If you wear glasses, you will know that they are always getting dirty no matter how hard you try to prevent it. You can literally try your upmost best to never touch your lenses but somehow, they still seem to get marks and smudges on them. This is turn makes it difficult to see clearly.
We will help provide some simple methods you can use to keep your eyeglasses looking clean and pristine. Read this guide to find out the best practices you can implement to keep your glasses clean and what you should avoid doing to prevent damage to them.
Quick step guide to cleaning your glasses
Wash your hands and dry them The first vital step is to ensure your hands are clean, if your hands are oily or have dirt trapped in them it will defeat the purpose of the following steps. You can try as much as you want to clean your glasses but as soon as your hands touch the lens it will cause a smudge mark to appear. It is there for best to initially wash your hands, if possible, if you're out and about you can use a hand gel but make sure you thoroughly dry your hands afterwards.
Use lukewarm water to wash away any dirt Place your glasses under some lukewarm water, you will want to make sure it's not too hot as it could cause damage to any lens coatings that have been applied. Just rinse them enough to clear off any grime that might be stuck.
If needed use some washing up liquid You can use a small amount of washing up liquid and apply it to the glasses if it seems they are not clean enough from just using water. Don't use any brush or coarse material to clean at this point as it could leave marks. Simply use your fingers to very lightly rub and clean, make sure you don't apply too much force or pressure on the actual lenses or the nose bridge. Once done wash away any remaining soap using lukewarm water.
Dry with a microfiber cleaning cloth You will want to dry the glasses with a cleaning cloth, you can use the specific one provided with your glasses. If you do use that ensure you leave it to dry afterwards before using again. Once dried hold the lenes up against some light and inspect for any marks or smudges. Use the cleaning cloth some more to get rid of any persistent smudges if required.
Optimal method on how to clean your glasses lenses
Again, wash your hands and dry them As mentioned above you will want to ensure you are not going to constantly smudge or smear your lenses so you will want to ensure you wash your hands fully before starting. Use soap with water to give your hands a good clean, then dry them off using a towel which does not leave any lint or fibres.
Use a lens cleaning spray It is important you use a specifically formulated lens spray designed for cleaning glasses. There are many brands and price points you can choose from, as long as it is designed for cleaning glasses lenses you should be fine. Spary a small amount on each side of the lens, so the front and back, then use a lens cloth to wipe off the solution. Use a small amount of pressure with your fingers when doing so and gentle movements to prevent any damage.
Ensure a streak free finish With the lens cloth wipe off any excess lens spray from the lenses. If you used too much initially this will just soak the cloth and make it difficult to fully dry, so it's better to use less initially and apply more if needed later. Finally, hold the lenses up against some light and confirm the lenses are now crystal clear.
Notes to be aware of regarding glasses lens
It is to be noted that if you have actual scratches on the lenes no amount of cleaning will remove them. Fine scratches could occur if you used improper methods to clean, such as using your shirt to quickly wipe your glasses or not storing your glasses correctly. You might come across guides online advising to use toothpaste or baking soda to try and grind down the scratches. We highly recommend you do not follow such guides, doing so could cause even more scratches and damage to the lens and coatings.
Once a lens has some scratches there is nothing much you can do to remove it, if it is impairing your vision and clarity, you should visit your opticians promptly. They will firstly give your lenses a good clean and inspection to validate and confirm if it is scratched. If it is the case, you will need to get a new lens made. This can easily be done, and the optician will be able to fit them to your existing frame.
Don't use hand wipes or wet wipes to clean the lenes as they could cause damage to the specialist coatings on the lenses. Only use lens solutions which are designed for glasses lens to prevent any issues.
Only make use of microfibre lens cloths and don't use random clothes or materials no matter how soft they feel. You might think using a soft cloth or even a soft tissue will be safe but depending on how strong your anti-scratch coating is or if you even have one to begin with, you could cause very small fine scratches from doing so.
The best thing to do is to take good care of your glasses to begin with. You should think about glasses as something vitally important for your daily life, so you would want to take good care of them. They could be some cheap glasse