How to Clean a Digital Camera

The lens on your digital camera is somewhat delicate and deserves special treatment, so we'll get to that component on the next page. In the meantime, realize that the body and accessories of your camera require cleaning, too.

Let's start from the outside and work our way into the camera. Understand that your camera spends most of its time in a nice soft padded case. Whether that case is pocket- or suitcase-sized makes no difference -- but if you heavily use this case, it'll get dirty.

If you use a small case, you can remove all of your camera's accessories and swish the carrying case around in a sink or bathtub. You might be taken aback at how much dirt darkens the water. Use a fan to dry the case. For larger cases, you may need to use just a damp sponge or cloth to wipe the interior.

Now you'll want to clean the body of the camera itself. There are probably a lot of fingerprints and maybe even some accumulated oily dirt jammed into the cracks of your camera.

Use a small cleaning brush to clear away excess dirt from the camera exterior. You'll find these brushes at camera stores and superstores. The brushes often come equipped with rubber bulbs that let you use puffs of air to remove dust (always avoid using canned air for this purpose because it's far too powerful, uses liquid propellants and may cause more harm than good).

Use a soft cloth to wipe away remaining grime. A microfiber cloth specifically made for camera lenses works great; don't use microfiber cloths made for eyeglasses. Apply a tiny bit of moisture if necessary, but only to remove tough grunge.

Don't invest in cleaning chemicals for your camera unless your camera's manufacturer instructs you to. Not only are these chemicals pricey, they can damage your camera's surfaces if used improperly.

If you own an SLR digital camera, you probably already know that you're exposing the image sensor to dust and debris every time you switch lenses. Many contemporary SLRs have sophisticated sensor-cleaning routines they use to keep the sensor clean without any action on your part. However, once in a while, stubborn dirt appears on the sensor (and subsequently, your images) and you must remove it.

Because every SLR is different, you'll need to use the Internet for specific sensor cleaning instructions for your particular model. But the basic process is usually the same. You'll have to engage a special cleaning mode on your camera, and then use a sensor-cleaning brush (also available from many online vendors) to carefully snag dirt from the sensor.

Sensor cleaning is a touchy process and if you're too rough you can actually damage the camera if you're not careful. But with a bit of research you can confidently clean the sensor yourself without paying ridiculously high professional cleaning fees.

Your camera's lens is its window to the world. And that window gets exposed to just about everything -- wind, dirt, moisture and fingerprints.

Without a clean lens, image quality may suffer. Particles might create spots in your pictures, and smudges can warp light into streaks and colors that look fun but also ruin most pictures. Using correct processes is key to cleaning your lens effectively without causing streaks, or worse, scratches that permanently mar lens quality.

First, you'll want to remove excess dust and grime from the lens. Do this carefully and slowly to prevent scratches. Using a clean lens brush, tilt the camera lens downward and lightly use a circular motion to loosen debris, letting it fall to the floor. Use a few puffs of air from the brush's rubber bulb to push dust away, too.

The line where the edge of the lens meets the lens casing tends to trap dust more tightly. Gently work your brush into this edge to make sure you've dislodged the majority of dirt.

Check your work. If you tilt the camera lens toward a light at an angle, you'll be able to see whether or not you've removed most particulates. Usually you'll see a few stragglers that need more attention. Never wipe the lens if you see particulates on the lens surface, as doing so may gouge the lens.

After you've dusted off the lens, you can go to work on smudges and other oily residues. For this task, you'll need lens cleaning tissue, which you can buy at almost any store that sells cameras.

Before you wipe the lens, understand this cardinal rule -- the lens must always, always be moist before you wipe, otherwise you may cause scratches. The easiest way to moisten the lens is to simply open your mouth and breathe on the lens. Not only is this easier, but it's less messy and often just as effective as cleaning fluid.

Once the lens is fogged over, gently wipe the lens with fresh tissue paper using a circular motion. Repeat for stubborn smudges.

You can use the same process to clean any filters you might use for your camera. And don't forget to clean the lens cap, which tends to trap dust that eventually winds up on the lens, too.

Some people advocate the constant use of clear filters to protect lens surfaces, especially when using expensive SLR lenses. Doing so will certainly protect the front lens element from scratches and dirt, but filters (especially cheap filters) do negatively affect image quality, so you'll have to consider that tradeoff.

As you can see, keeping your camera clean doesn't take a lot of time or money -- just a bit of diligence on your part. Keeping dirt to a minimum will maintain your camera's performance and resale value.

To picture more information about cameras, shoot on over to the next page.