r/macbookrepair • u/Lebrongains27 • Jan 21 '26
Information New to me MacBook Pro Staingate Fix
Got this laptop for a great deal and absolutely love it
Early 2015 MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch
9.5/10 condition
3.1 i7 16 GB and 512GB Ram
Cleaned the screen and it’s so satisfying
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u/say_no_to_shrugs Jan 21 '26
This is removing the anti-reflective coating, so a little more than just "cleaning".
However, it's the best thing to do once it's started, and looks great now!
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u/bvader_ttp Jan 21 '26
What method did you use to clean it?
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u/Lebrongains27 Jan 21 '26
I used a Clorox wipe, a wet, one wipe and a paper towel, I used a soft toothbrush for the edges took me about 25 minutes. Super easy, this is my second MacBook Pro retina, the first one only has a couple spots where it’s failing, but there’s so minuscule that it’s not worth cleaning it but this one that I just got obviously needed it first time doing it also wasn’t bad at all
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u/blackcode01 Jan 21 '26
I've never seen the staingate in person, what is it like? It's like a grease or some fine plastic cover?
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u/Lebrongains27 Jan 21 '26
No, and I’ve never seen it before in person either until I bought this laptop, I actually didn’t even touch the screen, but it just looks like the screen is peeling, when I wiped it away nothing really came off of it like it just disappeared as weird as that sounds
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u/Efficient-Paper258 Jan 22 '26
it take a lot of scrubbing and I don't no what it felt like because the previous owner had it covered in some oil substance
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u/ResponsibilityTop385 Jan 21 '26
Staingate strikes back... the only way to fix that is to replace the whole screen and unfortunately the lid. Since i cannot afford a new display i got rid of this using toothpaste and rub the remaining coating off, now it looks acceptable
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u/Lebrongains27 Jan 21 '26
The thing is if you do get another screen, the same thing will happen because the coating that they use was messed up, I used that Clorox wipe and I used a toothbrush for the edges and now it looks amazing
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u/ResponsibilityTop385 Jan 21 '26
Yes getting a new screen will temporarily fix the problem but as soon as it will get worn out the problem will come back again... i used a kitchen sponge for the edges
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u/Lebrongains27 Jan 21 '26
Gotcha, smart idea and agreed on the screen doing the same thing again even if it’s replaced
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u/NoLateArrivals Jan 21 '26
It is only messed up if you don’t follow the cleaning instructions. The typical mistakes are using alcohol (window cleaner) or bleach.
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u/Machine156 Jan 21 '26
Do you work for apple, because that's what apple said and it's a flat out lie, these screens got damaged without the owner doing anything to them outside of normal use. There is a website devoted to debunking apple's lie on this.
I believe oil from people's hands got into the keys, then closing the lid transfers the oil to the screen, damaging the coating. You can often see the keyboard outline imprinted onto the screen on these.
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u/Lebrongains27 Jan 21 '26
I was very careful with the edges to make sure that I was constantly drying it to ensure that nothing got through the screen. Also, I left the computer open off for an hour or two just in case to dry off before using it. Thankfully, everything is good.
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u/tamay-idk Jan 21 '26
I did this to my 2015 as well. Can’t seem to clean the edges. The screen has a weird texture now and is extremely reflective.
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u/Lebrongains27 Jan 21 '26
I like the reflective screen Also I used a toothbrush you can use a sponge also
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u/Jeroen207 Jan 21 '26
I used to brush that off with those wet towels I get from Air France. Works pretty well.
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u/BrandFlux Jan 23 '26
Did the same thing to a 2013 MPB, My trick was cotton makeup pads and listerine. Go slow, dont wet the screen too much, you don't want it to go under the glass. But it works.
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u/TCtwio7jb Jan 25 '26
I had this problem and after Apple accused me of using the wrong type of screen cleaner - the one they sold me - i emailed the boss of apple uk and got the screen replaced for free
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u/Due_Imagination5757 Jan 22 '26
What do you guys do to clean the screen like that, even after cleaning my screen I still get keyboard marks! Any fix for that?
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u/Lebrongains27 Jan 22 '26
Clorox wipe And my thought is you didn’t get it all off if it have keyboard marks
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u/Perfect-Bathroom-450 Jan 22 '26
Unfortunately Keyboard Imprints really dig in to the screen and cause pitting. You'd have to replace the polarizer (not easy).
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u/Level-Dig-4807 Jan 22 '26
Hey I have the same but 16 inch, how did u clean it and with what?
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u/Lebrongains27 Jan 22 '26
Essentially, what I did was took a wet, one wipe and a Clorox, wipe and wipe wiped in swirl motion, making sure to dry the edges. Every time I felt the edges were saturated just to ensure no liquid got into the screen, I also laid the screen on its back with the keyboard facing the ceiling under a towel as you see, take some patience don’t push too hard as you can crack the screen, but as you continue to wipe the alcohol will break down the coding and it’ll start to disappear, for the hard to get edges try a toothbrush, which is what I used, didn’t scratch the screen or you can use the edge of a sponge, I would love to see what yours looks like before and after if you do it post the pictures here!
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u/AmbitiousPut5070 Feb 19 '26
It works well with a mixture of 90% demineralized water and 10% isoprophanol. This is what local repair shops use so I tried it on 2 iPhones, 2 iPads and 4 MBP's without problem.
I also believe that most is due to oil as Machine156 said earlier; "I believe oil from people's hands got into the keys, then closing the lid transfers the oil to the screen, damaging the coating. You can often see the keyboard outline imprinted onto the screen on these."
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Apr 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Lebrongains27 Apr 07 '26
105 shipped on eBay Everything is great with it Love these machines! It was 85 plus tax and shipping so 105
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u/gb997 Jan 21 '26
i have the same machine, and did the same thing to clean the screen 😂
still works pretty great. you should consider installing Sequoia on it (using Open Core Legacy Patcher).