Help! I Got Sand in My Camera!

No matter how careful you are, accidents can happen. Somebody can bump into you when you’re taking a photo, knocking your camera into the sand; a gust of wind can appear from nowhere, blowing sand in your eyes and your camera lens; you could trip and fall...the list of possibilities are endless. So, what if the worst does happen and you find yourself with a sand-ridden camera?

(Click on any image for a larger view)

First, let’s look at what not to do if you get sand in your digital camera:

• Don’t brush off visible sand and turn your camera on to see if it works okay. There could be sand lodged into places you cannot see, and turning your camera on can do more damage.

• Don’t use a dry tissue or towel to wipe away the sand. This can cause more damage by scraping the grains of sand against the camera lens and other delicate parts.

Now, let’s look at what you should do:

• Use a blower or brush to try to eliminate any visible sand, make sure you do this very gently and carefully.

• Try to rid the sand with a lens cloth, but make sure it’s well moistened with cleaning solution first! (All of the above tools can typically be found in a basic camera cleaning kit)

• Use compressed air – extra caution needs to be taken with this option. Though some people suggest compressed air is an effective way to clean cameras, others argue that compressed air only lodges sand and other unwanted particles further into a camera, worsening the problem.

• If you really love your camera and you really gave it a good dunk in the sand, it’d probably be best if you didn’t mess around with it and you took it in to be professionally cleaned.