Lens Cleaning Question

So I bought my mini trekker AW from another member here. I found in the front pocket a variety of items, I doubt they came with the bag, I'm guessing the other member left them in there. It'de cost as much as these items probably cost to ship them back if that's the case and I have no lens cleaning gear so I definitley could use it.

The items I found are as follows:
1 blower brush
1 book of lens cleaning tissues
1 cloth (it's blue and has a nice silky feel to it, is it a microfiber cloth?)
1 set of qtips (in a plastic package unopened
1 bottle of lens cleaning fluid

How would I use these things? What are each of them for? Can I use them on my filters? etc.

Oh, and if it helps, the cloth looks as if it's been used and re-used, which leads me to believe it could be microfiber?

The blower brush is to get rid of dust on the lens so you don't have to use anything else if not needed.

The fluid and the tissues are used to get rid of stubborn things on the lenses like oily fingerprints.

The Q-tips are to get rid of dust, grime and other stuff on the edges of the lens

And the cloth is for in between blower and fluid/tissue use (as far as need versus use or after fluid/tissue if any residue is still around from the fluid.

At least that is how I use them when I need them. Sometimes a quick blow from the mouth followed by the micro-fiber cloth is all I need clear gunk off my lens. But sometimes I have to use the q-tips, tissues and fluid to get the lens or filter clean.

Just what I do,

Longwatcher wrote in post #2200240
The blower brush is to get rid of dust on the lens so you don't have to use anything else if not needed.

The fluid and the tissues are used to get rid of stubborn things on the lenses like oily fingerprints.

The Q-tips are to get rid of dust, grime and other stuff on the edges of the lens

And the cloth is for in between blower and fluid/tissue use (as far as need versus use or after fluid/tissue if any residue is still around from the fluid.

At least that is how I use them when I need them. Sometimes a quick blow from the mouth followed by the micro-fiber cloth is all I need clear gunk off my lens. But sometimes I have to use the q-tips, tissues and fluid to get the lens or filter clean.

Just what I do,

So how would I go upon using the fluid and other stuff together to clean my lens thoroughly?

JaGWiRE wrote in post #2200752
So how would I go upon using the fluid and other stuff together to clean my lens thoroughly?

What I've done and seems to work well for me so far is ...

As far as tissue with fluid. Take a sheet, wad it up just a bit. Apply one (at most, 2) drops of fluid to the tissue. Gently "scrub" the lens element, starting in the center of the lens and working your way out to the edge in a spiral pattern. The key word here is gently. And, try not to go over the same area of the lens more than once. If you do, be sure to use a clean portion of the tissue. You can then use the balance of the tissue to wipe up excess residue and fluid film (if any).

I am sure (and hope) that if I'm doing this wrong that someone will enlighten me. So far it's worked without appearant damage to any lens, but incorrect technique could potentially really screw thing up.

When I sued the blower brush on my Sigma earlier I used it for like 2-3 minutes continously. This is okay, right? I wasn't all that gentle, but I think it's okay as the brush is pretty soft?

Quality lens tissue (such as that sold by Kodak), a good lens cleaning fluid, and PROPER TECHNIQUE is the way that I have cleaned my lenses for decades. What is "proper technique"?

First - the goal is to clean the lens (or filter - I would use the very same process) without grinding any dirt/debris into the lens. To me, this absolutely dictates single-use surfaces for anything that touches the lens. That's why I use lens tissues instead of a washable cloth or - particularly - something like a lens pen.

Here are the steps that I use to clean a lens:

1. Use a squeeze-bulb blower to blow any loose dust off the lens. 90% of the time, step #1 is all that is necessary.

2. Take a lens tissue out of the pack. Fold it once, holding only what was the ends of the tissue. You want to be extremely careful to NEVER TOUCH the areas of the lens tissue that will be touching the lens. This will avoid transferring oils from your fingers to the lens.

3. Moisten the folded portion of the lens tissue with a little lens cleaner. You don't want the tissue dripping wet, but it must be damp.

CAUTION: NEVER apply lens cleaner directly to the lens (though it won’t hurt a filter, you don’t want liquid leaking into the lens’ innards).

4. Wipe LIGHTLY across the lens ONCE with the damp tissue. Then either turn it over or fold it so that you can wipe again, but with an unused surface. You can do this as often as needed, as long as you never wipe the lens twice with any surface of the tissue. This prevents scratches. Again, make sure you never touch an area of the tissue that will touch the lens.

5. Ensuring that the lens is actually clean, use a dry tissue, handled the same way as above, to wipe the lens dry. Since you have already removed the dirt, there's no risk of scratching the lens with the dry tissue.

6. Dispose of the used lens tissues in a proper trash receptacle.

That's it in a nutshell. Simple and effective. I've been cleaning my lenses this way for over 40 years, and all of them have pristine glass (and none have ever worn "protective" filters).

SkipD wrote in post #2202588
Quality lens tissue (such as that sold by Kodak), a good lens cleaning fluid, and PROPER TECHNIQUE is the way that I have cleaned my lenses for decades. What is "proper technique"?

First - the goal is to clean the lens (or filter - I would use the very same process) without grinding any dirt/debris into the lens. To me, this absolutely dictates single-use surfaces for anything that touches the lens. That's why I use lens tissues instead of a washable cloth or - particularly - something like a lens pen.

Here are the steps that I use to clean a lens:

1. Use a squeeze-bulb blower to blow any loose dust off the lens. 90% of the time, step #1 is all that is necessary.

2. Take a lens tissue out of the pack. Fold it once, holding only what was the ends of the tissue. You want to be extremely careful to NEVER TOUCH the areas of the lens tissue that will be touching the lens. This will avoid transferring oils from your fingers to the lens.

3. Moisten the folded portion of the lens tissue with a little lens cleaner. You don't want the tissue dripping wet, but it must be damp.

CAUTION: NEVER apply lens cleaner directly to the lens (though it won’t hurt a filter, you don’t want liquid leaking into the lens’ innards).

4. Wipe LIGHTLY across the lens ONCE with the damp tissue. Then either turn it over or fold it so that you can wipe again, but with an unused surface. You can do this as often as needed, as long as you never wipe the lens twice with any surface of the tissue. This prevents scratches. Again, make sure you never touch an area of the tissue that will touch the lens.

5. Ensuring that the lens is actually clean, use a dry tissue, handled the same way as above, to wipe the lens dry. Since you have already removed the dirt, there's no risk of scratching the lens with the dry tissue.

6. Dispose of the used lens tissues in a proper trash receptacle.

That's it in a nutshell. Simple and effective. I've been cleaning my lenses this way for over 40 years, and all of them have pristine glass (and none have ever worn "protective" filters).

Thanks, that helps!

SkipD wrote in post #2202588
Quality lens tissue (such as that sold by Kodak)...I've been cleaning my lenses this way for over 40 years, and all of them have pristine glass (and none have ever worn "protective" filters).

Doesn't this make you feel like the 'old man' passing on the oral tradition to the kids, to make sure the old ways are preserved and continued because they still are the best ways?!?!?!

Kinda like preaching about oil changes in engines every 6000 miles, in spite of the manufacturers' BS about 'low maintenance' 15k mile intervals and BS about 'permanent transmission fluid'

Wilt wrote in post #2202725
Doesn't this make you feel like the 'old man' passing on the oral tradition to the kids, to make sure the old ways are preserved and continued because they still are the best ways?!?!?!

Kinda like preaching about oil changes in engines every 6000 miles, in spite of the manufacturers' BS about 'low maintenance' 15k mile intervals and BS about 'permanent transmission fluid'

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SkipD wrote in post #2202777

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I like your signature, I think it really is something people should remember. No matter how long you have been doing something, things change, and you continue to learn new stuff.