Product Review: Elements Screen Care Kit from Sanus

I'm not terribly technical so I normally don't do reviews, but the Elements Screen Care Kit from Sanus is something I can tackle.

If you think TV screen cleaners are dull, you should hear Sanus chief Jim Wohlford talk about it. I've never seen such enthusiasm emanate from this normally staid engineer.

"Our solution really is quite different" from competitive products, Wohlford said during a recent demo.

What's Different about THIS Screen Cleaner?

Wohlford says the key to the product is the electrostatic brush that comes with the kit. "I'm an old two-channel guy," he says. "I understood record-cleaning techniques, and I knew a vendor that made electrostatic brushes."

Believe it or not, there is science behind this. When you press your thumb against the metal grounding bar on the Sanus brush, "your body dissipates the static because dust is attracted to a static charge," says Wohlford.

I'll take his word for it.

When Screens Get Gooey

Most of the time, all you need is the brush, Wohlford says. When turned on, the TV builds up static, which can be easily brushed away.


Of course, there are always extenuating circumstances, "like when my kid gets peanut butter on the screen," Wohlford says (sure, Daddy never gets peanut butter on the screen). "Then you need something wet."

Wohlford says he has been bothered in the past that a typical screen cleaner "is just glorified Windex." I mean, haven't we all lost sleep over that?

Unlike the drippy blue stuff, Sanus's solution is a "really highly concentrated gel that doesn't run," Wohlford exclaims. "It's amazing!"

But that's not all. Sanus also provides a squeegee in its Screen Care Kit, plus a special rag to complete the cleaning operation.

And Then There's the Packaging

You get all of this in a handy little kit. I hate when you have all of your screen cleaning products strewn about. Don't you?

Better still, the lid on the packaging is the perfect size for a business card.

"Dealers can put their card inside and give it as a gift," Wohlford says. "Every time the customer cleans the TV, he sees your card."

Dealers buy the products in packages of six or 36. The retail price of the Screen Care Kit is less than $30.

So Easy, I Can Do it Myself

Although I couldn't install my own TV, I managed to clean it all by myself!

A few problems, though. I have a small hand so I had to stretch to reach the metal grounding bar on the brush.

The spray works great (no dripping), but I had a little problem. My 10-year-old rear projection big-screen TV doesn't exactly have a tight connection between the screen and the bezel, so some of the liquid got behind the glass.

The good news is that the picture is so bad to begin with, I can't notice the unreachable smudge.

The final issue is this: the rag is a very generously sized 12-inch square. I had to try a few times to squeeze it into the space allotted. I'm just not that fastidious. If I can't easily stuff the rag back in, it ain't going in.

Also, what am I to do with the wet squeegee? I was reluctant to cover it back up with the plastic cover for fear of mildew.

Other than that … the street price of this product will likely be similar to competitive products, and this one seems to offer more.

Certainly, if I were a home theater installer, I would buy a gross of these products and give them away as gifts.


Learn more about Chief and Sanus at CEDIA 2008