best way to clean a red dot

I don't recall ever seeing this asked. What is the best/safest way to clean a red dot. I have a Ultradot II off of my gun in order to detail clean the pistol and the underside of the dot is filthy. I've used various mild cleaners to clean dots with ok results but what is ideal?

I use denatured alcohol a lot around my shop for cleaning stuff, give it a shot. Just some Windex will do ok.

If you use window cleaner you should probably avoid the stuff with ammonia in it,  it MAY damage the coatings on the lens........or maybe not.

Take ZEISS lens wipe, you might have already for the lens glass, and use that. Should remove most anything including the oils. And it will not harm the Red Dot.

Zeiss scope cleaning fluid and cloth...

After clean put duct tape under dot.
Next time just peel tape off.
Lamar H

I JUST bought 2 bottles of Ziess the other day!! Thanks

Lamar H wrote:After clean put duct tape under dot.
Next time just peel tape off.
Lamar H

Excellent suggestion

Lamar H wrote:After clean put duct tape under dot.
Next time just peel tape off.
Lamar H

Duck tape tends to leave a glue behind. If I were doing that I would use Gaffer tape. No residue.

For cleaning the lens on my red dots, I have been using the same Costco lens cleaner that I use on my glasses, seems to work O.K.  Says it is for coated lenses.

Lens pen.

Bill

Len!
Where’s your pen!

messenger wrote:Lens pen.

Definitely - the Nikon ones have a cone-shaped pad at one end that's incredibly perfect for getting into the shades and cleaning a round lens:

Very good topic.  In my Optometry practice, we often get complaints from patients' that their lenses are "defective" because of scratches or the anti-reflection coating is coming off.  We then ask how are they cleaning their lenses and invariably they were using Windex (or equivalent) and wiping with their shirts or rough terry cloth towels.

Wiping a lens with possible abrasive particles on the surface may result in scratches.  After surface is free of particles, use an approve lens solution.  For my scopes, I use Kodak Lens Cleaner (the label states for camera lenses, eyeglasses and other optical surfaces).

Norman

zanemoseley wrote:I use denatured alcohol a lot around my shop for cleaning stuff, give it a shot. Just some Windex will do ok.

To clarify the above is what I would use to clean the filthy underside of your dot you described, I would not use anything harsh on the lenses. Typically I use a microfiber or a clean t-shirt (gasp!) to clean the lenses and never need cleaning fluid.

orpheoet wrote:I don't recall ever seeing this asked. What is the best/safest way to clean a red dot. I have a Ultradot II off of my gun in order to detail clean the pistol and the underside of the dot is filthy. I've used various mild cleaners to clean dots with ok results but what is ideal?

First you can put a piece of tape on the bottom of the sight positioned over the breech. 
Clean any other residue with your bore solvent on a small wiper or q-tip. 

I also clean the lenses with common eyeglass cleaner materials.

There are right ways to clean optics, and wrong ways. And I've done it the wrong way enough by being lazy, or not having the right materials, to have learned the following:

The lens pen pad WILL take the coating off your optics. My advice is to tear it off and use only the brush.

And there may be better brushes to use as well.