From 2012 to 2017, Apple applied a laminar film to their Macs that degraded and delaminated over time, resulting in “Staingate”.
💡 NOTE:
See Apple Issues: “Staingate” for further details on “Staingate”
The laminar film was intended to:
1) Reduce glare turning the screen from a glossy mirror to a matte finish
2) Act as an oleophobic film to repel oil, water, and sweat from your fingers
Unfortunately, heat, abrasion, sunlight, and wear all caused it to degrade and erode on its own, leaving a blotchy “stained” appearance on MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
For four years, Apple offered to repair or replace screens affected by “staingate”, but my 2012 MacBook Pro is well-past that offer (which I was unaware of, and learned too late).
Baking soda rates 2.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness—just above talc and well below traditional blasting abrasives such as silica sand, mineral slags, and glass beads. It’s actually perfect for removing laminar films from MacBooks and iPads (but it’ll take a solid 1-2 hours of elbow grease as you rub-and-polish the film off the glass of your Apple device).
So, it took me almost 2 hours, with repeated applications, rubbing, and polishing, but I’ve returned my 2012 MacBook screen to a mirror-like finish!
HOW-TO:
Was it peeling when you started?
I wish I thought of taking pictures BEFORE I went through the process of stripping the laminate film off with baking soda.
Yes, this was originally my MacBook while I was at CSC and later Comcast, it then became Vicky’s school laptop. Over the years, everywhere that was exposed to heat, sunlight, or fingerprints got eaten away and blotchy with patches of glossy glass showing through the matte film. It was looking pretty tattered and threadbare for a display.
I didn’t know about Apple’s repair/replace policy on older laptops affected by “Staingate.”
This process was “easy enough”, but a lot of hard work doing circular polishing across the entire screen with a damp cloth and baking soda as an abrasive. The end result looks good enough, almost like a “new laptop” if not for a decade old screen, processor, and case. 😆 We can still use this as a “beater” or spare.