Tips for Cleaning Microscope Optics

There are several things to watch out for when cleaning microscope optics. Follow some of these tips when cleaning your microscope lenses to ensure you do not scratch or damage them.

• When cleaning a microscope eyepiece, start out by using a dust blower to remove dust particles.
• Never wipe lenses with dry tissue as it can scratch the lenses.
• Do not use any solvents before trying distilled water. A thin film of distilled water can always be created by breathing on the surface of the lens.
• Do not use abrasive materials such as a dry linen cloth to clean microscope lenses as they may scratch the surface.
• Older microscopes should not be cleaned using ethanol, diethyl ether or acetone.
• Use Clean Tip swabs rather than Q-Tips for cleaning.
• Refrain from using optical spray cans containing pressurized liquid air to clean lenses. These can leave a residue that is difficult to remove.
• Do not use acids or ammonia to clean microscope objective lenses.
• Do not try to clean internal optical surfaces, cameras or adapter optics. Contact a microscope service technician if you need to clean these items.

Contact Microscope World regarding microscope service and repair.

Keep Your Microscope Clean

Whether your microscope cost a few hundred dollars or several thousand, it is a precision instrument and a few standard practices are required to care for it.  There is no reason for a microscope to perform less over time and your images should continue to be as sharp as when you first acquired it with only a small amount of maintenance.

The most important thing is to keep the microscope clean, so cover it when not in use.  Most microscopes have dust covers which come with the microscope. These protect the eyepieces and objectives from dust and debris that degrades the image and over time will affect the working mechanisms.  If you don’t have a cover you can order a replacement or use an over-sized clean plastic bag that will cover the instrument. Even though the microscope can be and should be cleaned when needed, it is preferable to maintain a protected environment for the optical elements.

Store the microscope in the most protected place possible.  A closed cabinet or microscope case is ideal.  A garage or hot attic could be disastrous.  A microscope uses rubber-like seals on the objectives which will degrade in a hot and dry area. Also, the internal grease used to coat the gears in the focusing and stage control will also dry out.

If you use the oil immersion lens (@100x), make sure you wipe the immersion oil off before putting the microscope away.  Wipe away any spills on the stage. If not cleaned, the oil will harden and attract dust and other debris.

This microscope image captured at 40x shows the distracting debris in the field of view and would be considered a poor photo-micrograph.

This is a much better microscope image where the debris has been cleaned off the microscope objective.

The dust on the eyepieces can be cleaned with an air blower (included in this microscope cleaning kit), or canned air canister. Be very careful to hold the can upright as you use it. Keeping your microscope clean from the start will pay off many times over.

Microscope Troubleshooting

When using your microscope you may run into a few problems once in a while. Below are some hints for ensuring that the image seen through your microscope is clear and in-focus.

Problem #1: Trouble viewing anything at the highest magnification.
Solution: Make sure you focus on the image at the lowest magnification first, then move up to the higher magnifications.


Problem #2: There is a black spot in my field of view.
Solution: Try moving the slide while looking through the microscope. Does the spot move? If so, clean your microscope slide or cover slip. If the spot does not move, rotate your eyepiece. Did the spot move? If so clean your eyepiece. If not, clean your objective lens. A microscope cleaning kit is good to have on hand.

Problem #3: Image is very dark through the eyepiece.
Solution: Check to make sure that the light is turned on. Is the rheostat control on the light really low? Try turning it up higher. Is the diaphragm open? If not open it up slowly as you look through the eyepiece. Is there a filter covering the light? If so, remove it.

Problem #4: When looking through the microscope eyepiece the image looks like a half moon - one half is dark.
Solution: Check to make sure that your objective lens is clicked fully into position.

Can't figure out something else? Send us an email and we will try to help you out.