Whether you wear glasses all day, alternative between contacts and glasses, or just sport a pair of “readers,” it’s important to take good care of your eyeglasses. In addition, prescription glasses are an investment, and it can take time to find and fit a pair that’s just right! You owe it to yourself to ensure they last as long as possible.
Glasses Cleaning Tips
Cleaning glasses is easy, and it actually starts with cleaning your hands! Use dishwashing liquid or a lotion-free soap to make sure your hands are free of grime, dirt, or anything else that could be transferred to your glasses. Then, rinse your glasses under a stream of lukewarm water. After rinsing, mix a drop of dish soap with your warm water to create a lather, gently using it to clean the frames, lenses, and nose pads. Rinse with more plain warm water. Once clean, gently shake your glasses to remove most of the water; then, carefully dry your glasses with a clean, lint-free cloth.
What Not to Do When Cleaning Your Glasses
While cleaning glasses is simple, simple mistakes can cause irreparable damage to your specs. When cleaning, do not:
- Use bleach, vinegar, ammonia, or window cleaner – any of these could harm lens coatings and/or lenses themselves.
- Use hot water, which might also damage some lens coatings.
- Wipe lenses without rinsing them first. Even tiny particles of dirt or dust can settle on a lens, and if you wipe your lenses when dry without rinsing, you could create a scratch.
- Dry lenses with a paper towel, paper napkin, tissue, or anything dirty. While the dirty should be obvious (again, scratches), anything other than cotton could have a rough surface that might be damaging to lenses.
- Wipe glasses on your shirt tail, or any clothing, as these likely harbor bits of grime or dust that may harm lenses.
- Spit in your glasses! Besides spreading germs, saliva may also contain oil or other damaging properties.
More Tips for Eyewear Care
Along with regularly cleaning your glasses, other good habits to develop include:
- Removing glasses carefully with both hands to avoid misaligning frames
- Laying glasses down with lenses facing upward
- Putting them in a case when not in use; use a hard-shell case to store glasses for better protection
- Checking the screws to be sure they are tight – you can even keep an eyeglass repair kit at home for simple adjustments
- Having your frames checked by an optician and adjusted as needed