Found a trick for cleaning fungus off old lens elements with hydrogen peroxide

Last month I picked up a beat up 50mm f1.4 from a flea market in Portland. The front element had that spiderweb fungus that usually means the lens is toast. Tried the usual UV light trick for a week, nothing. Then read somewhere that 3% hydrogen peroxide can kill the fungus and wipe it off. Dabbed a q-tip in it, gently rubbed the element for maybe 30 seconds, and the fungus just wiped away. Rinsed with distilled water and dried it. Element looks perfect now. Anyone tried this on coated lenses?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaretc427d ago

Wipe gently though, hydrogen peroxide can mess with some coatings if you scrub too hard.

craig.olivia6d ago

Used a microfiber cloth with mine and it worked great.

angelamurphy6d ago

Oh man, hydrogen peroxide on a lens? I half expected you to say you followed it up with a toothbrush and some toothpaste! But seriously, that's wild that it worked without wrecking the coatings. I've got a dusty old 35mm that looks like a science experiment gone wrong, maybe I'll give it a shot. Just gotta remember not to scrub like I'm trying to erase a permanent marker off a whiteboard.