Rinse aid on photo glass??

[robgendreau]

So I was messing about with my new dishwasher which came with a freebie of some "rinse aid," in my case Jet Dry. I normally don't use it, but it is free, and so gave it a try and it did seem to work.

But wanting more than my anecdotal experience I looked into the stuff, and yeah, it does seem to work. It acts primarily as a surfactant, although it also has some other stuff, like a mild acid. See https://thewirecutter.com/blog/dishwasher-rinse-aid-cleaner-drier/

I've long used Dawn and water for cleaning eyeglasses, and diving masks, and anything that hates fogging and water spotting, including my lens filters. It too is a surfactant.

So I'm wondering if anyone has every used any of these rinse aids on lenses or filters. I have been using the specialized solutions for lenses, but it bugs me that the ingredients aren't listed (couldn't find anything like the list for the rinse aid). So I wonder if I'm getting ripped off (it's some type of alcohol plus water), or if maybe it's similar to rinse aid in composition.

 

[Dr JLW]

RInse aids and laundry detergents are very effective lens cleaners, if used reasonably carefully. Borax based powers are good too because the borax is so soft. The rise aids and surfactants prevent surface drop from forming and leaving residue spots.

I do not use dishwashing detergents especially those for hand washing becuase they are likely to contain hand lotion.

Mostly I use a mircofiber cloth dampened with cleaners made for coated eyeglasses. If I don't have the fluid I'll use water or detergent if I can find it. I used to worry a lot about long tern build up of "Cleaning marks" but modern lens coatings are more robust now and how many of us keep lenses that long?

I usually clean a lens only when I notice artifacts when shooting into bright backgrounds.

I keep my lenses covered when not using them.

 

[robgendreau]

RInse aids and laundry detergents are very effective lens cleaners, if used reasonably carefully. Borax based powers are good too because the borax is so soft. The rise aids and surfactants prevent surface drop from forming and leaving residue spots.

I do not use dishwashing detergents especially those for hand washing becuase they are likely to contain hand lotion.

Mostly I use a mircofiber cloth dampened with cleaners made for coated eyeglasses. If I don't have the fluid I'll use water or detergent if I can find it. I used to worry a lot about long tern build up of "Cleaning marks" but modern lens coatings are more robust now and how many of us keep lenses that long?

I usually clean a lens only when I notice artifacts when shooting into bright backgrounds.

I keep my lenses covered when not using them.

Interesting; thanks. I have used Dawn on eyeglasses because it doesn't contain the additives. Which is why it's used as a cleaner for oil-soiled wildlife after spills, for example.

My biggest worry might be the acidic nature of the rinse aid stuff. I know a strong base might play havoc with a coating. Not as sure about the citric acid in the rinse aid though.

I sure wish some photo magazine or site might spend less time with reviews of new gear and maybe some time with say a long-term lens cleaning solution test (including DIY solutions). Would be of much more practical use to all of us than Yet Another Review of a camera we aren't going to buy. I'd say that I guess the reason it won't sell soap, as they used to say re TV programming, but in this case, it might.