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Is it possible to Wash/Restore a greasy microfibre lens cloth (1 Viewer)

Rathaus

Rathaus

Well-known member
Maybe a silly question...but

Just wondering about this...I've got quite a few laying about...some with a few grease smears from wiping old optics etc.

Is there a detergent or hot machine wash you can use to clean these cloths thoroughly...so you'd be happy to use them on a fresh good lens....or give it a miss?...use them, essentially, as disposable wipes?


Which brand do your trust most on your good glass?....I am referring to minimal use here...but sometimes glass just needs a gentle clean.

Cheers
Rathaus
 
Last edited:
Rathaus said:
Maybe a silly question...but

Just wondering about this...I've got quite a few laying about...some with a few grease smears from wiping old optics etc.

Is there a detergent or hot machine wash you can use to clean these cloths thoroughly...so you'd be happy to use them on a fresh good lens....or give it a miss?...use them, essentially, as disposable wipes?


Which brand do your trust most on your good glass?....I am referring to minimal use here...but sometimes glass just needs a gentle clean.

Cheers
Rathaus
Click to expand...
Not sure if i'd risk it if they had got greasy, although there's nothing to be lost by running them through a hot wash and see what happens; it should be obvious if it hasn't worked!
I like the Viking microfibre cloths - they have a degree of absorbency if dabbing moisture off a lens in the field as well as being effective cleaning cloths and seem to handle the occasional 30degree wash cycle fine.
 
You can was microfiber cloths in the washing machine. It is good to use liquid detergent, and don't use rinsing agents. To be on the safe side, have your machine use all of the available rinse cycles, and obviously do not was the lens cloths together with your muddy outdoor clothes.

We regularly wash the microfiber lens cloth my wife and I use for cleaning our eyeglasses, as well as the ones I use for binoculars and telescope, and have had no adverse effects. In fact, using an unwashed cloth is more of a risk, since it may have become contaminated with abrasive dust, and will certainly be greasy enough already that you end up rubbing more than you should with it.

Kimmo
 
I absolutely agree with Kimmo and we do exactly as he states with the addition of a final rinse by hand underneath a running tap.

Lee
 
Thanks a heap folks. I might even put the machine through an empty wash to get it all flushed out first. Also the extra rinse - great idea thanks.

Cheers
Rathaus
 
Troubador said:
I absolutely agree with Kimmo and we do exactly as he states with the addition of a final rinse by hand underneath a running tap.
Click to expand...

Same here.

Most of my microfibre cloths were bought immediately when they first came onto the market something like 20 or more years ago. Marketed by Leica at the time, well before the other manufacturers started offering them. And, as everything marketed by Leica, sold at ridiculous prices.

I still use them.

Hermann
 
My micro-weave cloths are simply washed by hand with any liquid soap and rinsed thoroughly and air dried. One thing I do is store them into a zip-lock bag. Also, when carrying them on my person, I use a very small zip-lock bag which keeps them clean and grit free.

John
 
That hand-wash will probably work good, but IF the grease has quantity to it
and it isn't skin oil:

Start outdoors, wetting with lighter fluid,
then rolling into paper towel and pressing hard (if there is a lot of greasiness),
unroll and let dry.

And then the hand-wash.
 
John Dracon said:
My micro-weave cloths are simply washed by hand with any liquid soap and rinsed thoroughly and air dried. One thing I do is store them into a zip-lock bag. Also, when carrying them on my person, I use a very small zip-lock bag which keeps them clean and grit free.

John
Click to expand...

I have always used John's method with good results, but can I make an important suggestion to aid lens longevity. WASH THE CLOTHS BEFORE THEY THEY LOOK AS IF THEY NEED A WASH - wash them often.

Stan
 
John Dracon said:
My micro-weave cloths are simply washed by hand with any liquid soap and rinsed thoroughly and air dried. One thing I do is store them into a zip-lock bag. Also, when carrying them on my person, I use a very small zip-lock bag which keeps them clean and grit free.

John
Click to expand...
I wash mine in the same way as you.
 
My microfiber clothes stays really clean, because I use my sweat stained t-shirts (or whatever i am wearing then) to wipe my lenses.

That said, I carry my microfiber cloth stuffed into plastic film canisters. More durable than ziplock bags which tear up after a while.
 
1000 uses for lighter fluid

OPTIC_NUT said:
That hand-wash will probably work good, but IF the grease has quantity to it
and it isn't skin oil:

Start outdoors, wetting with lighter fluid,
then rolling into paper towel and pressing hard (if there is a lot of greasiness),
unroll and let dry.

And then the hand-wash.
Click to expand...

Mate, have you thought of authoring a book called "1000 Uses For Lighter Fluid"?

Seriously, could you brush me up on just a couple you've mentioned lately. I've got the stuff lying around.

I do find it hard sometimes to get the grease off lenses. It only takes a smidgen from the ocular housing to contaminate the cloth and there it is on the lens. I worry about the coatings...wiping for ten minutes is no good...isopropyl alcohol doesn't remove it like I thought it would.

So, lighter fluid. It won't melt my coatings? I may be a doofus, but you do call yrself a Nut, so I'm double checking here before I unleash the fluid on my lenses :-O
 
It's good to ask!
You are correct about isopropyl..it doesn't get all greases.

Yes, it's actually excellent on grease, no trouble for coatings,
and less risky on paints than acetone. It (naptha) has been used in the
past on Zeiss and Olympus microscopes in labs.

It has its own 'niche' in cleaning. It won't remove tear-crust from eyepieces
as well as Windex(ammonia cleaner), but it's a good 'special team player' when
you have real grease or oil, and even isopropyl or acetone just pushes the gunk around.

Typical use is:
---a gentle wiping and drying of the grease smudge using just a little lighter fluid on a swab..
(damp then dry)
---then a quick followup with iso or Windex.
It takes almost all oily stuff away.

I have been intensively cleaning
eyepieces and focuser tubes lately....regreasing or
salvaging for telescope duty...
I used WD40 before, but it leaves a lot of residue that
can crawl around the lenses.
You could use acetone, but acetone evaporates
much faster, so you can make a pretty noxious cloud.

It needs a little ventilation.
Not as much as acetone, but you want to use it sparingly.
And....yes, it's flammable. Beware the sparks of winter.
 
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