Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Your initial statement says it all. You "might have" dust on the sensor. All sensors have dust the minute you take the body cap off.

If you are having a hard time seeing it your images, then it is not severe enough to worry about. When you can clearly see junk in your images, it's time to get it cleaned. If have to go through the effort of using a loupe, or take out of focus shots of blank images at F16 to see dust, but if you take a shot of a landscape with sky and you don't see dust, then the dust is not an issue.

You can buy a kit that involves a bulb blower, and several solutions that can remove dust dirt and oily smudges. Sensor Swabs and Visible Dust both make effective cleaning systems.

Random crap that can not be blown off or removed with a charged device like the Arctic Butterfly, can often be removed with a Sensor Gel Stick - but that involves a soft touch, since the tackiness that pulls crud off the sensor can also be strong enough to pull off the protective cover on the sensor.

Some dirt gets "cemented" onto the surface by humidity and can only be removed with the correct solution, and sometimes, even the correct solution will not result in a clean sensor, and could make matters worse. I routinely clean my sensors, but one time I did get smearing that I could not remove, which resulted in the camera going to Nikon for a proper cleaning. You may want to read this to decide if DIY is for you.

https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/the-best-sensor-cleaning-option-i-have-ever-seen/

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Thank you, Catalint.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Thank you, Robert.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Thank you, Jerry.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Thank you, Ray.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Thank you, Gene.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

That's the ultimate defocusing.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Ben, I'd suggest using a Sensor Scope. Remove the lens, click the shutter release with the camera set to lock the mirror up for cleaning, and place the Sensor Scope in place of the lens. Switch on the illumination and you'll see the spots on your sensor. Coupled with the careful use of their cleaning kit and you can clean your sensor.
--Bob

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

A pro in our camera club cleaned ours for free he used a loupe to view the sensor and then cleaned it with one of the commercial kits, basically a few blasts of air from a hand bulb blower and a couple of wipes with special brushes. A fellow member got one of the kits and successfully cleaned his two cameras. Said it was pretty straight forward. I suspect you could just assume dust on the sensor for any camera that has interchangeable lenses. Static alone would do that. I've never seen anything in my photos that looks like an issue with dust.

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

I read all the way down the page, and finally you brought up SKY.
Easiest way to check a sensor.

The Sensor KLEAR Loupe has always worked for me.

I remember the first time I had specks on my sensor, I paid $65.00 for a cleaning and also had to travel 100 miles round trip to get it cleaned.
I had to leave the camera for 2 hours then pick it up and drive back home.
That camera store was a moneymaker.

Time got me smarter.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

That might be the Anti Aliasing filter you are referring to.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I've never had noticeable dust on the sensor of my DSLR, and only once on the sensor of my MILC. I have both set up to clean itself every time I turn it on.

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

I think you will find that the "clean itself" you are speaking of is when the camera shakes the sensor to remove dust.
That doesn't always work.
It may be that you don't remove your lens very often, if any.
One who has a number of different lenses removes the lens rather often.
Also to add, particles can stick that the sensor shaking can't remove will have to be manually removed in some way.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

It seems to me that the key to being able to clean your own sensor is the ability to inspect the sensor, before and after. A good magnifier/light is key to the inspection.

So if it were me, I would start by obtaining the inspection tool first, before doing anything else.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Great suggestion, Bob. Thank you.