My uncle swore by using a toothbrush to clean shutter blades

Susan Owens · 2026-03-10T04:05:07.234825+00:00

He told me last year to get a soft kids toothbrush for a sticky Minolta SRT-101 shutter. I thought it sounded nuts, but I tried it on a junker body first. The bristles got into the tiny gaps way better than my usual brushes. Has anyone else found a weird household item that works for camera cleaning?

robin9786mo ago

Saw a repair guide from a Tokyo shop that recommended a soft toothbrush for shutter blades too. They said to use it dry, no cleaner on it.

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barbaraschmidt5mo ago

What about using a clean makeup brush instead?

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blake_martinez186mo ago

My old photography teacher had a strict rule against any brush near the shutter. He said even soft bristles can push grit into the pivot points. I use a rocket blower and then a tiny drop of lighter fluid on a cotton swab for sticky blades, but only after a ton of testing on scrap parts.

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