How Do You Get Sand Out Of Binoculars?

If you are taking your binoculars with you out on your adventures, so that you can observe the wilderness first-hand, then the chances are that your binoculars will get dirty every now and then. After all, it’s just you and the great outdoors, and sometimes weather conditions and terrains aren’t exactly the friendliest.

From getting your binoculars wet, to getting them stained or dirty, or to even having them get covered in sand, which is definitely one of the worst ones…the answer is to give your binoculars a thorough clean in the appropriate manner as soon as you get home.

With sand, particularly, it will often require a thorough and deep clean of the entire binoculars, as sand is very well-known for getting absolutely everywhere. Sand can get into almost any crack or crevice, and it can cause significant damage to your binoculars, especially to the eye lenses when it scratches against them.

So…how do you get rid of the nightmare that is sand, when it has gotten into your binoculars? Let’s get right into it!

YOU WILL NEED:

A lens pen or canned air
Cleaning cotton or some microfiber cloth
A lens cleaning solution or kit

Things that you should never ever use when cleaning your binoculars are clothing items, toilet paper or tissues, dish soap and detergent, any other household cleaning products and items. These can all seriously damage your binoculars, especially as the lenses are so delicate. So stay away from these and stick to the proper tools!

HOW TO DO IT:

(A step-by-step guide!)

1. The first step, and a very important one at that, is to read the manual. Yes, it can seem pretty boring and unnecessary. But trust us, reading the manual is vital to ensure you are doing the right thing for those particular binoculars, as different designs and models are built differently.

The manual might include a cleaning step-by-step guide, or it might have warnings on what products and tools to use or not to use when cleaning the binoculars.

Plus, it might also have some instructions on how to disassemble and assemble the lenses. So it’s really important that you read it and ensure that you are doing everything by the book, literally!

2. The first actual cleaning step is to remove all dirt and dust, and in this case also the sand that has gotten into the binoculars.

For this, start by holding the binoculars upside down. Then, use a lens cleaning pen with bristles to loosen any material stuck to the lenses, such as the sand. You can then also use canned air to blow out the dirt and sand that has been loosened by the pen.

However, when using canned air it is important that you are extra careful, and that you are only using very short bursts of air that aren’t too close up to the lens. Otherwise, the canned air could cause the lens to frost up!

As there will be sand in the lenses, it is super important that you don’t straight away use a microfiber cloth to wipe them down. This is because the sand would scratch the lenses as it is being dragged and moved, which could then cause the image through the binoculars to be cloudy and imprecise.

You also need to be careful not to breathe onto the lens. When cleaning with the canned air or with the lens pen, it is tempting to get up close, so that you can concentrate and see what you are doing better. But breathing onto the lens can cause water spots that are then really hard to clean once dried.

3. The next step, once the sand particles have all been successfully removed, is to apply a cleaning solution. This can be done with the use of a cotton swab or microfiber cloth, and it will allow you to gently wipe away any remaining dirt left behind by the sand.

When doing this, it is important to remember not to apply the cleaning solution directly onto the binocular lenses. This could cause the solution to seep into the internal components, therefore damaging the binoculars significantly.

Instead, always apply the cleaning solution onto the cotton or microfiber cloth, and then use that on the binoculars.

Also, make sure you are using the right cleaning solution for your binoculars. If you followed the very first step and read the manual, then this shouldn’t be a problem.

You can also use some water, if your binoculars are waterproof, to remove excess dirt and sand too.

4. After all the dirt and sand have been effectively removed, you can use a microfiber cloth to wipe away any smudges created throughout the cleaning process. When wiping the lenses, make sure to be extra gentle, and to apply minimal pressure. It is also best to work in circular motions.

Also, although it’s pretty obvious, make sure you are using a suitable microfiber cloth that is completely clean so that you aren’t just adding new dirt onto the lenses or causing damage.

And that’s pretty much it! The rest of the body of the binoculars is fairly easy to clean from sand, as it is the lenses that you really need to worry about and deal with carefully. Make sure you let the binoculars dry completely, and then put them away so that they are safe and sound until they next need to be used.

How to prevent sand from getting in your binoculars:

Cleaning sand out of your binoculars is a bit of a hassle, and although it can be done, it is a lot better to prevent sand from getting in your binoculars in the first place. This can save you not only time and effort from the cleaning, but it can also save you from the risk of your binoculars being damaged due to the sand.

Here are a few things you can do to prevent sand from getting in your binoculars: