[res3567]

People cringe when I say this, but I use canned gas (available at many fine retailers such as Wal-Mart) for routine sensor cleaning.
just do a couple of trial squirts first to make sure you are't shooting liquid from the nozzle.
This stuff isn't near as dangerous as the doomsayers think it is.

Everytime Wheatfield cleans his sensor, somewhere, a kitten dies...

HEY! HEY! I'm like Weatfield. I use canned gas as well. Just do like he says and you should have no problems! I don't!

[Kornbread]

As for grocery store optins, you could try a rubber bulb designed to be used for cleaning one's ears. Do be sure the inside is clean before using it on your sensor - do some test blows first.

I went with this option because I have these things all over the house. Kids. It worked like a champ.

Thanks for all the help!

[philbaum]

As with all sensor cleaning methods, use at your own risk and with the understanding that you can damage the camera or sensor.

Can you get a hold of a new foot pump, a new nylon 1" artist brush, and some distilled water?

The distilled water is for cleaning the brush. There will be manufacturing debris an oil that needs to be washed out of the brush. Once the brush is clean and dry, it will hold a charge when air is blown across the bristles. Open the new pump and start exercising it until you are sure there is no residue being blown out of it.

Thank you
Russell

I remember reading a post some time back asking for help. The guy had used one of these air pumps, not sure now if it was for air mattresses, toys, etc., but he had pumped talcum powder from the air pump all over the inside of his camera and wanted to know how to get the talcum powder out of his camera.

I suspect many cheap pumps may be permanently sealed. The idea of exercising the pump until one is sure there is no residue being blown out of it - unless the conditions are right, one is generally not going to be able to see fine dust coming out of an air pump. If one uses water to clean out an air pump (because you can't disassemble it) one is likely to leave moisture inside because of ball checks in the pump mechanism. Black mold will grow and then the possibility exists of blowing this mold inside the camera.

I have no doubt that some folks can safely do this by picking out the right pumps and knowing how to clean and test them properly. But i suspect many more will jeopardize their expensive cameras. My advice: be patient and buy the air blowers designed for this purpose.

Pentax warranties are unlikely to cover oil or talcum powder introduced into camera bodies by the owner, would you cover it if you owned Pentax?

[Wheatfield]

I remember reading a post some time back asking for help. The guy had used one of these air pumps, not sure now if it was for air mattresses, toys, etc., but he had pumped talcum powder from the air pump all over the inside of his camera and wanted to know how to get the talcum powder out of his camera.

I suspect many cheap pumps may be permanently sealed. The idea of exercising the pump until one is sure there is no residue being blown out of it - unless the conditions are right, one is generally not going to be able to see fine dust coming out of an air pump. If one uses water to clean out an air pump (because you can't disassemble it) one is likely to leave moisture inside because of ball checks in the pump mechanism. Black mold will grow and then the possibility exists of blowing this mold inside the camera.

I have no doubt that some folks can safely do this by picking out the right pumps and knowing how to clean and test them properly. But i suspect many more will jeopardize their expensive cameras. My advice: be patient and buy the air blowers designed for this purpose.

Pentax warranties are unlikely to cover oil or talcum powder introduced into camera bodies by the owner, would you cover it if you owned Pentax?

I'm really amazed by the lengths people will go to to avoid products that are made for cleaning the innards of electronic components. Any compressive type of pump mechanism, whether a bulb blower or a small bellows pump has the possibility of sucking dust in and then discharging it. Pumps designed for inflating air mattresses are not going to be clean from the factory, and there likely no way of getting them clean enough to be usable as a sensor blower.
Now I am reading posts about people with bulb blowers that are breaking down and spewing their guts into the users cameras.
More and more, I am thinking that my decision 6 years ago to just continue doing what I've always done with canned gas was the right one.

[kjellhar]

I know I'm a bit late to the game here, but it might be helpful for others.

If the local camera store doesn't have what you need, I would suggest a rubber bulb for ear flushing to blow the inside of the camera.

I wouldn't try wet cleaning of the sensor with anything but proper cleaning fluids and pads found at the camera store.

To clean the lens, I would try an optometrist (or whatever you call the store where you buy glasses) you can probably get some really good microfiber cloth well suited for the task. Don't use the cloth directly, but wash it thoroughly in mild soap and lots of clean water first.