Cleaning & Care
Clean an Objective the Safe Way.
A quick reference for cleaning the front lens of a microscope objective.
Objective lens coatings scratch easily, and a scratched coating cannot be repaired. The safe way to clean an objective takes four steps, in a specific order, and it starts with not wiping at all.
Do this
- Blow off dust first. Use an air blower bulb. Grit wiped across the lens leaves scratches.
- Lens paper only. Tissue, paper towels, and shirts have fibers that scratch.
- Cleaner on the paper. One drop of lens cleaner on the paper, never directly on the lens.
- Spiral out from the center. Light pressure, one pass, fresh paper each time.
- Check your work. Look through the scope again at low power.
Avoid this
- Canned air. The propellant can spray liquid onto the lens.
- Flooding the lens. Liquid can seep past the front lens into the objective.
- Household glass cleaner. It can damage lens coatings. Use a cleaner made for optics.
- Taking an objective apart. Haze inside the objective is a service call. Never open it.
The habit, every time
STEP 1
Blow off dust
STEP 2
Lens paper only
STEP 3
Cleaner on the paper
STEP 4
Spiral from center
Not sure the dirt is on the objective? See Find the Dirt. Clean Only What's Dirty.
The same method works for eyepieces. See Clean the Eyepiece. Don't Scratch It.
Watch it in a minute
Still hazy after a careful cleaning? The haze may be inside the objective, where you cannot reach. That is a service call.
Need hands-on help? See our microscope repair and maintenance service in Houston.
← Back to Resources