Do’s and Don’ts in Cleaning Your Glasses

People who have bad eyesight sure do not have it easy. They come across several problems when they wear their glasses, and one of the most common occurrences is when they have dirty and foggy eyeglasses. Having dirty eyeglasses is infuriating. When you have glasses on, you may recognize the small dents, grits, or grease that is stuck on the lenses. In desperation of wanting to fix the problem, you find yourself grabbing any piece of clothing and using it to wipe the smear off. But instead of resolving the matter, it just makes things worse for you.

According to Dr. Jonathan Wolfe, an optometrist in Ardsley, New York, cleaning your glasses on a daily routine is a must-to-do.

“This depends on [your] occupation, personal hygiene, and tolerance for blur, but I would recommend that the average glasses-wearer give their lenses a light cleaning daily, and their frames a weekly cleaning,” he says.

Learning the proper way to clean your glasses and what not to do is necessary. Follow these steps to clean it and make it as immaculate as it can be.

The Do’s

1. Always wash and dry your hands.

It is a common practice to wash your hands thoroughly when you want to clean something. Making sure that your hands are spotless would avoid transferring the oil and dirt from your skin. Using lotion-free soap or dishwashing liquid would do the trick.

2. Rinse the glasses with lukewarm water

Make sure that the water temperature is not too hot or cold to avoid damaging the specialized coatings on your lenses. As you do that, hold the frame of your glasses and dip it into the lukewarm water and it’ll rinse off all the gunk and smudges.

3. Apply a small drop of lotion-free dishwashing liquid on each lens, then rub the frames with soap.

Since most of the dishwashing liquid is concentrated, all you need to do is use a tiny amount of it by having a drop per lens. With your finger, rub the dishwashing liquid over both sides of the lenses, especially the parts where your skin has the most contact, like the nose pads or temples.

4. Rinse both sides of the lenses and frame.

Pay close attention to the parts where you had soap in. Failure to rinse everything off may cause complications, such as causing your glasses to be smeared when you dry them.

5. Carefully dry your glasses with a clean microfiber cloth or lint-free towel

You need to be extra careful when you dry off your glasses. It is advisable to use cloths like a microfiber cloth or a lint-free towel for this does not leave tiny bits of lint or dust behind and it’ll help you protect your lenses from scratches. Also, make sure that these clothes are clean when you use them.

 The Don’t

1. DON’T use other clothing like the hem of your shirt, especially when your lenses are dry. This may scratch your lenses and it’ll be a problem.
2. DON’T use tissues, napkins, or paper towels when wiping your lenses especially when it is dry. This could smear your lenses for these products are too coarse.
3. DON’T use your saliva to wet your lenses. You may be desperate to clean that dirt that is on your lenses. But, using your saliva does more harm than good. You are just adding more germs to it as our mouth is one of the dirtiest parts of our body.
4. DON’T use other cleaning products other than dishwashing liquid or glass cleaning solution. Using products like acetone, alcohol, etc. can damage the lens coatings.
5. DON’T try to rub or “buff away” if you notice a scratch on your lenses for this will just make things worse.

Taking good care of your glasses only shows how tough it can be. But when you are knowledgeable about the dos and don’ts, it’ll be a no-brainer task for you. These tips could help anyone who has had glasses in a lifetime. Just remember to regularly check on your glasses and clean them. Not only does this help you avoid having eye strains, but it could also help you have better vision and avoid having eye infections.