How to Clean Binoculars – Inside as Well as Exterior?

Binoculars are useful tools that are used for outdoor activities and they remain out for most of the time. The harsh environment, rain, and dust can easily make them unclean. If this dust or other contaminants remain on binoculars for an extended duration, chances are high that your binoculars stop working.

To keep them in working condition and secure them from dust, debris, and other contaminants, it is vital to clean them every now and then. In fact, you should clean them after every three months if you use them more often in the field. However, many people don’t know how to clean binoculars properly.

If you’re also one of them, worry not! In this blog post, I’ll give you a step-by-step method to clean binoculars so that your precious binos don’t get damaged just because they are unclean. Before wasting any more time, let’s dive into the details.

Related Article: How to Keep Binoculars from Fogging Up?

Required Material

Before going into the details, I would like you to know the tools that will help you in cleaning the binoculars. Without them, the cleaning process will not be quick and effective. Below is the list;

• Lens pen
• Screwdriver
• Haired brushes
• Microfiber cloth
• Cleaning solution
• Camel haired brush

How to Clean Your Binoculars Inside? Step by Step

I hope you’ll be able to arrange all the materials that you’ll need while cleaning the binoculars. Now, it’s time to go into more detail and remove all the dust, debris, and contaminants from your optics.

Note: I’ve written a guide in steps so that you don’t make any mistakes. Follow the steps!

1- Read the user manual

The first step is to read the user manual for binoculars. Some brands offer a warranty which can be void when you open the binoculars for cleaning purposes. If your binoculars have a warranty, then you should call the official manufacturer and talk to him about cleaning.

If the manufacturer confirms that opening binoculars can destroy the warranty, then you should send binoculars to the manufacturer to get them cleaned. It won’t affect the warranty. However, if your binoculars don’t have a warranty or they are old enough and passed the warranty duration, then you can follow the steps mentioned below

2- Unscrew the nuts and bolts 

The components of binoculars are connected through small nuts. You’ll have to unscrew all nuts with the help of a screwdriver to ensure that all components are separated from each other. One thing that I would like to mention is that you should keep all the nuts in a separate place so that you don’t get lost. 

3- Remove the stranded dust particles

Cleaning the dust from inside the binoculars is very important. When you use binos in outdoor conditions then the dust goes inside and gets stranded there. So, after unscrewing the nuts, you’ll have to remove all the dust and clean the interior part of the binoculars.

Removing the stranded dust is not an easy task. I recommend you use a lens pen that will help you lose the dust and debris that is stranded. Once the lens loosens the dust, use pressurized air blow to remove all the dust that was previously loosened by lens pain.

You should lens pain for all the components of binoculars to ensure that they don’t remain stranded there. Once you’re sure that all the dust has been removed, then you can move toward the next step.

4- Use small, camel-haired brushes

If the dust is not getting removed easily, then use camel-haired brushes which have silky hairs, and remove all the dust without having any bad impact on the lenses and other components of binoculars.

5- Use a microfiber cloth to gently remove the remaining dust

Once you’ve used a lens pen,  air blower, and camel hair brush, it’s time to use a microfiber cloth to wipe all the dust if any present on the interior or exterior of binoculars. One thing that you should take care of is not to go with a harsh approach. 

The cloth has microfibre which can cause scratches on the lens binoculars when they are used in an extremely harsh way. Instead, using them gently is going to remove all the dust present on the body and lens of binoculars.

Note: If you’re sure that no dust is present after using the lens pen and air blower, then you don’t need to use microfiber cloth.

6- Use of cleaning solution

If your binoculars are very old then the dust will still be there. So, to remove it completely, use a cleaning solution and remove all the dust, debris, and even fingerprints. Use a cotton swab, soak it with a cleaning solution, and gently clean the binoculars.

Point to Remember: You should use cleaning solutions that come with minimal chemicals so that they don’t cause any problems for your binoculars.

7- Dry your lens with a soft, microfiber lens cloth

Now that you’ve cleaned your binoculars and cleaned them completely, it is time to remove or dry the cleaning solution that you applied with the help of cotton swabs. You can use a microfiber cloth to dry all the solution.

8-  Screw back all the nuts

So, the cleaning process is done, it is time to screw back all the nuts that you unscrewed in the first step. I told you to keep them in separate places so that they don’t get lost. You can screw them back with a screwdriver and smile! The cleaning process is done after screwing all the nuts, make sure to clean the exterior with a single wipe so that no dust remains there as well.

Also Read: How To Fix Binoculars With Double Vision?

How to Clean the Exterior and Body of Binoculars?

In the section below, I have explained how you can clean the interior of the binoculars easily. However, if you have old binoculars stored anywhere and you want to use them again, then you will have to clean the exterior as well to ensure its perfect performance.

One thing that I must mention is that cleaning the exterior of binos is a relatively easier task as you won’t have to dismantle the components of the binoculars. Without doing delay, let’s jump into the process of cleaning the exterior.

1- Clean the whole Binoculars with Microfibre Cloth

First of all, you will have to remove the dust present on the exterior or body of the binoculars. In case you are cleaning an abandoned binocular, then chances are high that there will be a lot of dust and debris on the exterior of the binoculars. 

But you will have to make sure that you clean the binoculars with a gentle approach, and don’t get hard. If you start rubbing the microfibre cloth on the body’s external parts, then chances are high that the cloth will put scratches on your binoculars. 

2- Remove the Stranded Particle, and Dust

The second step to clean the exterior side of the binoculars is to remove the standard particles attached to the surface or body of the binoculars. You can use any brush to remove these stranded dust particles. 

It is important to note that if the lenses are covered with the particle, then I suggest you use the camel-haired brush which won’t put any scratches on the lenses. If the lenses of the binoculars get scratched, then you won’t be able to see anything due to the scratches.

3- Use Damp Cloth 

This is the last step that will ensure that your binoculars are fully cleaned from the external side. Take a microfiber cloth, soak it in the water, and squeeze the cloth to ensure that all the water is gone down. Now use this wet cloth to clean all the remaining dust particles.

Once the binoculars’ external is fully cleaned from the dust, and stranded particles, then you should leave the binoculars under the sun so that it gets dry. Don’t store the wet binoculars as it would cause fogginess of the lenses because the moisture will go inside the binoculars.

Note: Drying the binoculars before storing them is important as it ensures that no moisture will go inside the binoculars, and causes lenses fogging.

If your binoculars have already got wet, or your lenses got foggy due to your mistake, don’t panic. I have already written a complete guide on how you can fix the wet binoculars. Read that to get a complete procedure for fixing the fogginess of the lenses.

Dos and Don’ts of Cleaning Your Binoculars

Cleaning binoculars can have both positive and negative impacts. It can be beneficial for maintaining their quality and performance, but it’s important to do it correctly to avoid causing any damage. Below is the table which will guide you through dos and don’ts while cleaning the binos.

Things to Do While Cleaning	Things to Avoid While Cleaning
Use a soft cloth while wiping.	Don’t use rough or abrasive materials
Use a blower brush to remove dust and debris.	Don’t use compressed air.
Use a lens cleaning solution specifically made for optical lenses.	Use household cleaning products such as ammonia or vinegar.
Clean the lenses gently in a circular motion.	Clean the lenses in a back-and-forth motion.
Take extra care when cleaning the edges of the lenses, as this is where dirt tends to accumulate.	Don’t hold binoculars with dirty hands when cleaning
Read the user manual before starting the process	Don’t unscrew the nuts if the binoculars is in warranty duration
Make sure to collect the nuts in one place	Try to avoid using saliva or breath to clean lenses

Why should you clean Binoculars?

Cleaning the binoculars is very important as binoculars that are uncleaned can have a bad impact on the performance of the binoculars. Below are some advantages that you’ll get when you clean the binoculars.

• Improved visual quality due to the cleanliness of lenses
• Increase the overall lifespan of your binoculars
• Keep your binoculars from malfunctioning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Cleaning of binoculars is key if you want prolonged life of your binoculars. In this guide, I’ve explained everything in complete detail and mentioned the steps that are needed for cleaning the binoculars. I hope no question of yours will be unturned once you read this guide. With the hope of goodness, I am signing off!