General care and cleaning.
Your PS-150 PocketScope® is fully immersible in fresh water, salt water, and soapy (detergent) water. Simply rinse or wash off any dirt or contamination on the outside or inside of the unit. Do not use abrasive cleaners on the PocketScope. To clean the lens follow the directions below.
Protect the PocketScope from extreme heat. Like anything you value, don't leave it in a hot car.

Removing a broken slide.
If a slide breaks while in the PocketScope, open the cover of the PocketScope over a trash can and turn the PocketScope face-down to empty out the larger pieces. Tap the back of the PocketScope to dislodge as many smaller pieces as possible, then wash out any remaining small slivers with a stream of water from a tap. Shake out any excess water and let the PocketScope dry.

Determining if the lens needs cleaning.
Because it does not have soft optical coatings, the PS-150 lens is not as delicate as the lenses of conventional microscopes, but it is better to not clean it unless needed. Before attempting to clean the lens, first determine if the lens is dirty. The lens is probably dirty if:

• You see a gray or black spot or an area that does not move when the slide moves.
• The underside of the lens was touched. A fingerprint on the lens will make the image appear dull.
• The lens was touched by a liquid specimen.
• The PS-150 is dropped in mud or dirty water.
• The PS-150 is carried in a pocket for an extensive period.

You can also directly inspect the lens by using it to see itself. Do this only with a dry lens - moisture on the lens will interfere with your ability to inspect it. Open the cover of the PocketScope and look through the lens at a bare frosted light bulb from a distance of about five feet. Look through the lens from outside of the cover to examine the inside surface of the lens, tilting it in all directions to look at the sides of the lens. Turn the cover over and look through the lens from the inside of the cover to examine the outside surface of the lens (it will look like a smaller circle). Specks of dirt or contamination will show up as dark spots.

Cleaning the lens.
If you determine the lens needs to be cleaned, use any of the following lens methods according to the need and the available supplies. Be sure to clean both sides of the lens. While the PS-150 lens is very durable, it is possible to scratch it from overly vigorous cleaning. The methods are listed below in the order of the risk of scratching the lens, from low risk to higher risk. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN THE LENS BY RUBBING IT WITH ANY DRY MATERIAL, AS THIS WILL RESULT IN SCRATCHING THE LENS!

Low-risk cleaning methods.
(1) Blow dust off the lens. If available, use a pipette or compressed-air can to do this.
(2) Rinse the lens with clean water and pat dry with soft cloth, cotton ball, or Q-Tip. Some water will remain and will air dry. (Do not use facial tissue to dry the lens - it is abrasive and will leave paper fibers on the lens.)
(3) Clean according to (1) and (2), above. Make a dilute detergent solution (a small squirt of liquid detergent to a cup of warm water, mix well). Use a pipette to vigorously flush both sides of the lens with the solution. Rinse and dry according to (2), above.

Higher-risk cleaning methods.
If it appears that the lens is still dirty, try the following methods to clean it.
(4) Clean according to (3), above, up to the final rinse. Immerse a Q-Tip in the detergent solution and lightly spin the tip of the Q-Tip against the lens. If this does not appear to get the lens clean then use more pressure. Finish by rinsing and drying according to (2), above.
(5) Clean according to (4), above, except use rubbing alcohol (ispropyl alcohol) instead of a detergent solution. Finish with a clean water rinse.

If you start your lens cleaning with the low risk methods, then proceed to the higher risk methods only if needed, you will greatly minimize the chance of scratching the lens of your PocketScope®. Don't be too anxious - we have lenses that have been in service for more than ten years without suffering a scratch from periodic necessary cleaning!