Cleaning devices and keeping them in good condition is one of the factors that increase the device’s lifespan and efficiency over time.
Not only for mechanical devices, but it’s also the same for electronic devices such as mobiles, computers, and surveillance cameras.
The importance of which device to clean first differs from person to person according to each one need.
But in general, you should keep in your mind to clean security cameras installed in your house regularly.
There are a lot of cleaning and protecting ways that fit security cameras, you need only to choose the best method and make sure it’s suitable for your device’s body, and lens.
First
Why is it Important to Clean Security Cameras?
As we know, Security cameras are an important part of any surveillance system, they are ensuring the safety and security of your property.
The importance of these devices comes from what they are providing. When a crime happens around your house, they can provide you with clear footage to help you identify criminals or vandals to inform the police about them.
Unfortunately, sometimes camera owners ignore taking care of their cameras, as a result, the cameras become dirty.
A dirty camera means, there are mud, dust, and other contaminants that obscure the view through the camera lens, making it difficult or impossible to get a clear picture.
Aside from environmental dirt, when there’s bad weather and temperatures change rapidly, moisture can build up on the camera lens which will also distort the image.
Not only that, when the camera becomes dirty it’s become the main source of attracting bees, and spiders which can damage your devices unless you keep these away from a security camera, or protect the camera in a small box.
For the above reasons and more it’s important to clean your security cameras regularly – at least once a month – so that you maintain optimal performance for the cameras.
How Often Should You Clean Your Surveillance Cameras?
There is no specific time to clean your surveillance cameras. The general rule of thumb, you should clean your system cameras and lens for 3 to 4, or 5 months. The period between the cleaning times depends on where you mount your cameras, and what they’re exposed to.
For example, if you have an indoor security system, and the cameras are mounted inside your home then you don’t have to clean the surveillance cameras every 3 months, you can increase the period of cleaning.
On the other hand, if you purchase an outdoor security system for protecting the outside area around your house, then it’s recommended to clean your surveillance cameras every 2 or 3 months.
The reason behind that is outdoor CCTV cameras are exposed to a variety of factors such as rain, dust, and mud, also bees, and spiders.
How Do I Keep My Security Cameras Lens Clean?
In order to keep your security cameras clean and in shape, you can use one of the 3 common ways to clean sensitive surfaces. For cameras lens and glasses, you can use a soft brush, microfiber cloth, or a can of compressed air. All of them do a great job of cleaning camera parts without scratching the lens or glasses.
Now
How to Clean Security Camera Lens from Dust, Mud, and Dirt?
Most outdoor security cameras are exposed to dust spread around the camera places.
Once the weather change and become windy, the soft dust lies on the camera glasses.
When it rains, the dust lying on the camera will change to mud which is hard to remove from camera glasses unless you use special tools.
However, you can avoid being in this situation by making your camera waterproof or cleaning your camera regularly and clearing the camera lens from time to time to remove dust before raindrops on it.
In case there’s mud on your cam, you can follow the below steps to clean it
- Make sure you have the right tools (microfiber cloth to wipe the glass – screwdriver – cleaning fluid specifically designed for cameras).
- Switch off your camera before beginning any cleaning procedure.
- Unplug the camera from its power source if it’s wired, or remove the battery if it’s a wire-free or wireless camera.
- Use the screwdriver to remove any covers or screws that exist on the camera body.
- Once you remove the outer part, Wipe down all internal and external surfaces of the camera using Lens Clothes and Cleaning Fluid.
- Replace all covers, screws, and connectors securely once cleaning is complete.
- Plug in CCTV Camera to the power source again, then turn it on.
These are the basic steps to clean security cameras lens and glasses from dust and mud if they are mounted outside of your home.
For more about cleaning CCTV security cameras, watch the next video
Source: ecologicaltime
How to Clean Security Camera from Bugs and Cobwebs?
Not only does dust and mud obscure the camera footage, but sometimes the bugs, cobwebs, or other flying insects are the reason for the security camera being dirty.
When you have a fixed dome, or bullet security camera that doesn’t move in any direction like PTZ cameras then it’s the perfect place for bugs, and birds to build their nests, and also for spiders to make complex webs.
After all, you can clean security cameras that have any dirt due to bugs, bees, or spiders. All you have to do is
- Get a soft brush to remove nests and webs.
- Spray the cleaning fluid on the camera glasses and lens.
- Use a piece of microfiber cloth to clean the camera parts.
Now, The camera is completely clean, keep monitoring your camera location, and once you see any cobwebs or bugs remove them immediately.
In case you have spray paint on your camera glasses, you can read our guide on How to Remove Spray Paint From your Security Camera to keep it clean.
Pro tip: if you’re busy and don’t have time to check the camera location regularly, you can purchase any camera decoration piece such as a fake bird nest, or mailbox to hide and protect the camera inside it.
For more about hiding cameras, you can read our blog post Best Ideas to Hide Indoor Security Cameras, or The top 9 Ideas to Hide Outdoor Security Cameras.
How to Clean Security Cameras from Rain Drops and water?
One of the common reasons for making security camera footage grainy and distorted is the raindrops and water condensation.
This cause only happens in outdoor security cameras as they are exposed to heavy rain during one of the weather seasons.
When the rain starts, small drops of water fail on the camera body and if your camera isn’t closed or protected enough against water, then the rain will enter the camera body.
The more rainfall on your camera the more water you’ll find inside your camera unless you put any water-blocking material on the open spots on the camera body to stop more rain from entering.
However, if it happens you can clean security cameras from water or rain with a few steps. Here are the steps
- Turn off the camera if it’s still working.
- Remove the power source whatever power adaptor or battery.
- Use a screwdriver to remove the screws and open the camera body.
- Once, you get out the camera glasses from the camera itself. Bring a microfiber cloth and wipe the glasses and the lens of the camera.
- Keep the camera parts in the sun to dry well.
- With the screwdriver, return the connectors and wires of the camera to their places, then the screws, and finally the cam cover.
Without consuming more materials, and tools you can use the above steps to clean security cameras from water, and raindrops.
There’s a simple way to get the water condensation out from the security camera is by using a hair dryer. This device is use a small motor to transform electric energy into convective heat, once you power on the device and direct it to the camera lens, the water vapor will disappear.
Pro tip: to get yourself out from involving in cleaning security cameras from water or rain, you can get an outdoor surveillance camera that is designed from water-resistant material.
Summary
In the end, Learning how to clean security camera is one of the best ways to keep your surveillance system working for a long time without regular maintenance.
Depending on the type of dirt you have, you can choose which way you’ll use to clean your security cameras. Anyway, for perfect cleaning for glasses on devices, you’ll use the same tools such as cleaning fluid, a soft brush, and a microfiber cloth.
