Polyethylene terephthalatemore commonly known as PETis also used in making screen protectors. uses PET, which is a polyester-based plastic, to make its ScreenGuardz line to resist fingerprints and reduce glare.

The company actually uses different materials to protect against different elements: Its high-end cases are made from PET that protects against glare, scratches, and fingerprints, but the companys Classic screen protector is made of clear vinyl and is not as strong. Vinyl covers are cheaper and meant to be disposablejust toss it and install a new one when it wears out. But PET and polyurethane covers are meant to be more long-lasting.

While mobile devices have plenty of accessories that are designed to help clean their touchscreens or to prevent them from getting smudgy to begin with, the market is a little far behind when it comes to touchscreen PCs.

Perhaps this is because such PCs arent quite mainstream enough to warrant their own line of screen protectors, or because the touch displays are easy enough to keep clean with basic household glass cleaners or good old distilled water.

TouchWindow makes a series of touchscreen overlays and protective films for desktop monitors, as does Posr.us, and these overlays will reduce fingerprints, but at a costyour beautiful display might look less polished and dull. If you prefer the crisp look of the display, it might just be easier to clean it every once in awhile.