How to clean glasses without scratching the lenses

Step by step: how to clean glasses without scratching the lenses

1. 1

   Wash and dry your hands

   Wash your hands with lotion-free soap and dry them on a clean, lint-free towel. Lotion, sunscreen and hand cream on your fingers end up as smears on the lenses.

2. 2

   Rinse the glasses under lukewarm water

   Hold the glasses under a gentle stream of lukewarm tap water for a few seconds, turning them so both sides of each lens get wet. This floats off dust and grit that would scratch the lenses if you wiped them dry. Avoid hot water.

3. 3

   Add one small drop of dish soap

   Put a tiny drop of lotion-free dish soap on your fingertip. Skip soaps with added moisturizers or hand lotion, which leave a film. A drop the size of a pea is plenty for both lenses.

4. 4

   Rub the lenses and the whole frame

   Gently rub both sides of each lens with your fingertips for a few seconds. Then clean the nose pads, the earpieces and the edge where each lens meets the frame, where skin oil and makeup collect.

5. 5

   Rinse thoroughly

   Rinse both sides of the lenses and the frame under lukewarm water until no suds remain. Leftover soap is what causes smears when you dry them.

6. 6

   Shake off and dry

   Gently shake the glasses to throw off most of the water. Dry the lenses and frame with a clean, lint-free cotton towel that was washed without fabric softener.

7. 7

   Buff the last streaks with microfiber

   Hold the lenses up to a light. If you see streaks or a spot of water, buff it with a clean microfiber cloth. The lenses should look completely clear from both sides.

What should you never clean glasses with?

Never wipe dry lenses with clothing, tissues, paper towels or household cleaners. They are the usual cause of fine scratches and damaged coatings, and most eye care sources give the same list.

All About Vision’s cleaning guide, which is medically reviewed, lists the same items to avoid and recommends the rinse, soap and towel method in the steps above.

How to clean glasses when you are away from a sink

Use a pre-moistened lens wipe or a lens spray on a clean microfiber cloth. Both dissolve skin oil and lift dust without dry rubbing.

• Zeiss’ lens wipe instructions: brush dust off first with the folded wipe, then unfold it and clean in circles; the lens should be clean and dry in about ten seconds. Each wipe is for one use.
• Spray the cloth, not the lenses. Zeiss notes that this keeps liquid out of the screw and drill holes on rimless frames.
• Keep the microfiber cloth in its pouch or the case, so it does not collect grit in your bag.
• Wash the cloth often. Zeiss says not to wash microfiber cloths warmer than 104°F (40°C) and not to use fabric softener, which causes streaks. Our guide to washing microfiber cloths has the details.

How to clean the frames, nose pads and foggy lenses

Clean the frames every time you wash the lenses, focusing on the nose pads and the ends of the earpieces, where skin oil builds into a green or brown film. Zeiss suggests lukewarm running water for frames, holding the glasses by the part you are cleaning so you do not bend the hinge.

• Use a soft, clean toothbrush with soapy water on the nose pad arms and hinges, then rinse.
• If a screw keeps loosening or a nose pad is cracked, an optical shop can usually tighten the screw or replace the pad.
• For fog, the American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that an anti-fog solution, or even gently washing lenses with soap and water before wearing them, may help, and that sitting the glasses over the top of a face mask keeps breath off the lenses.
• Ask your eye care professional about an ultrasonic clean of the frames; Zeiss recommends one every six months.

Mistakes to avoid

• Dry-wiping dusty lenses, which grinds grit into the coating.
• Using a shirt tail or tissue because it is handy.
• Using dish soap with added lotion, which leaves a greasy film.
• Washing the microfiber cloth with fabric softener, which causes streaks.
• Leaving glasses on the car dashboard or lens side down on a table.