How to Clean a Plastic Camera Lens Barrel

Plastic cameras, particularly the Holga, have a loyal cult following. While they are generally considered the worst cameras ever made---even according to the manufacturer---they can take some very unusual photos. The low quality actually can help produce good images that could never be achieved with today's high-quality precision lenses and cameras. Still, cleaning a plastic camera lens barrel often is necessary, and it is a relatively easy task.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lens tissue
• Soft cloth
• Water
• Compressed air
• Oil-based liquid solvent
• Q-tips

1. Use compressed air to blow away any debris and dust that may have accumulated on the lens barrel. This is the first line of defense in cleaning any lens, even a plastic one. Compressed air usually comes with an extension nozzle to get in tight spaces. Use it everywhere you can get the nozzle into. It is just air, so it won't hurt anything.

2. Use a little water on a soft cloth for most of your cleaning. Using alcohol may damage the lens plastic, so try to stay away from it. If you are going to try to use some alcohol---which cleans better than water---try a little bit on the underside of the lens barrel first to make sure it doesn't discolor the lens or make the plastic melt.

3. Try an oil-based liquid solvent on the lens if it is particularly dirty. As with the alcohol, try it on a small part of the underside of the lens first. This type of solvent can be used to clean film, so it should be safe to use on the lens.

4. Use water or the oil-based liquid solvent on a Q-tip to get into ridges of the lens and the area where the lens connects to the camera body. You also can use lens tissue since it is soft and designed not to scratch camera parts.

References

• Go Holga