Your binoculars face many hazards on your birding adventures. Cleaning your binoculars and protecting them from damage will help them last longer and function optimally.

Here's how:

Cleaning Binoculars:

• Thoroughly wipe off metal parts.
• Lightly brush lenses with a wad of lens-cleaning tissue or a soft camel's-hair brush to dislodge particles of sand and grit. Removing this debris prevents the lenses from becoming scratched during cleaning. Hold binoculars upside down so that dirt will fall away from the lens surface.
• Fold a piece of lens-cleaning tissue so that it is at least four layers thick. This prevents oil from your fingers from soaking through the lens tissue and onto the lens surface. Gently wipe lens surfaces with a circular motion.
• If there is a film of oil on the lens, put a drop of lens cleaner on the tissue and repeat the circular wiping movement.
• Look for dirt on all the internal optics by holding the binoculars up to the light and looking into the objective lenses.
• Never try to open the binoculars; you can easily disrupt their alignment.
• Although it's expensive, leave internal cleaning to the professionals.

Protecting Binoculars:

• Always keep your binoculars around your neck in the field. Never swing binoculars by the strap as you walk. Accidentally banging them on a tree could throw them out of alignment.
• Always tuck your binoculars inside your jacket or secure them under your arm when you have to perform an active maneuver like jumping across a ditch or climbing a rocky slope.
• Never leave your binoculars on your car seat. A sudden stop may send them flying, a sure way to knock them out of alignment.
• Never leave your binoculars uncovered in your car, especially on a hot day. If thieves don't find them, the sun may soften the lens coatings, causing them to crack and separate from the lenses.
• Protect your binoculars from rain. Water can leak into the housing, causing internal fogging and carrying in dirt, which can stain the internal optics. Rain guards help during light rain and drizzle, but they are not adequate protection for heavy rain.
• If your binoculars do fog up on the inside, set them in a warm, dry place, and they will probably dry out in a couple of days. Or leave them overnight in a sealed bag with some desiccant (available from a camera store) that will absorb the excess moisture. Otherwise, fungus may start growing on the lens coating. Take desiccant on birding trips to humid regions, where your binoculars may not dry out on their own.
• If your binoculars fall into fresh water, have them professionally cleaned as soon as possible to avoid rusting. If you drop them in salt water, rinse them thoroughly in fresh water, seal them in a plastic bag, and rush them to a professional service department immediately. Salt water can quickly ruin binoculars.