Last Updated on October 10, 2021
It isn’t too difficult to clean your camera’s body and you won’t need any special items to do it. However, cleaning a camera’s lens can be a bit more complicated and requires some special tools.
Here are 3 easy steps on how to clean your camera
Clean the camera body
Wipe down your compact camera with a chamois. For more cleaning power, add soapy water to the chamois if you find dirt or grime on your camera.
When dirt is stuck in your camera grip’s textured pattern, use a toothbrush dipped in soapy water to scrub away the particles.
Clean the lens barrel
You can clean the lens barrel with the same approach you used to clean the camera body: Use a soft cloth dampened with soapy water if necessary to wipe it clean.
Clean cases and caps
The best way to protect your gear is to keep it in a case and to put lens caps on your lenses. Obviously, cases and caps also can get dirty, and dirt on your camera or lens may be transferred. It is possible to vacuum out a case.
Lens caps can be trickier since they are often equipped with areas where dust and dirt can gather. In spite of the edge inside being a possible dust trap, it is the crimping mechanism that lets you remove and replace your cap which tends to trap more dust.
In the majority of cases, a toothbrush will remove this dust, but if needed, you can dip your toothbrush into a bowl of soapy water first to help lift that filth from your lens’s protective gear.
Cleaning your camera lens should only be done when it absolutely must be done. You can also repeat these steps for cleaning the cameras.
4 easy steps to clean a camera lens
Image quality is affected by the cleanliness of your lens. The truth is as simple as that. Although this is a double-edged sword, if you clean your lenses too frequently or too often, your lenses may scratch. The purpose of this post is to summarize how to clean your camera lenses, along with suggestions for where to purchase some of the materials you need.
When your photos look cloudy or you can see dust in your images, it may be time to clean your lens.
So, we are discussing four easy steps to clean camera lenses:
- Lens blower to remove dust
- Lens brush
- Cleaning tissue, cloth, or pre-moistened wipes
- Cleaning fluid + tissue or cloth
Step-1: Lens blower to remove dust
The best way to remove dust from a camera lens is to use a blower since it’s the least likely to make the problem worse. When your lens has dust on it, sometimes blowing it will be all that is needed to get it clean.
Although it is natural to use your own breath for this purpose, you should avoid doing so since saliva or condensation can be introduced onto the lens no matter how careful you are.
The following are things to do:
- The first thing you should do when cleaning uses a blower.
- Squeeze a few puffs away from the lens to clear the blower of any dust.
- To prevent airborne particles from picking up on the lens, hold the piece of glass very close to your face without touching it.
- Puff a few times across the lens.
Things you shouldn’t do:
- Don’t blow saliva and condensation onto the lens by using your mouth.
- Never use an air compressor-it can drip oil.
- Avoid freon-powered air cans, as they cause condensation.
- Avoid buying a small blower. You’ll eventually upgrade to something larger that works better and is easier to use.
Step-2: Lens brush
No problem. If a blower doesn’t work, and there are still some specks on the lens, no worries. It would be better if you used a lens brush with camel hair as opposed to a standard brush. As camel hair is thin, it will not damage the lens.
Be sure not to touch the brush with your fingers to prevent oils from being transferred, and make sure that the brush stays closed or in a bag. Often, it is hard to remove oils from lenses, but it is even more difficult to remove them from contaminated brushes.
The following are things to do:
- Choose a brush with fine, soft bristles to avoid scratches; camel hair is ideal.
- Remove dust from the lens surface by gently brushing it.
- After using the brush, cap it to prevent contamination.
Things you shouldn’t do:
- Be careful not to jam the bristles onto the lens surface.
- Make sure that you don’t touch the bristles with anything other than your lens.
Step-3: Cleaning tissue, cloth, or pre-moistened wipes
The most effective (and messy) way to clean lenses is with a spray bottle of cleaning fluid. The alcohol-based cleaners work similarly to pre-moistened wipes to remove dust and grime from your lens surface without leaving streaks. They also evaporate quickly which protects your gear.
There are typically one-ounce, two-ounce, and eight-ounce bottles of cleaning fluid, ranging within $6-8 a bottle on average. Using cleaning fluid with cloths or tissues is an easy and convenient way to keep surfaces clean. Do not use facial tissues or anything lying around since they may cause scratches.
Those who dislike this method do so because it can leave streaks and you have to use clothes, which pose their own risks. However, streaking can typically be remedied by reapplying cleaning fluid to the surface and wiping it again.
The following are things to do:
- Make sure to use a dust-free option before applying, such as lens tissues or a lens cloth.
- Make sure to only use denatured alcohol to clean.
Things you shouldn’t do:
- Be careful not to spray the cleaner directly on the lens since it may get inside the lens.
- Do not use cleaning fluid that consists mostly of detergent and water–this will make the problem worse.
Step-4: Cleaning fluid + tissue or cloth
The use of lens cleaning paper tissues is a safe and inexpensive option for cleaning lenses. The cost of a tissue sheet is approximately $0.05. Since you discard them once you have used them, you always start with a clean sheet every time.
The microfiber lens cleaning cloth is an efficient way to clean smudges. Clothing costs about $2 to $4 per item, but some can cost up to $10, depending on the brand. It is more expensive to buy a microfiber cloth than a lens tissue, and they can be used for a long time without getting discarded or washed.
Maintaining them is also a bit more difficult than maintaining tissues. A downside is that any oil or dirt that you clean off the lens is left on the cloth. Further, reusing a cloth could contain something that the cloth drags across your lens, leaving a scratch. If you aren’t using them, then keep them in a plastic bag between uses to prevent contamination.
The following are things to do:
- Protect your cloth from contamination by storing them in a plastic bag.
- In concentric circles, work the cloth starting in the center of the lens.
Things you shouldn’t do:
- Fabric softener leaves streaks behind when washed with these as they contain chemicals.
- You shouldn’t clean your lens with t-shirts, tissue paper, or paper towels.
Conclusion
Unless you know what you are doing, you can easily cause damage to your glass. It is quite straightforward and easy to clean a lens once you know how!
I expect you to spend the weekend cleaning your gear now that you know how to clean a camera lens! By doing so, you’re sure to get the best results from your lenses and capture stunning images.