If you’re like me, you understand the importance of a clean computer or device screen: It helps minimize the effects of sun glare when outside. And if you’re even more like me, when you see your kids smearing their greasy fingers across the screen while playing Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja, you want to cry inside.
Last month I was excited to get to introduce Toddy Gear’s latest product: Screensters, miniature doll screen cleaners. Portable in size (5″ tall) and easy to hang off of backpacks and doorknobs, the Screenster is ideal for kids.
Ahead of the product release, I received a Screenster for each of my sons to try out. I attempted to get them to hang them on their backpacks, but they reminded me that I don’t let them take their electronics to school and therefore the dolls were better off remaining at home.
The Screenster is a very simple design: a satin front side with a caricature print, and the backside is a solid panel of microfiber plush in assorted colors. The loop on top makes it easy to hang on backpacks and accessory hooks. There are ten designs to choose from: five males and five females.
A word about the characters: they were set up to portray every clique you can imagine at your local high school. Among the styles to choose there are jocks, a skater dude, a video gamer, a diva, and an artisan. (The Breakfast Club, anyone?) There’s a Screenster for every kid to enjoy.
Does it work? Yes, but not in an obvious way.
My sons had received Dustin-brand screen cleaners over the holidays and they seem to do a very good job with no other thought: Simply wipe the cleaning apparatus across the screen.
By comparison, the Screensters didn’t clean my sons’ dusty, fingerprint-y screens without breathing heavily on the screen first to provide some moisture. It’s hard to put to words the breathing we had to do, but just imagine someone cleaning his or her glasses by breathing steam onto the lenses first. That’s what we had to do: Breathe steam onto the screen, then wipe it down with the Screenster.
I trust the quality of the microfiber side just fine. It didn’t seem like it could damage the screens. However, the satiny side, which the company suggests could “polish” the screen, seems more rough than the company was suggesting.
To conclude, there are other screen cleaning tools that perform just as well for a lower price. But the Screenster’s slim, simple design, the numerous caricatures to choose from, and convenient top loop for hanging it on a bag makes this a fun accessory for kids’ tablets: iPads, Kindles, Kobos, Nooks, or Galaxy among others.
Toddy Gear’s Screensters retail for $9.99 and can be found at their website’s online store, or through other major online retailers such as Amazon.
Mother’s Day week only! Enjoy a 15% discount on Mother’s Day gifts from the Toddy Gear store by entering promo code TODDYMOM15!
A complimentary pair of Screensters were provided for review purposes.
