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How to Clean Fungus on a Lens

As with many things in life, prevention instead of cure is the preferred path for keeping your lens free of fungal growth. In this case prevention involves keeping your camera gear in a dry, dust-free environment, such as a camera bag, so that airborne fungus spores cannot infect the lens or any other part of your camera. However, if a fungus does take root on the surface of your lens, you should remove the biological organism before the infestation has penetrated the lens coating or lens body.

Things You'll Need

Distilled water
Ammonia
Hydrogen peroxide
Strong spirit vinegar
Microfiber cloth or towel
Sunlamp

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the lens (if possible) and examine the front and rear elements closely to determine the extent of the fungal growth. If the lens coating has been broken down, the camera and/or lens will have to be taken to a professional to be repaired and re-coated. In most cases this solution is very expensive.
- 2
  Disassemble the lens, if possible. Only limited cleaning and fungus removal can be performed on lenses that are not interchangeable or come apart easily.
- 3
  Mix up some hydrogen peroxide and ammonia to soak the infected lens elements. According to the Leica camera company of Germany, the anti-fungal mixture should contain 94 percent distilled water, 4 percent ammonia and 2 percent hydrogen.
- 4
  Soak the lens for one hour in the ammonia and hydrogen peroxide mixture.
- 5
  Clean the lens with a special microfiber towel, which is widely available online and at a variety of retailers, including auto supply parts stores.
- 6
  Place the lens elements in front of a UV light (sunlamp) for 20 minutes in a dust-free environment to further kill any fungi.
- 7
  Put the lens back together.

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