I have a little tip to help make things much easier when installing your screen protectors. First let me say, I had recently ordered the Kindle Fire and Clear Screen Protector. They were just shipped, so I'm still waiting on them. For those of you struggling to install the screen protector and get out all the little air bubbles, here is a little tip. I'm assuming these screen protectors work just like the ones I use for my iPhone. I had the same issues when first trying to install the screen protector on my phone. First, placing the screen protector exactly where you want it, lining it up perfectly with the edges of the screen all the way around, and peeling it back up and starting again, over and over until you get it right; it's pretty challenging to say the least. Then, getting all the little air bubbles out, having to press and push to try and squeeze them out all the way to the edge is tedious, and in most cases you end up convincing yourself you can live with the number of bubbles you can't get out, which in the end makes the screen protector eventually lift off in those areas. You're left wondering if it's even worth it, and possibly even convincing yourself you can just be a little more careful to not scratch the bare screen. Believe me, I've been there.
Then, I remembered window tinting. In my younger days I use to install window tinting on cars. This isn't much different at all. The mechanics of installing these things is pretty much the same, except for one missing, and oh so important ingredient; soapy water. When you install window tinting on a car, the first thing you do is make sure the window is perfectly clean by using regular window cleaner, such as Windex, or similar product, just like you would with your Kindle. The next step is to mix up some warm soapy water using dish soap. You then spray it on the car's window. Of course in the case of your Kindle, phone, or any other devise on which you need to install a screen protector, you don't spray it on. You just wet your fingers with the soapy water and sort of wipe and dab it on; taking care not to use too much and soak the device. You only want to wet the screen, and it doesn't have to be soaked. Once you have the screen wetted with soapy water, peel off the backing from your screen protector, and lay it on. The soapy water serves a couple of purposes. Because there's slippery soapy water between the screen and the screen protector, it allows you to maneuver the screen protector in place by gently sliding it where you need it. You don't have to be dead-on accurate when you first lay it on. Just don't push down on it to cause it to stick until you have it where you want it. The trick is to use just enough soapy water, but not too much that you're going to soak your device.
The second purpose of the soapy water is consistent adhesion. Take your little plastic squeegee they've included with your kit and gently work the water and air bubbles out towards the edges of the screen, while using a paper towel to absorb the excess water you push out. You don't want the excess water getting down into your device, so make sure you are dabbing it away as you go. You'll notice right away how few bubbles you're left to deal with. There will be a few bubbles you'll have to work out with the squeegee, but nothing like you had when doing it without the soapy water. Just work the bubbles out towards the edges until you have them pushed out. Remember, the bubbles should be worked towards which ever edge is closest to the bubble. It's air, so it needs to go somewhere other than under the screen. Once you have all your air bubbles out, you will need to let the device rest for a day in order to allow time for the soap to set under the screen.
Here is why this process works:
Since we don't live in a perfect world, the screen protectors aren't perfect either. Although they look perfectly smooth to the naked eye, if you could see them under a microscope you'd see lots of peaks, valleys, and crevasses; all tiny little areas where air gets trapped. Without the soapy water, it's nearly impossible to slide these bubbles out because all the little peaks have already adhered to the screen and trapped the bubbles. You have to try and push them past areas that have adhered, in essence trying to make the bubble detach the adhered peaks in order to push past them; lots of frustrating tedious work. While wet, the soap keeps the screen protector from completely adhering to the device by creating a slippery layer, thus allowing you time to slide the bubbles around, rather than trying to force them around. Now, after you've pushed out all the little air bubbles, the soap fills in all those peaks and valleys, and once dry, it hardens there to create a more smooth surface between the plastic protector and the device screen. Since the soap is clear, at least in the minuscule thin layer we're using it is, you'll never even know it's there. Remember, once your screen protector is installed, there is a top layer that needs to be pealed off. Do this as soon as you have it installed, and don't wait until it's dry. If you do this step after it dries and accidentally lift your screen protector off the screen, you're starting all over with getting more soapy water. If you accidentally lift it off while it's still wet, just press it back down, grab your squeegee, and work it back down. Give this a try, and let me know how it goes. I bet you'll be pleased with the results.
