The right way to clean your glasses and yes, you’re probably doing it wrong.
If you’re like 99.9% of the people today, right now before reading this you’re reaching down to use a shirt to clean your glasses. Well, did you know that’s about one of the worst ways to clean your specs?
It turns out shirts are a nefarious landscape. First of all, if you’re shirt isn’t 100% cotton or microfiber it can be filled with fibers that actually cause scratching on your lenses. Secondly, your shirt is probably dirty. Sorry, but that nacho grande plate you just wolfed down left a cloud of oil and nacho dust (we don’t know nacho dust is a real thing, but you get what we mean) on your shirt and now you’ve just ground it into your new pair of Ray-Bans.
And if you’re spitting on your lenses to give them a “wash” well, gross!—not only are you getting nacho-germs near your eyes, the enzymes in your saliva can eat away the anti-scratch coating on them.
Now that you’re more aware of your cave-person ways and ready to leave them behind, let’s go over the right way to clean your glasses, so you can always keep them looking sharp and protect that investment.
Rinse your glasses.
No ifs, ands, or buts about it, always get your glasses wet every time you clean them. This rinses any debris off the lenses and gives you a clean surface to wipe dry. If a sink or water bottle is nearby, use some warm water. Use a tiny dollop of non-citrus dish soap and that works, too.
Rock that micro-fiber.
Once your glasses are rinsed, only use microfiber lens cleaning cloths and lens cleaning solution on them. Don’t ever use ammonia, bleach, vinegar, window cleaner or nacho spit, because those compounds are too harsh and can harm the lenses and erode any anti-glare coating that may be on them.
Wash every day.
Wash your glasses at least once a day and that will keep your lenses in their optimal state. There’s no good saying like “an apple a day keeps the eye-glass doctor away,” but the cleaner your glasses, the less your eyes have to strain to see through smudges, dirt, and dust—and that can be critical to your performance if you’re wearing sunglasses for sports.
Store and protect your glasses.
Whoah, boss! Did you just throw those Oakley’s up on your dashboard? That’s a sure-fire way to get them softened up in the hot sun and bent. Always remember to store your glasses when you’re not wearing them. Not only is it a great way to keep them debris-free, but it keeps them from getting dropped, bent or broken. For glasses you don’t wear all the time, microfiber pouches are great to keep at your office desk or nightstand.
Now that you know how to safely eat nachos and keep your glasses clean the right way, you can keep them looking clear and great for years to come.
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