BIRDING BASICS & BEYOND: How to Clean Your Binoculars

Every bird watcher deserves clean optics. Here's how to properly clean your binocular lenses. The Birding Basics & Beyond video series is produced by Bird Watcher's Digest and sponsored by Vanguard.

[@markharris5771]

I keep my top lens covers on and attached to my strap, I do take the bottom ones off. I clean my optics the same way as I clean my camera lenses. I use the Swarovski EL 8x32 and the ATS 65 with the 25-50 eyepiece even optics of that quality are useless dirty.

[@joelheusschen7972]

Dear sir, is a 10x25 from Eden suitable for birdwatching?

[@pritamsri]

Sir, Can I just use a soft glass friendly cloth moistend in clean water. Will it do any harm to lens.

[@pritamsri]

@Steve H. thanks Mr. Steve..

[@pyro226]

How does one clean mold growing on the inside of the big lenses?

[@rickmoss7040]

I just use a bottle of water, rinse the lens, use a hurricane blower to get the excess water off, then take a quality micro fiber cloth the get water spots off...clean. NEVER use a cloth or brush before blowing off particles or using water to rinse them first...easy way to scratch them up. I have Swarovski EL 10x42...and this is how I clean mine. I almost never use chemicals...don’t need to. But I take care of my optics and try to keep crap off/out of them...simple water, blower bottle, and GOOD, quality micro fiber. I do have a horse hair optics brush...a spec grabber, and optics cleaning solution....but I almost never have to use anything but my preferred 3 tools....water, blower bottle, and micro fiber cloth.

[@adamaj74]

You'll want to blow them off first, then brush, then lens cleaner. There's always a chance that the brush will catch a piece of sand, dirt or debris and drag it around the surface of the lens. Blowing the lenses first ensures that you get off some, if not all, of the type of stuff that has the potential to scratch your lenses while brushing. This is how you clean high end camera lenses. I'd never use a brush or cloth on my lenses until I've hit them with a few puffs of air first. You can buy small hand-held air dust blowers that do the job well.

[@j-mon8892]

If you blow at the binoculars, saliva droplets will damage the coated lenses. Avoid doing that at all costs!

[@annc8272]

Speaking Audio is no working.

[@annc8272]

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[@MultiJeffb]

Bits of sandwich? Ha ha.