Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Advise on cleaning scope lenses?

I just received a scope that I purchased used and the lenses are extremely dirty. What do you all recommend for “cleaning” without damaging the coating????

I'd take soft bristle brush and dust the lens while applying a little air. After that I'd use good ol soap and water! Ive cleaned mine this way many times.

I'd use the brush first for sure, then good old fashioned Windex and a COTTON cloth...no paper products!

I would stay away from canned air. Brush and a micro fiber cloth. I like a mild soap or Invisible Glass that is used for autos.

This is just my opinion, but I'd use the kitchen faucet first to flush/float that crud off. Just a modest flow of water and shake it off, then once more again, then finish with a lens wipe.

Compressed air from one of those office cans to get the dust from the edges of the glass. Warm tap water via the faucet. A drop of dish soap. Move around with clean finger. Rinse all soap off very throughly. Wipe with microfiber lense cloth to dry.

I’ve had a similar issue and did just this. Warm water, mild flow.

When I recently picked up a new pair of prescription glasses from Lens Crafters, that is exactly what the rep told me to do to clean the lenses.

Covesjeep: I have several air bulb lense brushes and I would get one use it from above the lense surface and air puff the big pieces off of the lenses.
Then obtain real "lense tissue" (I am almost out of my beloved "Kodak" lense tissues!) and use some Zeiss lense cleaning solution (sparingly on the first cleansing. Then using very little Zeiss solution and a clean lense tissue clean the lense again - repeat for other lense.
I use this method on all new to me used Rifle scopes and spotting scope lenses.
Good luck with the new scope - it is obvious the previous owner did not use lense protection caps.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Amazing how lens coatings have become so tender over the past few decades--compared to back when they were actually were kinda soft.

Dishwasher has worked well for me. Rinse aid helps.

I normally use a soft brush/air but I would start with some running water on that one

People saying use a brush first ? yeah - that's how I always cleaned my new cars too - brush off the dirt then wash it .

Soak the lens in warm water with a mild hand/face soap lightly wash away the dirt with the microfiber cloth , then dry the lens lightly with microfiber cloth . Skip the brush and cotton .

The last scope cleaning kit i'd use would be the leupold lens pen BS .

It has long been established that lenses are the most delicate objects in all the universe. There is but one true way to clean them properly, but it has been lost over the ages. The only thing to do when lenses become dirty (as when a dust mote settles on one) is to replace the scope.

Isopropyl alcohol. Nothing better.

The pictures in the OP appear to be of damage to the coating due to water droplets left on the lens. Water can damage some coatings if left on the lens for a long time. Much as I hate to agree with anyone from Katy :-), isopropyl alcohol is the best solution to clean lenses using a lens tissue paper and then wiping with a clean microfiber cloth. If there is dust or grime on the lens, a little bulb blower thing is a great thing to use first to remove the stuff.

Now, don't panic and be afraid of rain or water or anything. Just don't put away the riflescope wet.

A lot depends on whether you have time to remove from rifle... but distilled water in a spray bottle, a weak solution of cascade dishwasher soap in a spray bottle, 1/2" sable paint brush, and rinse with same distilled water, then air dry.


Phil

I should have added that I seriously doubt the spots on the lenses can be removed.

Maybe covejeepsxj should check in and give us an update?

Hate to disagree with Ingwe but never use ammonia products on coated glass of any kind, much better for cleaning copper out of your barrel than cleaning your optics.
Been in the glass industry 45 years and nothing works better than alcohol based cleaners ....sprayway is $2 a can at Costco.

+1

Ammonia-based products like Windex can damage optical coatings. Isopropyl alcohol works very well and is safe to use on all coatings that I'm aware of.

Soft brush then lens cleaner solution and lens paper found at any camera shop.

I've always used water on lens to remove any loose debris, then used my fingers with plenty water and liquid soap, to gently clean lens, rinse well, then dry using an old SILK shirt or cloth.

Good suggestions above as well.....

Plan water is a good place to start.

A lens wipe, followed by a microfiber cloth tends to work pretty well.

Denatured alcohol on a microfiber cloth also works.

Some lens treatments currently applied to spectacle lenses are harder to scratch than actual glass............

Wouldn't dream of putting a brush on good glass. It's Q-tips for me with warm water, If it's really gunked, Q-tips with Isoprop Alcohol;
the latter will also remove tree sap off your cars and trucks.

Guess I have a hard time understanding why someone would buy expensive rifle scopes and spotting scopes and not spend $20 or $30 bucks on a good lense cleaning kit. I pack a lens brush or air bulb, micro fiber cleaning cloth, and cleaning solution in my backpack when hunting as well as in my in my range bag. That said, In the field I've been guilty of wiping snow and rain off my rifle scope with my sleeve.

Friends from a FISTV unit fixed me up with a dozen bottles of their AN/TVQ-2 Ground/Vehicular Laser Locator Designator(G/VLLD) cleaner.
Really good stuff for cleaning glass as these lasers were over half million $$$ each in the early 90s and well worth cleaning right.

g

Cotton on the end of a stick would surely do more damage to a delicate surface than the soft, flexible hair of a camel hair brush. RJ

Air gets rid of lose particles. A delicate touch with a soft brush gets rid of other loose particles. Those kits the eye doctor sells for glasses work well. I carry a Leupold Lens Pen in my pack and it works ok. On a couple occasions I have some how ended up with a glob of mud on a lens when on an ATV. It was so bad one time I pulled the scope and washed it in a creek. Talley or Warne QD rings can be handy.

I have probably used rain water or water from a water bottle and a cotton handkerchief more then any thing. I really don't worry to much about a dirty scope lens in the field, as long as I can see the moose and have a good aiming point I'm ok.

I use my snot rag. ' course all I have are old Kahles and Diavaris. The Leupolds get the finger.

Just don't use one those crappy Lens Pens with Leupold or Burris on them. Worse than useless.

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions both serious and snarky! Haha.

I used a light bristled brush to remove the loose “stuff” then plain water, then some mild soapy water and the lenses came clean.

Blow off the dirt and use my shirttail...if it ain't been cut oft agin..

g

Ever wonder how those who use them hard in nasty places keep the lens kinda clean. Those who are crawling around and those who work where the sand is blowing around..."Oh wait, I have to blow it off with a pen and then brush it clean with a soft cloth..Then I'll send it."

The campfire chronicles are always good for a giggle....

Back when I was working in Broadcasting, TV news, commerical production, etc. I was told to do the following:

1) use a little hand pump to blow away what you can.
2) Use a lens brush- use only the kind that has a wee bit of radioactive stuff embedded in the handle to put an electrostatic charge on the brush, and attract dust
3) turn the lens upside down and blow across it. "HA! This will put condensation on the lens and this is as pure and unadulterated as you're going to get.
4) Wipe with high-end lens paper-- always from the center outward-- never circular.

Sometimes we'd be using rented lenses cost north of $10K. I was usually working audio, so I was able to stay away from that stuff as much as possible. I knew a guy that got tagged for boogering a lens. He never worked again in the business. It wasn't his fault; they just needed to hang someone.

Having said all that, I'm not above using a cotton t-shirt on a rifle scope if I need to.

The one thing I can tell you for sure is that your worst fear is getting something abrasive on the lens and then rubbing it. I use a lot of sodium bicarb on my clothes to reduce odor. Baking soda is rather abrasive, so I'm careful to get that off first before tackling anything else. For the most part, I live with it until after season. I use lens caps to keep exposure to a minimum.

Body sweat is another bad one. If you have sweat dry on a lens, you need to dissolve it before doing anything else. The best thing to use is water as pure as you can get it.

I mentioned the breath trick, but distilled water is also good. A steaming tea kettle is a good source. Heck, you can use spit in a pinch, but the problem is that any adulteration to the water will dry into a film. You'll just have to deal with it later.

Cotton swab? On a $10K rented lens, I'd be fired. On a rifle scope, it's up to you. The key is not grinding grit into the lens.

Fingerprints? If you've got a fingerprint or other greasy smudge on the lens, that's where I'd dig out a light Iso-Propyl solution, or maybe a light Dawn solution. Finger prints are really nasty critters and they used to eat coatings, but I think they've improved the resilience of coatings in 40 years. The important thing is to get it off quick and remove it evenly. The big bugaboo was getting fingerprints on the lights. The lens would get hot and the light would heat the fingerprint more than the surrounding glass and you could get an explosion. I saw that happen once on a Sixties-vintage TV set.

I imagine that's the way the Carlos did it when crawling around in the brush for days at a time.

I looked thru an Alaskan guides scope once. Most here would think he doesn’t know much about scope maintenance. Back then that scope had been used to send bullets at 30 some Grizzlies.

I’ve stated this before,and it was labeled idiotic,but Doug’s man from Burris told me to use 100% acetone nail polish remover,and a q-tip.Of course this was not for dried mud or similar particles on the lens,but for different substances that found their way to the lens and dried on the coating,causing abnormalities in the view through the scope.Stuff that water wouldn’t cut and lift in a cleaning.He said it was exactly what was used in the repair shop at the factory,and to avoid getting any on the seals,and any rubber contacting the lens.He suggested I try this before I went to the trouble of sending the scope back to Burris for a warranty claim.It took care of the problem,and since then I’ve used it on all my scopes.And now they all look like they did when they were first took out of the box,after they were purchased.
I’ve got some older,cheap scopes that,on a whim,I went a step further with.After cleaning the lens with the acetone.I took a small soft cloth with a tiny amount of Turtle wax,and worked a layer of it into the lens.It seemed to help with some light scratches left on the lens from wiping with a shirt tail while in the field,and definitely helps while using it in the rain.I would never use it on a newer,more expensive scope.But it seemed to help some old Bushnells and Weavers that are due to be replaced anyway...

"Ach, is blinding! Is new American weapon! No, is Turtle Wax!" Anyone else remember that radio commercial?

For a little fun , I put some Vaseline on the scopes my hunting pards....first day of Wisconsin Deer Season.

I’ve got to remember this...

Micro Fiber cloth is the answer you seek.

Add a bit of distilled water from your breath and it as good a new.

Refer to Bull 64.

Yeah, a guy who worked for Leupold decades ago once told me, "which does a better job of cleaning your ear, a q-tip or a brush, and which is gentler?"

For most of you guys here I'd say your own Buffalo Breath and a snot rag.

For my Leica and Zeiss stuff I use this and/or a micro-fiber cloth::