What — I Have to Clean My Camera Gear? Really?

Send us Fan Mail 🧹 Your camera gear is dirty. And dirty gear is quietly affecting your photos in ways you might not even notice — a smudge on the lens that softens everything, a speck of dust on the sensor that shows up in the same spot on every single sky you shoot. In this episode I cover exactly what to clean, how to clean it safely, and — probably most importantly — what not to do. Because the damage usually comes from cleaning too aggressively, not from leaving things alone. **In this episode:** •       📷 Tip 1 — How to clean your camera sensor, including what to do when the built-in cleaning function isn't enough •       🔍 Tip 2 — How to clean your front lens element without causing scratches — and why the blower always goes first •       📦 Tip 3 — The camera body: a five-minute job that's worth doing every time •       🔋 Tip 4 — Contacts, straps and filters — the bits it's easy to skip •       👜 Tip 5 — Why your camera bag needs cleaning too, and how grit transfers straight onto your gear •       🧹 Tip 6 — The only camera cleaning kit you actually need 📖 Full show notes and blog post: How to Clean Your Camera Gear (And What to Leave Alone) **Related episodes:** Episode 167 — How To Care For Your Photography Gear - This Is What I Do Episode 191 — How Do I Take Care Of My Camera Lenses? Episode 193 — How Do You Take Care Of A Camera Sensor? 💝 Next episode — the bag is sorted, the gear is clean, and somehow there's still more camera stuff than you know what to do with. That's the question coming up next: Argh. Why Is There So Much Camera Gear? Please Help Me! Publishing Friday 31 July 2026. 📺 Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy 🌐 rickmcevoyphotography.com 📚 Courses 🔧 Resources  My brand new course Photography for Beginners: Sunrise in Mexico, will teach you exactly how to get out at sunrise and come back with photos you love  all told in plain English. it includes real footage of me photographing an actual sunrise in Mexico with an entry level camera. Find out more at rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses.  If you want to start taking stunning sunrise photos, and why wouldn't you,  check out my Photography for Beginners: Sunrise in Mexico course at rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses. Support the show **Get your question answered** This is what my podcast is all about: answering your photography questions. Just head over to my shiny new website to find out more about me, my podcast and my photography. Thanks very much for listening Cheers from me Rick