommend giving it a good scrub with some dish soap and you'll find that the screen will look spotless even after heavy use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sure you get a screen protector as well it could of been worse than what you had and actually damaged the screen.

I actually found some 80% iso alcohol wipes in the first aid kit here in the office. I wiped the screen with 3 of them until each of them were completely dry. This appears to have finally solved the problem.
Killbynature said:
make sure you get a screen protector as well it could of been worse than what you had and actually damaged the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've never been a fan of screen protectors but after this nightmare I'll be picking one up tonight.

Just thought I'd add that it's standard practice to remove things from glass with a razor blade. One of those standard flat ones. Razor blades work for removing stickers from windows or mirrors and any other crud or buildup. They work quick and very well. Also, they don't scrach the glass unless you hold them at 90 degrees and scrape.

AdamOutler said:
Just thought I'd add that it's standard practice to remove things from glass with a razor blade. One of those standard flat ones. Razor blades work for removing stickers from windows or mirrors and any other crud or buildup. They work quick and very well. Also, they don't scrach the glass unless you hold them at 90 degrees and scrape.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this is true for standard glass. I used a razor blade to remove the tint from the windows of one of my cars and it worked well without showing any scratches.
But is the Gorilla Glass true "glass"?

UPDATE
Well now that the phone has been sitting for a bit, I went to use it again and the screen is back to having a sticky feel to it! Now the texture is just more spread out across the screen. I am truly stumped at this point. I am close to shelling out for a damn screen replacement.

Final update: the razor blade did the trick. I have updated the OP with the solution and the tactics that failed in hopes that it might help someone with similar issues down the road.

Learned. Thanks.

Not sure if we have an oleophobic coating on our screens, but any alcohol solution would remove that coating. I would avoid putting alcohol on the screen as well as ammonia based solutions such as Windex. Just a heads up.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

Cleaning

How do you guys clean your phone? I usually use a alcohol pad and go over the front and back and wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. Think that does any damage to the phone itself?

Alcohol might be a very efficient way of removing the oleophobic coating on the screen. I prefer to use just a slightly damp microfiber cloth.

Cmmts said:
Alcohol might be a very efficient way of removing the oleophobic coating on the screen. I prefer to use just a slightly damp microfiber cloth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, only thing is that using just a cloth doesnt disinfect it :/

alcohol can be very aggrssive with phone and plasic part.
I use a microfiber wet cloth for "wash" and a similar microfibre cloth but dry to remove umidity.
I use the same as my samsung galaxy s and the results are very nice.

XfrostX said:
Hmm, only thing is that using just a cloth doesnt disinfect it :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you really need to disinfect your phone?

I use the same stuff I use on my LCD TV, which doesn't contain alcohol protecting the coating. I really don't wipe off my phone very often though.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I use a slightly damp microfiber most of the time. I do have DirtRags wipes that are a little pricey but will disinfect and are safe for all electronics (no alcohol or harsh chemicals). The wipes actually work really well and leave a fresh surface with no residue.

I use bleach, and so far my phone hasn't had any problsme nkyf{} & ;-)¤{<°<<°^dv...
Terminators run on Android...

While we're on the topic of cleaning, anybody have an effective way of dealing with scratches? One popped up on the top bezel of my phone, right next to the speaker.

Why would you disinfect your phone? I usually clean mine with a damp microfibre cloth. Maybe there's a particular reason why you'd like to disinfect your phone but in my opinion there's no need for that in general.

jboonstra90 said:
Why would you disinfect your phone? I usually clean mine with a damp microfibre cloth. Maybe there's a particular reason why you'd like to disinfect your phone but in my opinion there's no need for that in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He probably wants to sanitize his phone because it is a good safety practice. Think of how many things you touch, then your phone... Even if you wash your hands you will be touching your phone again which contains a lot of previous germs. I worked in the food industry before, and it was a requirement to wash your hands after each time you used your cell. Phones carry a lot more germs than people think about, simply because your touching it all the time
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Well, #1 all this germ insanity is not helping at all. In fact, our obsessive use of antimicrobials and antibiotics are creating super germs and neglecting our immune systems of vital conditioning and strengthening that can only take place by exposing your body to bacteria and virus.
And #2, the best thing you can do is wash your hands regularly and don't touch your face. Keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Done.
If you have these habits, no amount of chemicals on your phone or the rest of the world is going to help you. Luckily, your immune system will.
Sent from my VzW Nexus Prime

Cmmts said:
Do you really need to disinfect your phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

rabaker07 said:
Well, #1 all this germ insanity is not helping at all. In fact, our obsessive use of antimicrobials and antibiotics are creating super germs and neglecting our immune systems of vital conditioning and strengthening that can only take place by exposing your body to bacteria and virus.
And #2, the best thing you can do is wash your hands regularly and don't touch your face. Keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Done.
If you have these habits, no amount of chemicals on your phone or the rest of the world is going to help you. Luckily, your immune system will.
Sent from my VzW Nexus Prime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wah? But i have boogers?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I just use water and nothing else. Never worried about germs though. But I don't want any chemicals on my phone.

rabaker07 said:
Well, #1 all this germ insanity is not helping at all. In fact, our obsessive use of antimicrobials and antibiotics are creating super germs and neglecting our immune systems of vital conditioning and strengthening that can only take place by exposing your body to bacteria and virus.
And #2, the best thing you can do is wash your hands regularly and don't touch your face. Keep your fingers out of your mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Done.
If you have these habits, no amount of chemicals on your phone or the rest of the world is going to help you. Luckily, your immune system will.
Sent from my VzW Nexus Prime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, we will die becouse of meds.. still though, i personally dont disinfect my phone but i can understand why you'd want to.. it picks up a whole lot of germs traveling around and you then put it on your face! Anyway, there's this swedish saying that goes something like "a little dirt cleanes the stomach"
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

i wipe the screen on my t-shirt

yeah I guess it isn't a good idea to use alcohol pads lol, are there any screen cleaning kits you guys recommend
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

@rbiter said:
Wah? But i have boogers?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trololololol!
Terminators run on Android...

What happened to water and a towel or something similar? Or a tshirt.
Booya!

Bezel lost it's gloss out of nowhere....

I was checking my phone today when I got home and noticed that the bezel at the top was all murky, greasy, like dirty.
So I grabbed the alcohol and pour some on a clean hankie, rubbed all around.... screen is clean...bezel is clean....wtf...the top still fuzzy....if i pass the wet alcohol it becomes glossy again but as soon as the alcohol evaporates the surface becomes fuzzy again....
Tried several times to no avail....I wonder if anybody has any ideas on what could be done to fix the problem....

Try nail polish remover.

Do not use solvents on plastic. It will etch the finish.

djy said:
Do not use solvents on plastic. It will etch the finish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This...
Your ruining your phone using alcohol on it
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

Could try damping a cloth (corner) in viniger and wiping wit it, don't go crazy just c if it helps
That ****s awesome, I use it for everythkng from cleanin my microwave to cleanin glass/counters etc, n just a fyi, its the best for microwaves, put just a lil bit in a bowl n microwave it for bout min n a half to 2min n wipe out the remains it lifts everything off, shouldn't harm the bezel n should help wit a lil bit of a shine

Try a little car wax. Not polish!

Honestly if you have used alcohol or other similar solvents in the past then thats your problem.
I have never used anything more than a screen wipe and my bezel is shiny..

PJcastaldo said:
Honestly if you have used alcohol or other similar solvents in the past then thats your problem.
I have never used anything more than a screen wipe and my bezel is shiny..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, using the alcohol wipes probably evaporated the clear/shiny varnish on top of the plastic bezel, maybe even the actual paint.

Let is all take a moment of silence as another SGSII gets it's polish tarnished.
I would be careful too for the screen.. I wonder how much the glass can take

Help...just did something dumb

Just got off work and took my phone out of my pocket and
Chewing gum is mushed all over the screen.
I've managed to get the big wobs off but sill lots on there.
I don't want to wet the screen much...helpz

Glass/multipurpose cleaner should cut away at it, provided nothing goes thru your speaker or any crevices on the side of ur phone your screen shouldn't be damaged by wetness or anything. If that were the case I woulda been plenty screwed when I used to wash dishes at a restaurant.

And that's why I never have ANYTHING in the same pocket as my phone.
You can try rubbing alcohol on a q-tip WITH THE PHONE OFF AND THE BATTERY PULLED.

I would try this
Purchase a multipurpose stain remover that dissolves glues and adhesives from your local home-improvement center or hardware store. Popular brands such as Un-Du, Goo Gone and Goof Off are solvents that safely eliminate glue from clothing and fabrics, among other surfaces.
2
Follow directions on how to apply the solution by referring to the product label. If you are instructed to spray or pour it onto a cloth, use a material that is gentle enough for your LCD screen, such as terry cotton or microfiber. Applying the solution with a cleaning cloth is recommended over spraying the screen directly and is less likely to make a mess.
3
Dab the glue residue with a cloth until the solvent begins to soften it. Wipe the area using moderate pressure and notice the glue loosen from the screen with ease.
4
Do not hesitate to allow the solvent to dissolve the residue longer if any stubborn film persists. The petroleum- or limonene-based solutions safely remove residue without harming the surface.
I would think because of the gorilla glass's chemical resistance the goo gone solution would work to dissolve the gum from any area's, yet maintain the integrity of the glass or surrounding area....

Solve
Go to Wal-Mart and but something called Goo-Be-Gone it is in a clear bottle and it is orange. Now just spray it on a rag and wipe, it will remove like butter.

nail polish remover

PEANUT BUTTER..
...and no, I'm not joking.

I heard of sticking it in the freezer til the gum is hard enough to pick off...but dont know if it would affect the internals. Works on jeans and tshirts though!
Dfjcisnv

Dude for your phones safety please do not try rubbing alcohol nor nail polish... Smh lol

sarni84 said:
Dude for your phones safety please do not try rubbing alcohol nor nail polish... Smh lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not putting any chems on he screen.
Managed to rub some off but still too much...

JaZart said:
Not putting any chems on he screen.
Managed to rub some off but still too much...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alcohol would be Ok, Though I would try glass cleaner on a cloth first...
Nail polish remover is a huge NO! That will also slightly eat the surface of the screen resulting most likely in swirl marks, alcohol will not do this.
Just Sayin'...
-DeeX

julez456 said:
PEANUT BUTTER..
...and no, I'm not joking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the first thing I thought of. Expect probably not the best in this scenario.. Hairspray also works
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

Post a picture, I gotta see this.

badaphooko01 said:
Post a picture, I gotta see this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just spread gum all over your screen man, then you'll see.... I'm sure he doesn't think his situation is funny, get a clue man.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

New razor blade at near 90 degree angle really really carefully.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

racerx250 said:
New razor blade at near 90 degree angle really really carefully.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was gonna suggest that. I use razor blades to scrape sticky crap off of car windows daily, I figured it would work the same on our screen..
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

Well most of it is gone after rubbing some alcohol
but still have a few pink streaks.
Think I may just lick it off(how i got big wobs off first)

Did you try a very small amount of olive oil on a cotton ball?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

Seriously, put a tiny bit of tooth paste on a wash cloth and rub it into screen. Used this in my vibrant and thus phone to remove surface scratches multiple times
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using XDA

clemsonboyz said:
Seriously, put a tiny bit of tooth paste on a wash cloth and rub it into screen. Used this in my vibrant and thus phone to remove surface scratches multiple times
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That can scratch the screen even worse depending on the type of tooth paste.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

[Q] Gunk in between cracks

Ok first of all....I didn't think it through and therefore was being stupid on that day but anyways, down to the question. Ok, so I pulled off my screen protector, I noticed I had a few micro scratches (OCD is crazy and I was the few that could acutally notice it). I decided to wax the scratches off. Sadly, it didn't work and the worst part is that I got it into the cracks of my phones. Such as the edges of the bezel, around the earpiece, and home button. Now I see the a white line (wax) from where it and stayed there. I have attempted to remove it with cleaning alchohol and tooth brushes but to no avail. Does anyone know of a way to get this stuff out?
Thanks, yo

Screen scratches can't never leave unless you actually replace the screen lol. Maybe 10 years they will be a magic potion to heal the cracks but nothing yet, maybe that should be my invention!!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

I have the same dirt looking things between the glass and plastic but I couldn't get it off.. what really helps to keep it clean is a good case that covers the cracks.
Rule #1 Respect the Devs. Rule #2 Refer back to Rule #1

daxecutioner24 said:
Screen scratches can't never leave unless you actually replace the screen lol. Maybe 10 years they will be a magic potion to heal the cracks but nothing yet, maybe that should be my invention!!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not talking about scratches but about the gunk that gets in between the cracks and crevices of the screen such as the space around the home button and bezel/screen edge.

I got some of it out with Goo Gone
I was in my school's library (office aid) and I saw some of that and decided to give it a go. It worked pretty good. However, I'll see how well it works after it dries and stays for a day. Crossing fingers right now.

Gurashieruro said:
I'm not talking about scratches but about the gunk that gets in between the cracks and crevices of the screen such as the space around the home button and bezel/screen edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm talking about how you should of just let the scratches be which led to This predicament, it's all good hope it works out.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

daxecutioner24 said:
I'm talking about how you should of just let the scratches be which led to This predicament, it's all good hope it works out.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah my bad. Well I am, I mean there is nothing really that you can do to the screen to the the scratches off (unless you want to replace the screen or sand it out, which is a waste for just a few scratches). Luckily the Goo Gone is working. But there are a few bits of leftover white wax that is left on the edge of the screen and around the earpiece. Still annoys the heck out of me (hard core OCD with it) so I'll continue working on it but glad it works. Well, at least it is better then it was.

Gurashieruro said:
Ah my bad. Well I am, I mean there is nothing really that you can do to the screen to the the scratches off (unless you want to replace the screen or sand it out, which is a waste for just a few scratches). Luckily the Goo Gone is working. But there are a few bits of leftover white wax that is left on the edge of the screen and around the earpiece. Still annoys the heck out of me (hard core OCD with it) so I'll continue working on it but glad it works. Well, at least it is better then it was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I wouldn't call myself OCD but I understand how it is. I think a scratch would really bothered me but eventually ill get over it, hopefully that remaining wax is gets off keep trying lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

My daughter splashed some milk on my phone and never told me (her brother turned her in a couple of days later). It dried much the same way in little cracks and spaces. A wooden toothpick did wonders.