How to clean your Apple Polishing Cloth without ruining it

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How to clean Apple's Polishing Cloth
Dish soap will do the trick.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you have to spend $19 on Apple’s fancy Polishing Cloth, you should know how to properly look after it so that it doesn’t get ruined. You can’t just throw it in the washing machine with your mucky laundry when it starts to get dirty.

Fortunately, Apple has now provided official instructions on keeping the Polishing Cloth clean. Here’s what you need to know.

Safely cleaning your Apple Polishing Cloth

Most Apple displays don’t need a special cleaning cloth. Regular (and significantly more affordable) microfiber and other soft cloths — like the excellent options available from CultCloth — are perfectly fine for glass screens.

However, Apple says you shouldn’t use any old cloth on Pro Display XDR with nano-texture glass. So, if you’ve picked up Apple’s own Polishing Cloth for keeping your screens smudge-free, here’s how to clean it when it gets dirty:

  1. Hand wash the polishing cloth with dish soap and water.
  2. Rinse thoroughly.
  3. Allow the polishing cloth to air dry for at least 24 hours.

These instructions were provided by Apple in an update to its official support document on cleaning Pro Display XDR, so if anything goes wrong during the cleaning process, it should be covered by the Polishing Cloth’s warranty.

Why the Polishing Cloth should be treated carefully

Unlike most cleaning cloths, the Polishing Cloth is actually two layers of fabric pressed together. Harsher cleaning methods, like throwing the Cloth in a washing machine, may cause the two layers to peel apart.

That’s why a more careful cleaning process is required. But if you’re a responsible Polishing Cloth owner, you shouldn’t have to clean it very often.

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