Noobish question here.. How to clean filters

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eurotrash

Senior Member
So, I noticed today that my filters are sort of dirty. Years of shooting my Nikon NC and Marumi CP filter in harsh conditions have led to some dust and dirt, but nothing major. I figured, now's a good time to clean them. However, I don't know quite what to use. I don't want to damage any sort of coatings the filters may or may not have on them. Any insight?:pride:
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
Just your typical liquid lens cleaner and lens cloth. If you don't have a liquid spray, use running water and liquid soap on the sink. Just use your fingers to scrub off both sides of the lens.


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aroy

Senior Member
Unless you have older multi coated filters which can get damaged, use plain running water with a bit of mild soap (baby soap is the mildest), and shake most of the water off, before wiping them dry.

On word of caution, certain spectacle lense cleaners may destroy/damage the filter coatings, so avoid all but cleaners certified for plastic lenses. With older multi coated filters, use the swipes used for sensor cleaning.

The best maintenance free filters come with anti smudge and hard scratch resistance coating, like the B+W MRC and the Hoya HD range. These just repel most of the common substances like oil, water and dust.
https://www.schneideroptics.com/Ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?CID=2127&IID=8153
https://www.schneideroptics.com/pdfs/filters/MRC.PDF
HOYA | The Difference is Clear
 
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eurotrash

Senior Member
I used my eyeglass cleaning solution and it worked great. Don't know if I damaged anything but they're clean and clear!
All my filters so far are modern designs so I don't think I have anything to worry about. My filters don't say they're coated however.. If I buy a ND filter that's mc'd, I think I'd be a little more careful though. And that's happening quite soon, lol.
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
I've used eyeglass spray for most filters as others have mentioned, but one of my ND filters explicitly states not to use any chemicals on it--just water or a rocket blaster.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
I asked my specs seller the same question, and he stated that the sprays used for cleaning plastic lenses is safe for all optical glass. It was the older solutions which were bad. But even he said that when ever in doubt use running water and mild soap.
 
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