After taking a dip in the ocean during our trip to Iceland, our tripods were badly in need of cleaning. Since it’s important to clean your tripod now and then, we thought we’d share the process on our blog. We try to clean our tripods about twice a year – more often if we’ve been shooting in sand, salt water, or swamps. Grains of sand can work their way into the grooves and threads of your tripod – you’ll know they’re in there if you hear a grinding or grating sound as you turn the knobs or make adjustments to the tripod. Salt water can corrode some metals – so you should rinse your tripod after shooting at the beach. And swamp water – well, the bacteria that grows in swamps can climb right into your tripod legs and just hang out there… multiplying happily until you open your tripod and discover that it really stinks! Cleaning the tripod isn’t particularly difficult… though it can take some time. Jay and I usually clean both tripods at once, so we set aside a morning to do it.

The first step is to take the tripod apart. Each tripod will be different – Jay and I both have Gitzo’s, but they are from different years, and the parts are different. But since they both have twist lock leg mechanisms, they come apart in the same way. We loosen them the same way we would if we wanted to extend the leg segment, and then we keep on twisting in the same direction until the leg detaches. Easy. Locking clips will require a different set of steps – some have removable screws, and some are held in by pins that are not removable. If your tripod doesn’t come apart, don’t sweat it. You can still clean your tripod. I’ll get to that in a minute.

The important thing is to keep track of where all those little pieces go, so that you can put it all back together when you are done. If you are worried about putting it all back together, take some photos for reference as you work. You may find that there are more pieces than you expected. Here’s Varina’s tripod, all taken apart. Notice that we didn’t remove the screws that hold the top of the legs to the center piece. We find that they don’t usually need to be cleaned.

Once the tripod is in pieces, we fill up the sink with hot, soapy water and get down to business. Today, we used Palmolive dish washing soap – which worked just fine. There’s no particular brand that we recommend – but you do want to use dish soap, since it cuts through grease and won’t leave a residue. I use a soft scrubbing pad to clean each part, and an old toothbrush to get the threads clean. I generally keep a small bowl of dish soap handy. I dip my toothbrush into it now and then so that I can get through the grease. You’ll need to scrub the threads carefully to remove any grease that is stuck in there… along with sand, silt, and slime. :) Then a quick rinse, and we lay it all out on a cloth to dry.

Keep in mind that rough-cut edges of metal pieces can give you splinters! Our carbon fiber tripods tend to lose tiny, sharp shards of metal from the ends of the leg segments. I pulled two out of my fingers this morning. Ouch! If you are concerned about it, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands. They’ll keep the grease off your hands and keep your fingers from getting all wrinkly, too. :)

If your tripod doesn’t come apart, just flush out each joint with hot, soapy water. You can use a small brush to get into the little grooves and openings to clean them out as well. Adjust your locking clips and slide the legs in and out under sudsy water if you can. That will help to loosen any grit that is trapped in tight places. You should be able to get the tripod pretty clean that way. Extend all the legs and allow it to dry thoroughly before putting it away.

And now, back to our cleaning process…

Once the pieces are clean and dry, it’s time to put everything back together. You need to use a little bit of grease to keep everything working smoothly. We put a tiny bit of lithium grease on the threads – you can see from the photo how much we use. A little goes a long way – and if you put too much, you’ll just end up having to wipe it off later. We put that little bit of grease on the threads and then screw the leg segments in place slowly – screwing them in and out a bit as we go to help spread the grease around. The pieces should turn smoothly… if you hear a gritty grating sound as you put the pieces back together, check for debris in the threads. You may need to do a better job cleaning. You’ll need grease in all the moving parts – there’s no need to grease screws that should remain tight. Just moving joints and twist locks.

Wipe off any excess grease with a paper towel, and you’re done! Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it!? :)

The frequency with which you’ll need to clean your tripod depends upon how you use it. If it never leaves the house, you probably don’t need to clean it at all. If you are shooting on the grass or a muddy path – just rinse the feet when necessary and you are good to go. Rain won’t hurt your tripod – though prolonged exposure to moisture will corrode some metals… so take the time to dry it off when you come in and leave it open until it’s thoroughly dry. Always rinse your tripod if you use it in salt water – salt can cause corrosion as well.

Take simple precautions to help keep your tripod clean a little longer. When we are shooting in sand, mud, or water, we always extend the lowest leg of the tripod at least a few inches beyond the mess. That simple action keeps the joint up out of the muck. If you can avoid it, don’t immerse the joint in sand or salt water. But don’t worry to much if it does get into the joints. Just take some time to clean it up and you’ll be good to go!