That lens cleaning job at a flea market in St. Paul changed my whole method

Honestly, I was at a flea market in St. Paul last month and this guy hands me a vintage lens covered in gunk. I started with my usual wipes and swabs, but the haze wouldn't budge. After 20 minutes of frustration, he said 'try a drop of dish soap on a microfiber first.' Ngl, I thought he was nuts, but I gave it a shot. That cheap trick lifted the residue in seconds without scratching anything. Now I always pre-treat heavy grime with soap instead of jumping straight to solvents. Has anyone else found a weird household product that saved a repair?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

beth_stone2mo ago

You really needed a full 20 minutes to figure that out?

4

blakem822mo ago

Tried that exact same trick with a lens I picked up at a goodwill once lol. It was this old Pentax 50mm that looked like someone wiped peanut butter on the glass. Dish soap and warm water worked better than any lens cleaner I had sitting around. Now I keep a tiny spray bottle of diluted soap in my bag for garage sale finds. Its wild how the stuff we use for greasy dishes cuts through decades of grime better than the fancy chemicals.

2