Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Drone cleaning is easy and less time-consuming. You do not need any expertise and expensive cleaning tools to clean your drone. You can start with alcohol, a soft cloth, and a brush. Get the tools ready and do the cleaning job after every flight to boost the performance of your drone.
Do you want to know how to clean your drone? Are you looking for some effective but easy ways to boost the performance and longevity of the machine? Drones need regular cleaning to last long with minimal functionality issues.
The best part is that you can clean a drone at your home without spending much. Also, you do not need any skills for the cleaning.
All you need is to collect a few materials and tools, and then you can focus on regular cleaning to minimize repair costs.
In this article, I will cover the materials that you need to clean a drone. At the same time, I will discuss how to do this and when you should consider cleaning. Keep reading if you want to clean a drone safely.
Table of contents
Tips to Clean Your Drone:
When it comes to cleaning, you will have to clean your drone after covering a long distance. You need to wipe down all the possible parts that include motors, propellers, and the body.
If you clean the machine after every flight, you can expect a better performance. Otherwise, the grime and dirt buildups in the motor might prevent airflow and impact the efficiency of your drone.
There is no doubt that drones can withstand harsh conditions and normal wear and tear. If you spend only a few minutes cleaning the machine, you can reduce the maintenance cost significantly.
What Will You Need to Clean Your Drone?
For drone cleaning, you will need the following tools, and all of them are easily accessible. Therefore, you will have to make sure that you have a tool kit with all the cleaning equipment to start cleaning whenever needed without any waiting time.
Here are a few must-have tools that you can consider having in your tool kit.
- A soft cleaning cloth: You will need a soft cloth to wipe away all the debris and dust from the crevices and corners of the machine. In the absence of a cleaning cloth, you can consider using a pipe cleaner. It will serve the same purpose.
- Blower brush: You can have this tool to remove dirt from all the possible areas.
- Isopropyl alcohol: Get alcohol to clean the shell of your drone. You can have isopropyl alcohol since it can clean off grass stains, blood, dirt, bugs, and blood. Briefly, you can clean almost everything with this alcohol.
- Canned air: You can use the canned air to clean out the dirt and dust from all those hard-to-reach spots. It will help you to clean the motor and the circuit board. The benefit is that it will not damage the electronics of your machine.
- Microfiber cloth: You can have this tool to clean and wipe down dirt and dust from the motor and other parts. You can get more benefits from isopropyl alcohol if you use this cloth. You can disassemble the machine and use a soft cloth and alcohol for the cleaning.
- Brush: You will need a cleaning brush to clean the drone frame. You can use a paintbrush or toothbrush based on your convenience.
- Paper towel: You can have a few pieces of paper towels to clean the electronics of your drone. You will have to take extra caution while cleaning electronics to prevent any damage.
- Lubricant: You will also need some lubricant for lubricating the machine. Before buying any oil, check the instruction of the manufacturer to find a suitable one.
In addition to these, you will need water to remove all the dirt and dust deposits. When the drone is full of dirt and debris, you might consider using water to get a proper cleaning.
However, you will not need water every time you plan for the cleaning since water can damage electronics.
How to Clean Your Drone?
Now, you have all the tools to clean your drone. Next, we will know how to use those tools to clean the machine.
Get Rid of Dust:
Use the blower brush to remove the dirt, dust, and debris from the drone. The blower will clean the camera, and also, it can access hard-to-reach areas between the propeller and the motor. Also, you can use the brush to wipe away any debris.
Wipe Down the Machine:
Also, you can use the canned air to clean the dust and dirt deposits from the corners of the motor. After this, you will have to use a soft cloth and alcohol to wipe down the machine. If possible, you can disassemble the drone to get better cleaning.
Lubricate the Motors:
Once cleaning is done, you can use lubrication to lubricate motors. You do not need to lubricate every time after cleaning. You can do it occasionally, and if you have any confusion, you can check the manual.
Drone cleaning will not demand a lot of time and effort. However, it can save you a lot on repair and replacement. Keep all the cleaning tools ready and clean your machine after covering a long distance.
You can consider the above to maintain your drone and boosts its efficiency. However, if you want more details such as how to clean motors and other parts, you can check the following.
We will start with the motor since your drone might not perform its best without a well-maintained and efficient engine. Also, you will have to focus more on the motor and frame cleaning.
Both these can attract more dust and dirt while flying, and if you ignore the cleaning, your machine might start showing problems.
How to Keep Drones Flying When a Motor Fails?
Motor & Bearings Cleaning:
First, you will have to remove all the possible dirt and dust buildups from the motor.
For cleaning, you will need a brush and alcohol, and you can also use water and a soft cloth to wipe down the dirt areas. After cleaning, you will have to dry up the motor to prevent any water contact with bearings.
Water can damage the bearings, and if you do not have enough time to dry up the remaining moisture, you can use your car cleaner gel. It will clean the motor and moisturize it without impacting the bearings.
When it comes to bearing cleaning, you can use a cleaning spray designed for drones. However, when the bearings are full of dust, you might need to place them in ultrasonic cleaners. It is worth mentioning that you will have to check the manual to follow a safe cleaning method.
Frame Cleaning:
The frame of the machine can attract more dust and dirt. It can collect dirt particles, and if you avoid cleaning for a long time, you will have to give more effort later. For cleaning, use a brush and alcohol and cover all the accessible areas.
You should avoid using water and consider alcohol. The benefit of alcohol is that it is non-conductive and will not corrode or damage the electronics.
Therefore, whenever cleaning is due, you can go ahead without bothering much about the damage. For hard-to-reach areas, you can use canned air. It can access all the parts of the frame and ensure proper cleaning.
Propeller & Gimbal Cleaning:
You should always clean the inside of the propeller that comes in contact with the motor. Any dirt deposit in the propeller might harm the drone’s engine.
You can use paper towels and alcohol to clean the propeller. After cleaning it, you will have to move to gimbal.
You will need a toothbrush or paintbrush to remove dirt and debris from the cracks, and then you can use alcohol and a microfiber cloth to wipe down all the possible areas. You can clean the camera lens to take good shots while flying.
Apart from that, you can use canned air wherever needed. However, you will have to use it in a small amount to avoid moisture buildup.
Electronics Cleaning:
Electronics will demand more attention, and if you follow the wrong cleaning method, it might damage electrical components, and you will have to replace them.
When it comes to safe cleaning, you can use alcohol and paper towels to clean dirt and dust from electronics.
As stated earlier, you will have to avoid water since it can cause damages to electronics. Also, it is better to avoid water for the drone cleaning if you have an adequate cleaning supply.
Water can be effective to clean frames and motors. But the downside is that you will have to focus on the dry-up to prevent moisture buildup.
Final Thoughts:
You will have to follow a simple rule and consider cleaning after flying the machine for a certain distance.
There is no doubt that quality drones are durable, but that does not mean that dirt and debris buildup will not impact the performance of your drone. Dust buildups will make the motor work hard to perform well.
Also, a similar condition might block the air and cause performance issues. You can avoid these complications by cleaning your drone regularly. You can clean it every time after reaching a target.
However, if you notice dirt and dust deposit on any part of the machine, you can consider immediate cleaning.
And if you avoid cleaning for a long, it will not only impact the drone’s functionality, but it can also demand more effort and time for cleaning.
Therefore, act intelligently and clean regularly and use safe cleaning methods and tools to prevent any damage.
Happy Flying!
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