MLG

I just soak my micro fiber cloths in warm to hot water for an hour or more. If you use any soap there is a risk of getting soap residue on the lens and usually the cloth is not that dirty that you need more than warm/hot water. Then ring out the water and hang to air dry. Then put each cloth in its own small vitamin plastic zip lock bag to keep them clean and I number the bags so I know which ones I have used. When I clean a lens I first blow off with a bulb blower any loose dust, then use a soft brush to loosen any other dust and then blow off dust again. Then spray some cleaning solution on a lens cloth that is in a zip lock bag marked as wet and in a circular motion lightly clean the lens. Then I use another cloth from a zip lock bag marked dry and lightly wipe off the lens in a circular motion. Then I blow off any dust left from the cloth. I wear a LED headlight while cleaning so I can make sure glass is perfectly clean. When cleaning my lens at home I use a electric blower that removes the dust better than the bulb blower. The electric blower is at www.metrovacworld.com and is called metro DATAVAC electric duster and it works great when also removing loose dust on a DSLRs mirror and sensor.

MichaelH Loc: NorCal via Lansing, MI

Respectfully asking -- how would you know that the new cloth did not have something detrimental to the coating on your lens when it comes to you straight from the factory in pristine condition? If you can "trust" the manufacturer why would it be so hard to "trust" that you cleaned the cloth and left no detrimental residue? Remember in 2010 McDonald's had to own up to cadmium on children's Shrek cups. I doubt that Ronald McDonald knew that there was cadmium on the cups but it was there.

A more conservative approach might be to clean the cloth when you get it new to remove anything left from the manufacturing process. Or use individually packaged lens wipes from Zeiss or Hoodman Lens Cleanse wet and dry packets and toss when done.

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

I do to in a pinch, just don't use dirty draws :) when your tee shirt is to soiled.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

This is what I do. I also use the lens cloths that I get from my optician. For those concerned about this, you need not be: the polycarbonate lenses in my glasses are way more susceptible to scratching than a photographic lens. Not even close. If you can scratch your camera lens with a clean optical cloth, then you either have a very cheap piece of “glass” or you don’t know how to clean a lens.

FiddleMaker Loc: Merrimac, MA

Are lens cloths some sort of special micro-fiber cloth ?? I bought a bag full of "micro-fiber" cloths from Home Dope (Home Depot) but have never used them on my lenses.

Daisy Dog

Try ZEISS lens wipes. Lovely little pre-moistened wipes packaged similar to condoms. A box of 50 is $2.97 at Walmart in the optics section. They are reusable but at that price why bother?

FiddleMaker Loc: Merrimac, MA

We have a "Wally-World" close by. Then again I could get something like this a Hunt's Photo & Video.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I always have a bunch in my bag.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

I lead photo tours in a rain forest. During cruise ship season, on a wet week, we can use a few hundred micro fiber towels. We buy them in big packs at Costco. People sometimes use them to wipe things other than cameras or drop them on the trails, or use them to kneel and sit on to keep themselves dry. We deal with a lot of dirty lens towels. I just heave them in the washing machine with a little detergent (what's ever handy) and let it go at that. If they don't look good after a wash and dry I throw them away. The bright yellow towels also make my guests easier to spot if we have to walk through a crowd. Thats just a little added bonus. Here is a picture of some of my guests and their towels.
..Cam

(Download)

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

If one knows what they are doing, there is no risk to one's lenses. Some choose to get something new each time because they either have a difficult time learning or do not even care to learn how to mitigate any of the risks involved. If one is willing to think and learn what needs to be done, there is no risk to one's lenses. Neither attitude is "wrong"; one style just saves one a little more money over time.

folkus

I have heard that you should never put them in a dryer to dry. Always just air dry.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

When I first got into photography, 50 years ago, I would blow the dust off the lens, then take a sheet of Kodak cleaning tissue and place a drop of Kodak lens cleaning fluid on the paper and gently swab the lens. Nowadays, I use the rocket blower, then the brush on my lens pen, then use eithr the micro fiber end of the lens pen or my Nikon micro fiber cleaning cloth with a drop of cleaning fluid on it. Seems to work well.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

About thirty years ago I leaked cleaning fluid all over the inside of my camera bag. Not cool. Vowed never to carry it again. After blowing dust off the glass, I just breath on it and wipe carefully in a circular motion from the center out. Once, long ago, someone told me this was the way to do it.
..Cam

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field