Are These Scrub Daddy Screen Cleaners Worth It?

I'm here to throw myself into the deep end for public scrutiny and humiliation, admitting that I never clean my phone or laptop screen. And when I say "never," I mean that before the pandemic briefly made me a germaphobe, I maybe wiped down my phone and laptop a few times a year, at most. My embarrassing and — let's face it — gross habit has always bothered me, yet I was just too lazy to do anything about it. That is until I discovered Scrub Daddy's Screen Daddy Microfiber Cloth Pads.

Scrub Daddy, an R29 editor- and reader-approved brand, is perhaps best known for its quirky and effective smiley face multipurpose sponges. Or you may have heard of the brand's Damp Duster, a magical dust-removing sponge that went viral on TikTok and our lifestyle editor, Alexandra Polk, recently reviewed. Scrub Daddy has deservingly garnered a large fan base over the years and has expanded its range of cleaning products. But it wasn't until I saw its reusable microfiber cleaning pads that stick onto the back of your phone, that the brand got my attention. I was eager to see if these lesser-known Screen Daddy cleaners actually worked, were as useful as Alexandra found the Damp Duster to be, and if their compact, portable design would motivate me to clean my tech more often.

Scrub Daddy's Screen Daddy products are multipurpose microfiber cleaning pads that can be used on electronic screens and other smooth surfaces like glass lenses and mirrors to remove dust, fingerprints, and smudges. The microfiber is supposed to leave a scratch- and streak-free finish, and the silicone gel adhesive on the backside sticks onto devices for storage between uses.

The OG Screen Daddy product comes with a set of two orange circular pads that feature the brand's iconic smiley face logo. But I opted to buy the "Colors" option, which includes three cleaning pads in blue, green, and pink (the pink one has a Scrub Mommy face with a hair bow!). I figured the bright designs would complement my phone case and general style.

The two-pack costs around $10 and the three-pack is around $18 on Amazon (each boasts ratings of 4.3 out of 5 stars). While this may seem a bit pricey for screen cleaners, it's important to note that they are washable and reusable. When your Screen Daddy gets too dirty for your liking, the brand recommends washing it with warm soapy water and letting it air-dry before using again. More on that below.

To test just how effective Screen Daddy cleans dust, dirt, grease, and smudges, I went a whileee without cleaning my work laptop screen. (Let's be honest, I did this out of habit rather than for a scientific testing purpose, but it works).

I took a new Screen Daddy and swiped it up and down along my laptop screen. This initially removed most of the dust but left some fingerprints and larger smudges behind. So I went back in, this time firmly making small circular motions all over the screen. This got even more dust and fingerprints off. However, it did leave behind the larger, more set-in smudges, which required another once-over.

As you can see, my little Screen Daddy pal sucked up a lot of the gross debris from my screen, proving it wasn't just moving it around. Since this was a pretty hefty job for a pretty disgusting screen, I cleaned my Screen Daddy afterward as recommended. I washed it between my fingers with soap and warm water and let it dry. I was nervous that this would diminish the microfiber's softness and the adhesive's stickiness, but it quickly bounced back, feeling pretty much exactly as it did before using it.

This little guy has been living on the back of my phone case for over a month, and I'm not kicking him out anytime soon. Literally within reach at all times, I find myself cleaning my phone more often. And after several screen cleanings and Screen Daddy washings, it hasn't lost its effectiveness or its charm.

Since I'm directly touching my phone screen more often than my laptop screen, it definitely requires a bit more arm power to really soak up all the natural oils and makeup. At first, I felt like I was just moving the oils and smudges around, but when I added a bit more pressure when wiping, the Screen Daddy got the job done.

I got the three-pack thinking I would need to replace them sooner, but my designated phone and laptop Screen Daddy cleaning pads have been going strong use after use. So until the time comes, I have a spare Screen Mommy ready to clean. And if you were wondering, yes, I'm giving this product high marks and initiating it into the Scrub Daddy Hall of Fame.