Cleaning? - How often? What to use?

[Vince P]

Hi all, I was just wondering how often you clean your drone and what products you use?

I've only had my MM2 for a few days but a couple of days ago took off from somewhere that was very dusty, I've got some canned air so have blown out the dust but I was just wondering what people use to clean their drones?

Also what to use to remove dead bugs as caught a few flies last night!

 

[scro]

I've had my drone for more than 18mths and the only cleaning I've done has been with a damp cloth. I've probably only cleaned twice in this time, and then only when it got a bit dirty (once due to a crash, the other when I flew close to some long grass and got some grass splats on the drone).The damp cloth should work for removing bug splats too. You may need to lay the damp cloth over the splats for a bit to to soften/loosen them. I've never felt the need to use any cleaning agents/soaps.

I've specifically avoided landing on dusty/sandy ground and opted for hand-catching instead - it's easy enough to do and avoids getting dust into the vulnerable moving parts of the drone.

 

[Vince P]

I've specifically avoided landing on dusty/sandy ground and opted for hand-catching instead - it's easy enough to do and avoids getting dust into the vulnerable moving parts of the drone.

I'll be honest it was an oversight as was one of my first flights outside of my garden and excitement got the better of me! Have already started practicing the hand catching and launching from my hand!

 

[scro]

My first few flights involved taking off and landing from the ground. Even on a clean hard surface its surprising just how much grit and dust gets kicked up by the prop-wash. I pretty much exclusively hand launch/land now. I do sometimes sit the drone on the flymore case lid while it gets a good GPS fix, and then take off from there if the ground surrounding it isn't gritty/dusty. I have the mini 1 and its case is rigid and box shaped so it works well as a launch pad. The mini 2 case may not lend itself so well to being a launch pad.

 

[old man mavic]

@Vince P ,an air puffer for blowing off dust, and a wet wipe for bug splatter ,dried off straight away with some kitchen towel ,try not to use any solvent type products ,i have skins on my drones, which does make cleaning easier

 

[Phantomrain.org]

We also dont recommend any solvents , you are much better off with a warm wash cloth , were not a fan of the Air Blower unless on very low power . We also recommend you get a Wet Suit to protect your drone .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain .

 

[Mynah]

Take care when using compressed air on anyting containing cooling fans, including cpu fans, you can momentarily excel and exceed the rated rpm's of a fan to a point where it can seize when blowing compressed air over it.

As for sensitive equipment like cameras and my Mini, I prefer using a soft paintbrush for dusting and when needed a vacuum to extract dust from nooks and crannies instead of driving dust into equipment by using compressed air. (Cooling fan care also applies to vacuum.)

Lens surfaces require extra care. Every half decent optical lens or lens filter surface carries a micron-thin chemical coating to reduce glare and refraction, once destroyed or scratched it becomes a piece of glass with the optical qualities of a soda bottle. Ghost images and unwanted glare appears in images and the sun becomes the greatest enemy to composition. My golden rule is to NEVER touch lens coatings with anything unless totally needed. And that is only when a handheld bulb-blower cannot remove an accidental smudge or fingerprint. My camera lenses get a protective UV filter the moment it comes out the factory packaging, UV filters are cheap to replace compared to lenses. So when a lens or filter absolutely needs cleaning, make sure you first remove dust, then only use dedicated lens cleaning fluid to minimize destruction of the coating.

 

[StantonZ]

I've specifically avoided landing on dusty/sandy ground and opted for hand-catching instead - it's easy enough to do and avoids getting dust into the vulnerable moving parts of the drone.

Much safer/easier to invest in a (fold-up) landing pad. I even keep a spare pizza box around for the (rare) impromptu launch from the backyard/fontyard grass.

 

[scro]

Much safer/easier to invest in a (fold-up) landing pad. I even keep a spare pizza box around for the (rare) impromptu launch from the backyard/fontyard grass.

I find hand launching/landing very easy and don't consider it unsafe for a drone the size and power of a mini. I use these methods for the vast majority of my flights and am well aware of the benefits and risks (eg hand injury, dropped drone). In well over 100 launches/landings I've not felt I'd be better off getting a landing pad. I find that hand launching/landing is a good skill to practise and maintain, because there are some situations where it may be the only practical option.

However, everyone has their preferred way of doing things and for those who don't feel safe or confident launching/landing from their hand then a landing pad is probably a good investment ?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Landing pads are great but you will find that the Real mess is when you hit some kind of freak show in the sky.

This happened last night as i was testing out the New Smart Controller update.
I just rinsed it off to start with , it was a wreck. Thank full to have the prop covers and the Wet Suit.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. or thru a freak show in the sky.

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[GadgetGuy]

Landing pads are great but you will find that the Real mess is when you hit some kind of freak show in the sky.

This happened last night as i was testing out the New Smart Controller update.
I just rinsed it off to start with , it was a wreck. Thank full to have the prop covers and the Wet Suit.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. or thru a freak show in the sky.

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Were those cicadas? Like flying through mortar rounds!

Only time I need to clean the drone itself is to remove cellulose from unintentional tree trimming ? and the occasional swarm of insects, and a little windex applied to a microfiber cloth usually does the trick! Otherwise, I use a lens pen or a lens cleaning packet to keep the front UV filter on the camera clean, or the lens itself, if it has no filter, like the Mini 2. Also, always launch from a clean, dry, raised level surface, and hand catch to avoid dirt and debris (unless you have a Wet Suit!).

 

[shaneb50]

I use a wet papertowel to whipe off dirt and bugs. And I a small fan to clean the motors on low speed.it barely puts out any air.so it won't damage anything.i have so much fun with my mini 1 and mini 2 drones.

 

[danny_2020]

I clean my drone after EVERY flight, and use the cloth that is used to lean dirty reading glasses. I think that you shouldn't use liquids as they might damage the drone but I could be wrong

 

[beeflyin]

We also dont recommend any solvents , you are much better off with a warm wash cloth , were not a fan of the Air Blower unless on very low power . We also recommend you get a Wet Suit to protect your drone .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain .

This is what made my drone sticky. Can't get off residue from the wet suit. Help!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

This is what made my drone sticky. Can't get off residue from the wet suit. Help!

Just use a touch of goo gone, it wont hurt the drone and it will wipe off clean.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[Deleted member 154384]

always taking off from the folding pad and landing on the hand. I have never found my mini 2 dirty, but after every flight I always clean it using a blower on the gimbal and motors. I also applied a protective glass to the camera.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Just use a touch of goo gone, it wont hurt the drone and it will wipe off clean.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

The nasty smell GooGone leaves behind, on the hands and the drone, can be an olfactory challenge! It gets the job done, though!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

They have had the Citrus out now for a few years now an we use that in the Kitchen to de stick the fridge , works nice and leaves the smell of oranges around, not to bad.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[GadgetGuy]

They have had the Citrus out now for a few years now an we use that in the Kitchen to de stick the fridge , works nice and leaves the smell of oranges around, not to bad.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

Thanks! I'll have to pick some up!
My old GooGone bottle is almost AllGone, and 25 years old!