STEP BY STEP

STEP 1

The dirtiest part of your binoculars will almost certainly be the body, so use a clean, barely damp cloth to wipe down as much of the body as you can, and use cotton buds for any difficult-to-reach areas. Don’t neglect the insides of the lens caps!

STEP 3

Scrunch up a sheet of lens tissue, then roll it loosely and tear the roll in half to make two paper ‘brushes’. Spray lens-cleaning fluid on one of the torn ends and gently clean the lens, starting in the middle and carefully working your way outwards.

STEP 5

When you think the lens is clean, breathe on it to reveal any remaining marks or smears, and remove the condensation with another lens tissue. Then re-examine the lens under your bright light and repeat the cleaning process if it’s not yet properly clean.

STEP 2

A bright light will reveal any contaminants that have accumulated on the lens. With the binoculars horizontal so that dust cannot fall onto the lens, use a puffer – with the lens brush if necessary – to remove loose dust and flakes of debris from the lens.

STEP 4

When you’ve cleaned the entire surface, use the second lens tissue ‘brush’ to gently polish the lens, again starting from the middle and working outwards. This should remove any residual cleaning fluid. Blow off any dust that collects on the lens during this process.

STEP 6

A lens pen is ideal for ‘emergency’ cleaning if you accidentally get a fingerprint or other small mark on the lens while observing. Use the retractable brush to remove any dust from the lens, then work from the centre outwards with the carbon pad.