Care and Maintenance

So you’ve probably now invested a bit of money into your new hobby, maybe even several hundred dollars. Binoculars with proper care can last a lifetime, so how do we make sure we get the most out of our new binoculars and keep our views through them crystal clear?

These few small habits will make your binoculars last:

• Keep the lens caps on or keep your binoculars in a carrying case when not in use. Binoculars can last a long time with proper care, you don’t want to scratch your lenses.
• Never wipe lenses when dry — use a blower or brush first. A microfiber cloth is a great thing to carry with you to help keep ypur lenses clean and smudge free.
• Store them in a cool, dry place (not your hot car dashboard or overnight in a freezing car!). Even though binoculars are designed to not have internal fogging, these extreme temperature changes can cause some fogging to occur.
• Also try to avoid hitting them against objects or dropping them. Doing so can dislodge or cause the internal components of your binoculars to become unaligned.
• If you get the main body of your binoculars dirty, gently wipe with clean with a damp cloth.

Another thing to consider is what harness or strap to use with your binoculars. While many come with the over-the-neck syle, for some this style can cause neck pain though. As well as the straps, harnesses have been rising in popularity, I have this style myself and find it the most comfortable style to use to carry around my binoculars. They help distribute weight, especially on long days in the field.

Lens Care:

To start, try and make sure to avoid getting your binoculars dirty or the lenses smudged in the first place. The lens in your binoculars have a coating on them that are molecules thin and can be damaged by improper cleaning.

How to properly clean your lenses:

• Use only the soft microfiber cloth that came with your binoculars or with a cloth specifically made for camera lenses.
• Paper lens cleaning towels are also a good tool to have handy to clean your lenses.
• When using liquids to clean your lenses, use only cleaners that are isopropyl alcohol based. Make sure it specifically says it is safe for coated lenses.
• First, you want to make sure you dont’ have dust or other particulars on your lenses. Holding them upside down and blowing on them can generally remove these particles.
• Alternatively, you can use a soft brush (like a camel-hair brush) to gently wipe away these particles.
• From there you can lightly spray your lens cloth with your chosen cleaning solution and gently wipe the lenses clean in a circular motion. Don’t spray the binoculars directly.

What Not to Do:

• If your lenses do get dirty, DO NOT use just whatever  you have nearby (shirt sleeve, paper towel, napkin etc). Many of these materials have a coarse enough fiber that they can scratch the delicate coating in your binoculars.
• Certain cleaning products, like Windex, contain ammonia, which can actually dissolve the coatings.

With proper care, your binoculars will last a very long time and continue to help you find birds! They are after all one of the most important tools you will use as a birder!

So before you start your next bird trip, make sure you have the proper cleaning tools handy, just in case!