Whether you own the latest iPhone or another flagship phone, you probably rely on your smartphone's camera to document your everyday life. After all, many of us no longer use dedicated cameras to immortalize our memories. However, phones get dirty, and this can affect the quality of those moments. A smeared or dusty camera lens can blur and ruin the overall image quality. That's why you should clean your phone's camera occasionally. Below are the steps you need to follow to properly clean your smartphone's camera lenses.
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Four ways to clean your phone’s camera lens
Dust and dirt can be easily cleaned
Luckily, if your smartphone camera is dirty with dust and dirt, there is an easier way to fix it than removing condensation. You could simply use a tissue or the t-shirt you're wearing, but both are more likely to leave behind dust particles and stains. Instead, you can use one of the following four tools, depending on your use case.
1. Remove dust with a cleaning pen
If you have a dusty phone camera lens, a quick brushing with a cleaning pen or similar soft brush is usually all you need. Cleaning pens come in different shapes and sizes. Some have a finer brush end, while others have wider, fluffier brush ends. Use the appropriate size and say goodbye to dust.
If you do not want to buy a cleaning pen, then a clean, A soft makeup brush will do the same job.
TEZONG cleaning pen
This pack contains two compact cleaning pens that should serve you for many years. You can use them to clean the lens of your phone.
2. Use a microfiber cloth to polish away stains
If your camera lens is blurry due to fingerprints, you need to gently polish it with a microfiber cloth. Unlike tissues, which can leave dust particles on your lens, a microfiber cloth can remove smudges without leaving lint.
If you don't have a microfiber cloth, you can use any other soft cloth as long as it hasn't been washed with fabric softener (fabric softener can leave streaks on the camera lens).
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
This pack of microfiber cleaning cloths will stand the test of time and help you wipe down all your electronic devices and other items in your home.
3. For more stubborn dirt, use a lens cleaning cloth
If you've touched your camera lens after eating chicken wings, or it's just too gross to give a quick wipe with a cloth, try using a lens cleaning tissue. Lens cleaning tissues are moistened with lens cleaner and are therefore more effective against stubborn grease and dirt.
Do not use conventional wet wipes to clean your camera lens, as these often contain plasticizers that make the lens even greasier.
ALIBEISS lens cleaning wipes
$7 12 $ Save $5
This pack contains 100 pre-moistened lens cleaning wipes to keep your phone's camera clean. Just grab one, tear open the packaging, and start wiping!
4. Use a lens cleaner or a homemade version
If you don't have a lens cleaning cloth, you can also use a special lens cleaner or a homemade version on the corner of a microfiber cloth or soft tissue. Lens cleaners are usually diluted alcohol solutions.
If you don't want to buy a lens cleaner, you can make your own by mixing 70% isopropyl alcohol and distilled water in a 50:50 ratio. If you want a streak-free finish, don't use tap water.
Koala lens cleaner
$8 $10 Save $2
This package includes both a lens cleaning solution and a microfiber cloth. You can use them to spray and wipe your phone's camera lens.
How to remove condensation from your phone’s camera lens
Water damage and moisture are a more difficult problem
Not all smartphones have an IP rating, especially if it's not a flagship device. If your camera lens is fogged up on the inside, it means that moisture has entered the camera housing and is collecting on the inside of your camera lens.
To get rid of this fog, you need to dry your phone so the moisture can escape. The easiest way to do this is to place your phone in an airtight container with silica gel packets or uncooked rice (be careful not to get the rice in the vents though). These products will remove the moisture from your phone in about 24 hours.
While your phone is taking a nice dry rice bath, it's best to turn it off in case the moisture has penetrated deeper than you think and could cause problems with your device's internal electronics.
While it may be tempting to put the phone on the heater or dry it with a hairdryer, extreme temperatures can do more harm than good. If your phone's camera lens is still fogged up after a night in rice or silica gel, you should take it to a repair shop. We don't recommend taking your phone apart to wipe the condensation from the inside of the camera lens yourself (and depending on the phone, this might even require disassembling the camera module itself, making reassembly significantly more difficult).
How to protect your phone's camera lens
If you want to keep your phone's camera lens in perfect condition for as long as possible, it's worth looking into lens protectors and also the right screen protector for your phone to protect the front camera. Lens protectors are glued to the glass of your camera lens and protect it from scratches. Although they too will eventually get dirty, their main advantage is that you can easily replace them.
If you don't want to use a lens protector but want to keep your phone's camera lens scratch-free, a raised case will help keep your camera lens glass away from rough surfaces.
ESR Camera Lens Protector
$9 $10 Save $1
While this isn't exactly a screen protector, it serves the same function for your camera lenses. These are glued to your camera lenses to protect them from scratches. Since a single scratch can affect camera performance, this kit may be worth it.
How NOT to clean your phone’s camera lens
Cleaning camera lenses may be easy, but damaging them is just as easy
We've discussed how to clean your camera lens and how to remove condensation from under the glass. Now it's time to talk about how not to clean your phone's camera.
1. Do not use household glass cleaner
Household glass cleaners like Windex are often too harsh for the delicate coating on your phone's camera lens. Avoid them and only use products specifically designed for lenses.
2. Do not use rough cloths
Microfiber cloths are soft for a reason. The rougher the cloth you use, the more likely you are to scratch your camera lens. This also applies to using dirty clothes. Dirty clothes may already have dirt particles embedded in them, which can then be rubbed into your camera lens.
3. Do not use tap water
And finally, even though it's a hassle to have to buy distilled water, if you want streak-free results, you need to invest in the good stuff. Tap water contains minerals and other contaminants that will linger on your screen, leaving behind smudges or residue that can still make your camera lens look dirty.
If in doubt, let the professionals do it
Source: Apple
You may have noticed that we didn't mention how to clean the inside of your phone's camera lens. And for good reason. If your camera lens needs cleaning from the inside, we highly recommend taking it to a professional. Opening your phone's camera case will no longer make it waterproof and could open a Pandora's box.
If in doubt, get someone with experience to do it. Unfortunately, even IP-certified phones can develop condensation, and depending on what exactly the problem is, the solution may be to leave it alone or send it in for repair. Without knowing the exact circumstances of the case, it's harder to give advice, so we recommend getting an expert to take a look.
Keep your phone nice and clean
Nobody likes a dirty phone, whether it's the screen, speaker grill or camera that's dirty. When dust, dirt, grime or even water gets into these important components, they stop working properly and your phone experience is ruined. Remember to clean all the important components every now and then to keep your phone in tip-top condition and working properly.