Old timer told me to 'just use canned air' for cleaning sensors, but I keep seeing people swear by wet cleaning

Riley Palmer · 2026-06-22T10:05:06.312447+00:00

I was in a shop last week in Cleveland and this guy who's been repairing cameras since the 80s said he never wets his sensor, just uses a rocket blower and calls it good. Meanwhile online I see people doing these full wet clean kits with swabs and solution after every few swaps. I get that dry is safer for not ruining coatings, but what about the sticky stuff that won't blow off? He had a point about oil spots though - said most of the time it's from cheap lubricants inside the camera, not dust. So is dry-only a legit long-term approach, or are we just kicking the can down the road? Has anyone else had a sensor get permanently stained from skipping wet cleaning?

nancy4753mo ago

Did that guy in Cleveland ever show you what his sensor actually looks like under a bright light? I'd be curious if he's just lucky with the environment he shoots in or if there's truly nothing stubborn stuck on there after years of dry only. The oil spot comment is interesting too, makes me wonder how often people blame dust when it's actually something greasier that needs a different fix.

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derek6563mo ago

@nancy475 unless that old timer is shooting in a damn clean room, I bet his sensor looks like a Jackson Pollock under a bright light. Either way, I'm sticking with the blower and pretending the oil spots are just "character" until my camera starts painting its own pictures.

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umathompson3mo ago

Feeling that old timer pain, it's a real gamble either way.

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