After you have blown off your lens surface, you want to proceed by wiping your lens clean with a cloth. A microfiber lens cloth is the best choice.

If you do not have access to a lens cloth, then the next best thing is a clean natural fiber like a lint-free strip of cotton fabric. Don't use cotton Q-tip, as it will leave behind more lint than you're removing. Some engineering shops use a device similar to a Q-tip, but it's made of a microfiber-like substance and is lint-free.

Once you have your lens cloth in hand, proceed by gently wiping your lens surface in a circular motion. When your lens surface is clear of excess debris, you are ready to use a lens cleaning solution. I recently tested a product called Purosol Optical, which is a completely natural and non-abrasive lens cleaning solution. I was very impressed with Purosol: it did a great job of cleaning my lenses (of varying types) and is non-solvent-based, so there are no harsh chemicals that strip away protective lens coatings. Purosol is supposed to work in a way that neutralizes the molecular charge of the lens surface. This acts as a repellant for dust and debris particles, for at least a little while. Purosol is one of the few products that are good for cleaning your LCD viewfinder and even plasma TVs.

When applying a lens cleaning solution, don't apply the solution directly to your lens. Rather, apply the solution directly to your cleaning cloth, and then gently wipe the lens surface in a circular motion. Follow this action by using a dry area of your cloth to polish off the solution in the same fashion.

Stay away from solvents in general. Now that natural lens cleaners exist, there is really no reason to keep using solvent-based lens cleaning solutions. If you do not have access to a lens cleaner, then some warm and soapy water will do the job. Always make sure that you completely and immediately dry off all parts of your camera that encounter any liquid.

No matter how much you prepare, plan and obsess about all of the different things that can happen when you are using your camera gear, you will sometime find yourself in a situation when you need to clean your gear off immediately and just don't have your cleaning supplies with you, such as in a rainstorm or dusty environment. Use your best common sense and whatever resources/tools you have available to you to gently resolve the situation. If you have to wipe a lens with some piece of clothing, use the cleanest, softest and/or most natural piece of material that you have available. A used cotton T-shirt or "tightie whitys" are the best non-lint cotton fabrics you can grab. Additionally, try to use a fabric that is dry, or you will likely do more damage than good, as you won't be able to successfully capture additional footage through a saturated lens.

After you go through the cleaning and maintenance part of caring for your camera, put it away safely. Having a secure place to put your camera gear is one of the best ways to properly maintain equipment for as long as possible. The best place is not your desk or closet, but a secure hard-shell camera case with a foam interior that can be custom-molded to your camera. When you store your camera, don't place cleaners or any potentially damaging materials or items in the case with your camera, as a single leak can be catastrophic to your precious equipment. Another option is a simple camera case. A bag with some ample padding will work as a camera case, but there are also numerous varieties of camera bags made specifically for different-sized cameras.

For get-up-and-go shooting, I use a LowePro camera backpack that fits a Digital SLR still camera, lenses and accessories in the bottom section, a mid-sized video camera and accessories in the upper section and a laptop computer in its top section. It is water-resistant (not waterproof), but it really holds a substantial amount of equipment and protects it while it is in immediate use. I still remove my equipment from the backpack and store it properly in a hard case after I use it.

There is no substitute for proper care and maintenance cameras and lenses. Taking the time to clean and properly store your equipment before and after each use will make activities like lens cleaning less arduous and will ultimately result in having your equipment last long enough to be outdated by a newer technology or format. Remember, It is profitable to be a bit obsessive about keeping your camera equipment in the cleanest and best overall condition possible.

Brandon Pinard is an independent video producer.