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Well, CCDs can actually build up higher energy particle deposits as I understand it (trapped in a thin water vaper/hydrocarbon slush on the CCD), and slowly become less efficient with an ever noisier look to their pictures. Seems to me that this is common under very strong light sources (like NASA's SOHO spacecraft that images the Sun through special filters). JPL/NASA periodically use what they term CCD Bakeout to "clean" the CCD of randomn trapped particles on/in the CDD's "pixel" buckets. The idea is to gradually warm up the CCD and cause these particles to evaporate off of the CCD surface/pixel buckets.
Of course, most consumer grade CCDs have a small piece of glass/plastic sealed over the CCD, so the problem isn't nearly as severe as on a high end open surfaced space telescope CCD.
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