How long for factory to clean sensor?

I sent my camera in to have the sensor cleaned, and its been gone 3 weeks already. Is this normal??

It always escapes me why anybody would want to ship off their camera for weeks at a time, just to have the sensor cleaned.

It takes about a minute to do, and it takes about one cent of cost. I do it myself.

---Bob Gross---

Any online write ups on how to do it?? How often too?? If I need it done I'll do it myself too, if it only takes a little while.

Well Bob, I'll explain it to you. I need my sensor cleaned, and as I don't have an extra $50 at the moment to purchase the kit for the copper hill method, off to the factory it goes.
I have searched this forum, and the copper hill seems to be the method of choice. Do you have a better method? If so, please share it. If not, well, thanks for your valuable input. I can assure you I'll never send it off again.

Search the forum for "sensor cleaning"

Some folks have the extra $50 for a Copperhill kit. That's fine.

For the rest of us folks, we get a small bottle of lens cleaning solution (generally as part of an entire lens cleaning kit for about $5-10. Then we get a box of cotton swabs for about $1. One cleaning costs me about one cent.

Hell, I would never want to give up my camera for weeks at a time. Plus, sensor cleaning is something that might have to be done often, depending on how often lenses are changed.

---Bob Gross---

What about that Eclipse solution and those sensor swabs that B & H offers? They claim it absolutely won't streak and guarantee you won't damage the sensor. Swabs are expensive, though.

Those swabs are a scam, they're just cotton buds that are supposed to be made in a clean room. The manufacturer tries to impress people with that and ask an absolutely outrageous amount of money for them. Don't buy those swabs.

Just buy a packet of PecPads, normal cotton buds and you can make those swabs yourself for a fraction of the price. Watch out to handle the PecPads only on the edges, you don't want the fatty stuff that's always on your fingers to get on the sensor.

Thanks for your input, everyone. As I posted elsewhere, Best Buy called and told me the camera was "beyond repair" and told me to come get the xt as a replacement. I have no idea what they did to it, but I now have a new XT, so I'm happy.

if you don't trust yoruself doing it, and i understand why you wouldn't... check out your local camera shops... support the locals

So they damaged it beyond repair while trying to clean your sensor and now they gave you the XT to replace it?! You're lucky...