tawny ember
Hi, I’m looking for some urgent advice regarding my MacBook Air M1 (2020 model). Around 3–4 days ago, I made the mistake of spraying a screen disinfectant cleaner directly onto the display instead of applying it to a cloth first. Since then, I’ve been experiencing intermittent screen flickering issues that seem to be getting worse over time.
Here’s a full timeline of what happened:
- I sprayed the screen with a disinfectant cleaner directly (yes, I know now that was a mistake).
- For the first day or so, everything seemed fine.
- Then, the screen began flickering randomly. The flickering would disappear for a while (a few hours or even a whole day) and then return again, usually after using the laptop for a while.
- The flickering mainly affects the entire screen — it’s like a fast flickering or refreshing effect — and seems to worsen with time and use.
- I’ve also noticed that the right-hand side of the display is slightly discolored (purples, greens) which doesn’t go away, even when the flickering stops.
- I ran Apple Diagnostics (booted using Command + D on startup), and it reported no issues with the display. The only thing it flagged was the power port, which I believe is unrelated to the screen issue.
What I’ve tried so far:
- I powered the MacBook off completely for hours at a time.
- I left it in a cool, dry, AC-ventilated room with the screen open to try to let it dry out naturally.
- Unfortunately, I haven’t had access to a hair dryer or fan with a cold air setting, so I haven’t been able to dry it actively.
As of today, the flickering has returned and is now constant — it hasn’t gone away like it did earlier. It starts shortly after I begin using the Mac and stays until I shut it down. This makes me think that some moisture may still be trapped inside the panel, or worse, some internal corrosion may have already started near the display cable, TCON board, or inside the LCD layers.
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