Z 9 Sensor & Visible Dust Sensor Swab (no, not a custom swab, just artistic license with photo)
Sensor cleaning with Z bodies is nowhere as often nor as traumatic as it was in the days of the DSLR! I love that. If cleaning your sensor makes you nervous, then by all means you should have Nikon clean it, which is what they recommend in the first place. With that said, I still receive emails asking if sensor cleaning has changed with the Z 8 or Z 6III? The quick answer is no, the same as in my Sensor Cleaning ’19 with one, small exception. With the Z 9 / Z 8, I go into My Menu and change Sensor shield behavior at power off from On to Off. With that, I pull the battery, turn on the Z 9 Z 8 to bleed off any power that might remain in the system, then proceed to wet clean the sensor as needed. I then insert the battery into the Z 9 / Z 8, and go to My Menu > Sensor shield behavior at power off from Off to On. That’s it, nothing to it. Just keep in mind this is how I do it and is not recommended in the instruction manual.
And just as a reminder … practice your gentle touch with the swab PRIOR to cleaning. With the swab in its plastic sleeve, practice having a light touch by pressing down the swab/plastic sleeve so the end of the plastic sleeve BARELY bends with the pressure you’re creating. easy peasy!