Review: Moshi Neato

Often we find fingerprints and smudges on various computer displays. Although we don’t go out of our way to do it, there’s always some person who points at something and inadvertently touches the display. There’s also dust to worry about. Removing smudges and dust is usually a pretty annoying process if you’re trying to make sure you don’t leave streaks or other marks. Moshi’s $16 Neato promises to ease the process, so we decided to give it a try.

The Neato consists of two 2-inch square of cloth attached to GeckoPads. The GeckoPads are sticky, removable squares that can be used to attach the cleaning cloths to anything—displays, a desk, your MacBook, or whatever else you can think of. They remove easily and leave no residue. Over time if there’s dust or dirt that gets on them, you can remove the cleaning cloth, rinse the GeckoPad off with water, let it air dry, and it will be as good as new. Our tests indicated that this is the case.

The reason why there are two cloths is that the grey one is for removing dust and large dirt particles. The black one is a bit finer and can be used to remove grease and fingerprints. For stubborn marks, a bit of water on the black cloth can be used. After a few uses, both can be removed from the GeckoPads and washed. An extra set of cloths are included should you want to rotate them.

Obviously convenience with screen cleaning products is one thing, but the effectiveness is another. We tested these on a Samsung LCD display, a prior-generation MacBook Pro (with the plastic LCD), and an iMac (with the glass over the LCD). The iMac was easy to clean with these products, due to the glass being a bit more resistant to dirt in general. On the other two displays, the Neato cloths worked well, but did require some water to get the job done.

The only issue we have is that the cloths are a bit small. If you have a display that is rather dusty (and you may not notice it until you start cleaning), it may take awhile to clean it. For those whose computer area doesn’t have excessive amounts of dust, this product is an inexpensive and easy way to keep displays clean. Although many may argue that the price is a bit high for pieces of cloth, initially, we’d agree. However, if you look at other screen cleaning products, the price is somewhat in line. The only difference is that in some, the cloths are a bit larger, taking us back to the initial complaint. Overall, it works as advertised and makes things easier for those who are always wondering a “safe” way to clean their LCDs.