Proper Care and Cleaning of the Microscope

Keeping your microscope optics clean is important for high quality imaging, dust fingerprints, excess immersion oil, or mounting mediums on or in a microscope cause reduction in contrast and resolution. Today we'll show you important steps for keeping the microscope Clean. Hello, I'm Victoria San Frolic from the Core Optical Imaging Facility at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Today I will show you how to clean and take proper care of your microscope optics. So Let's get started. Proper storage of microscope components is critical for their longevity.

If the objectives are not on the microscope, store them in screw top containers. Keep condensers slides, cover slips and other accessories. In plastic bags are covered boxes.

If optical components do become dusty or coated with oil residue, it is important to clean them carefully. It is advisable to have a toolkit located near the microscope with commonly used cleaning supplies.Minimally. The kit should contain a soft brush and a puffer to gently remove particles, lens paper and optical wipes and cleaning solutions.

Other items to include might be swabs, rubber grippers, and small tools for the microscope. First, examine the surface of the lens. An eyepiece removed from the microscope and turned upside down is a convenient magnifying loop.

If there are only particles on the surface, first, try blowing them off with a puffer. If they remain, try dislodging them by gently brushing the surface with a very soft camel hair brush. When it comes to actually cleaning lenses, avoid using chem wipes or commercial facial tissue, which contains silicone-based fillers that ruin.

An objective only lens paper should be used on microscope objectives. Water soluble contaminants should be removed by gently breathing on the lens surface and wiping with folded lens tissue that has been torn at one end. If non-water soluble contaminants persist, then additional cleaning solutions are needed to apply the cleaning solution.

First, overlay the lens with a clean sheet of lens tissue. Drop one or two droplets of solution on the tissue and draw it across the surface of the lens. This process should be repeated using a clean piece of lens tissue until the lens surface is clean and smudge free.

A final cleaning with methanol may be needed to remove residue. Do not rub the lens and let no part of the lens paper touch the lens twice to clean recessed front elements of dry objective lenses or remove stubborn dirt. Wrap the end of a wood applicator with lens paper, drop cleaning solution onto the lens paper, and gently apply the applicator to the lens surface.

It is very important not to apply excess pressure and to also use a clean piece of tissue for each wipe. When it comes to cleaning the eye pieces, you can either use the lens solution or 50%ethanol. Remember to use the same technique you use for cleaning the objective to avoid scratching the lens.

When you are finished, cover the microscope and keep it covered. When not in use, You've Just learned the basics of microscope maintenance and cleaning. Remember to only use lens paper when cleaning optics.

And remember, it's important to properly store your optical components when not in use, including covering your microscope. So that's it. Thanks for watching and good luck with your microscopy.Cut.