Have you ever looked out a dirty window, maybe in your apartment or in a car, and noticed the streaky water marks and the light coating of grime? The quality of life just doesn't seem as good. Plus, it's very distracting to have blurred vision just because your glasses haven't been given a good wipe down lately.
We know to wash our hands and avoid touching our face to protect ourselves and help stop the spread of COVID-19. Us spectacle-wearers must also remember to regularly wash our eyeglasses, too. Viruses, like COVID-19, can remain on hard surfaces for hours to days. Whether it’s a matter of taking reading glasses on and off or pushing up sliding glasses, we touch our glasses several times a day. Here are some tips to help keep your glasses clean and virus-free without compromising the integrity of your eyeglasses.
- Do use a mild soap: While we regularly (and freely!) give out our lens cleaning solution, during this time you may have used it all up by now. As an alternative, dish detergent is great, as is hand soap. Just be sure that whatever soap you use is free of moisturizers. A moisturizing soap tends to leave grease-like streaks.
- Do use a lint-free, microfibre cloth: The soft surface of a microfibre cloth will help avoid accidental scratches.
- Do wash your eyeglass cloth: As your cloth gets good use, it will become filthy with whatever it was you wiped off your glasses. Please wash your cloth. Handwashing with a mild soap is best. Be sure to rinse out all the soap. Hang to dry. (If you prefer to machine wash/dry, avoid using a fabric softener or dryer sheet as these may reduce the effectiveness of your cleaning cloth.)
- Don’t use alcohol: Alcohol can wear down the anti-reflective and anti-scratch coatings on your lenses.
- Don’t use hot water: Overly hot water may damage lens coatings, it’s best not to take that risk. Lukewarm water is enough.
- Don’t use an abrasive brush or sponge: An abrasive cleaning tool will scratch your lenses. Use a lint-free, microfibre cloth. And definitely, definitely, do not use your shirt! Dust and grime from everyday environments can gather on your clothes, and lead to scratches on your lenses
How To Clean Your Glasses
- Rinse glasses under lukewarm tap water. This will gently remove debris that may scratch the lens surface.
- Apply a small droplet of lotion-free dishwashing detergent.
- Gently rub soap over the lenses and all parts of the frame.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Pat lightly to dry with a lint-free towel.
- Remove streaks or smudges with your usual eyeglass cleaning cloth. We recommend a semi-firm grip between your thumb and forefinger (one on either side of the lens), and cleaning in a circular motion.