How to Get Spots Off Your TV

Televisions these days are pretty darn impressive, with viewing experiences that can rival a movie theater. But the joy of sinking into your sofa to watch your favorite show can quickly turn ugly if you notice strange spots of light on your screen.

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Screen spots can appear for a number of reasons and may be dark or light, depending on the issue. Either way, they can ruin your viewing experience pretty quickly, especially if they appear toward the center of your screen. So, what causes these spots of light on a TV screen? And more importantly, are they fixable?

Before going further, as obvious as this may sound, you’ll want to make sure that the spots you’re seeing aren’t just some sort of haze or smudge on your TV screen. If so, you can try using some television-specific cleaner to gently remove it using circular motions. Use a microfiber cloth or a specialty electronic wipe for this, as even paper towels can be rough enough to cause damage to delicate TV screens. If your screen is clean and you still see spots, read on for more information.

What Causes Dark Spots on a TV Screen?

If you’ve ruled out surface smudges, then it’s time to consider what’s gone awry inside your TV. If the spots on your TV look dark or black, then it’s likely a pixel problem. Pixels in LCD and LED TV screens can burn out or get stuck, causing black spots on your TV screen. If the pixels are dead, they won’t light up at all when the television is on and will be spots of total darkness. Stuck pixels will light up, but won’t change color.

Both dead pixels and stuck pixels can be caused by a manufacturer error that’s keeping the pixel from receiving power, and in most cases, this is the issue. Although it’s not as common, dead or stuck pixels can also be the result of trauma to the screen.

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How to Get Dark Spots Off a TV Screen

Unplug and Reset

If the pixel seems stuck, you can try to fix the problem by unplugging your TV for a few hours. Sounds too good to be true, but sometimes all it takes is some rest and turning the power back on to “unstick” a pixel and correct the problem.

Check Plugged-In Devices

You also want to make sure the black spots aren’t being caused by other devices that are plugged into your TV. Poor or loose connections to other components can occasionally distort images that can be mistaken for dead pixels. Try unplugging any connected devices like a cable box or DVD player just to make sure that’s not what’s causing the problem.

Review the Settings

Finally, double-check your TV’s settings menu to make sure the lighting isn’t adjusted to an extreme setting that may be making your TV images unusually dark in spots.

Dead Pixels

If none of this troubleshooting solves the problem, then you probably have dead pixels. Unfortunately, you may need to replace the screen entirely. Check your TV’s warranty to see if dead pixels are covered to save you from having to shoulder the replacement cost yourself.

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How to Get Light or White Spots Off a TV Screen

If your TV screen has white spots or dots on it, the issue may be a fallen reflector. Reflector lenses are from the backlight of your TV and are used to spread the LED light across the screen, but these can sometimes fall out of place and cause a white dot to appear stuck in one spot on your screen.

If fallen reflectors seem to be your issue, you can use this guide to try and repair the problem of white spots yourself. Note: This is a doable DIY repair, but if you’re feeling at all uneasy about tackling it yourself, go ahead and call in an expert.

1. Turn off the TV and disconnect from power.

2. Unscrew and remove the back panel.

3. Disconnect the circuit board and remove the metal backing.

4. Lift the tabs very carefully on the plastic frame and identify any reflectors that may have fallen out of place.

5. Using Q-tips and glue, reattach reflector(s) and gently press into place to secure.

6. Reassemble the TV, and voilà! Your white dots should be a thing of the past.

Can You Prevent These Spots From Forming?

We all want a couple of bright spots in our day — just not the kind that appear on our TV screen. Whether it’s a sudden white dot that’s sprung up on your Samsung or a dark spot looming ominously on an LG, TV screen lighting issues are never a welcome sight.

Unfortunately, aside from double-checking your connections and making sure your TV doesn’t receive any blunt trauma, there’s not much you can do to prevent these spots from appearing, since they are so often a result of a manufacturer error with the power supply. You can, however, do your research beforehand and buy a reputable TV brand known for longevity and overall quality. Hopefully, the issue is one you can solve without replacing the entire screen, and you’ll be back to that sofa sitting and binge-watching in no time.