Just realized I'd been cleaning mirror boxes wrong for 15 years

A customer brought in a beat up Nikon F3 last month. I did my usual mirror cleaning routine - Q-tip with some isopropyl, gentle wipe. The guy watches me for a minute, then asks 'you don't use that stuff on the glass do you?' I laughed and said of course not, just the box. He told me the fluid can wick up the Q-tip shaft and hit the mirror if you're not careful. Never even crossed my mind after 15 years of doing this. Checked my old Q-tips on some test junkers and sure enough, there was residue creeping up the stick. Has anyone else had a basic habit they only figured out way too late?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahw533h ago

Watched a YouTuber do lens repairs and realized I'd been storing my Q-tips wrong for years. I kept them loose in a drawer, but he had them standing up in a cup with the cotton side up. Apparently gravity pulls any dust or crap down the shaft, not onto the cotton. Checked my stash and half of them had little black specks near the tip. Now I'm paranoid about every cleaning I've ever done.

fiona_murray1h ago

Ngl that specks thing got me checking my own stash immediately too.