Do you keep getting some annoying dust and specks in your shots? Your camera sensor is most likely already due for cleaning. That may sound complicated or something better left for the pros. But, it’s actually something that you can easily and safely do yourself as part of your gear maintenance!

In the video above, Nigel Danson shares the techniques that he personally uses to check and clean his camera sensor. Sure, you can always clean up your images in post processing if there are only minor spots. But over time, the dust will build up to the point that editing them out from your photos will just take up unnecessary time from your workflow.

Danson’s first step involves a simple yet hidden method using Lightroom to better check for the dust spots. He also mentioned the tools you’ll need and what to avoid so you don’t damage your camera sensor. If you want to do a more thorough cleaning with a sensor swab, he also included a quick demo on how to do it properly. Then, do the Lightroom method again to see if your sensor is clean and ready to go!