Since I never cleaned the sensor before,I didn't have the correct tool.I gingerly pulled the trigger on the canned air before I put it up to the sensor.The air was barely coming out of the can.This little whisper of air pressure was enough to clean the sensor without damaging it.
In the future,I will have the correct tool on hand,but this method worked O.K. in a pinch. I realize that doing this still falls under the 'don't try this at home' methodology...