How to clean a camera lens: blow, brush, then wipe in a spiral

Step by step: how to clean a camera lens

1. 1

   Find a clean, still spot

   Work indoors, out of wind and dust, with good light. Turn the camera off if the lens is attached, and point the lens down while you work so dust falls away from it. If you can, remove the lens and put the body cap on the camera.

2. 2

   Blow off loose dust

   Squeeze a hand blower a few times across the front element, holding it close but not touching the glass. Most dust lifts off with air alone. Do not use canned air; the propellant can spray cold liquid onto the glass.

3. 3

   Brush away the rest

   Sweep a soft lens brush gently across the glass from the center toward the edge to flick away remaining grit. Keep the brush clean and never touch its bristles with your fingers, or you will put skin oil on the lens. Blow once more afterward.

4. 4

   Look for smudges under light

   Tilt the lens under a lamp and look across the glass, not straight into it. If you see only a speck or two of dust, stop: a little dust does not show in photos. Wipe only for fingerprints, water spots or haze.

5. 5

   Put fluid on the tissue, not the lens

   Fold a sheet of lens tissue or take a clean microfiber lens cloth and add one or two drops of lens cleaning fluid so it is slightly moist. Never drip or spray fluid onto the lens, where it can run to the edge and seep between elements.

6. 6

   Wipe in a spiral from the center out

   Start in the middle of the glass and wipe outward in a gentle spiral with very light pressure. Use a fresh section of tissue for each pass so you are not dragging dirt around. The glass should look clear when you look across it at an angle.

7. 7

   Do the rear element and filters the same way

   Clean the rear element only if needed, with the same blow, brush, then gentle wipe routine. Clean any UV or protective filter on both sides. Put the lens caps back on as soon as you finish.

What camera makers say about cleaning lenses

Camera makers agree on the order: air first, then a slightly moistened tissue or cloth, wiped from the center outward. Sony’s camera help guide section on cleaning says to remove dust with a commercially available blower, wipe stuck dust with a soft cloth or tissue paper slightly moistened with lens cleaning solution in a spiral from the center to the outside, and not to spray lens cleaning solution directly onto the lens.

Sony also warns against cleaning solutions containing organic solvents such as thinner or benzine. For the inside of the lens mount, it says to use a blower and not a spray-type blower, which may cause a malfunction.

Fujifilm gives the same routine in its camera manual’s care section: use a blower to remove dust and lint from the lens or protective filter, then, for smudges and fingerprints, put a small amount of lens cleaner on a soft, clean cotton cloth or lens-cleaning tissue and clean from the center outward in a circular motion. It also warns against wiping the camera with alcohol, thinner, benzene or other volatile chemicals.

What not to clean a camera lens with

Avoid anything that can scratch the coating or leave residue. Lens coatings are thin layers that cut glare and flare, and damage to them is permanent.

ZEISS, which makes both eyeglass and camera optics, says on its lens and screen cleaning page that dirt trapped in clothing not only scratches lenses but can damage lens coatings. It lists its own lens cleaning spray as safe for anti-reflective coatings and suitable for camera lenses.

Spots in every photo? Check the sensor, then call a pro

If dark spots appear in the same place in every photo, especially at small apertures like f/16, the dust is probably on the sensor, not the lens. Cleaning the lens will not fix it.

• Run the camera’s built-in sensor cleaning mode if it has one.
• With the lens off and the camera facing down, puff a hand blower into the mount without touching anything inside.
• For dust that stays, use a camera shop or the maker’s service center. Wet sensor cleaning is easy to get wrong.

Also take the lens in for service if you see fungus (fine, web-like threads inside), haze between elements, or dust inside the lens. Those are inside the barrel and need disassembly. For eyeglasses and phone cameras, see how to clean glasses and how to clean your phone.

Mistakes to avoid

• Wiping before blowing off dust, which drags grit across the coating.
• Spraying lens fluid straight onto the glass.
• Using a shirt, tissue or paper towel instead of lens tissue or a clean microfiber cloth.
• Using canned air held close to the lens.
• Pressing hard on a stubborn spot instead of repeating light passes.
• Cleaning a lens that only has a speck or two of dust, adding wear for no gain.