Lens manufacturers say that anything other than a microfiber cloth will damage the coatings on a lens. But microfiber cloths eventually pick up crap and they look like they’re a pain to wash.
How do you keep your lenses clean? Are you using cloth/kleenex or microfiber cloths? If you use microfiber cloths, how do you clean those?
Optometrist here; rinse with cold or ambient temperature tap water (don’t use hot water!), use dishwashing soap without citric acid if the glasses are really dirty, dry with a clean cotton cloth.
Thank you! It took me decades before I figured out that it doesn’t matter how soft the cloth is if all you’re doing in scrubbing abrasive dust or dirt around on the lens with it. It isn’t always possible, but I try to rinse first to get as much particulate matter off before wiping.
Can you explain why cold water? I’ve always done it, but only because I once made the mistake of buying photoreactive lenses (and, you know, most of us just have to live with a decision like that for a while), and hot water made them go dark. I didn’t think tap water temps would be enough to mechanically stress the material; is the plastic so soft that it could be damaged, or is there another reason?
Hot water can damage your anti reflective coating. It can cause it to come ‘loose’.
The rinsing is indeed done to get rid of sand or dirt particles which is the main cause of scratches.
Hey now don’t diss photoreactive lenses, I got off brand transitions lenses for the first time in my life a couple years ago after a decade without trying them and I honestly like it. I can keep my prescription shades in my car since my car’s windshield blocks a lot of UV so my regular/transitionable glasses won’t darken enough but most cases I’m outside on a sunny day I can still get some sunlight dimming without having to bring my sunglasses everywhere too
I guess? I space 10 years between photoreactive lenses, and although I’ve only done it twice, I didn’t see any improvement between in the intervening years.
I haven’t tried the most modern version, but they’ve never darkened enough, and they don’t lighten quickly enough. On top of that, the shelf life of the photoreactivity is crap, and the performance degrades quickly, forcing me to replace my lenses more frequently than I otherwise would. IME, photoreactive lenses are just a contract to buy new glasses in few years.
I generally use a similar method to this to deep clean my glasses, but I often don’t want to do that deep of a clean all the time since my glasses get dirty fast. I find the Zeiss glasses wipes work well for me, but there is a lot of waste involved. Oddly enough, their cleaning spray works terribly for me, and it seems to just spread grease around the lenses…
I was looking at the ingredients for each, and it seems that Zeiss used different ingredients for the two products. The wipes contain water, isopropyl alcohol, and “proprietary detergents and preservatives”. The cleaning spray contains water, butyl diglycol, and two other ingredients that to my knowledge are just preservatives. I think that in theory I could make a better cleaning spray by getting the right concentration of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water, mimicking the concentration in the wipes. What do you think is the highest percentage of isopropyl alcohol that I could safely use on glasses without damaging coatings?
Unfortunately I cannot answer that question. Opticians don’t use alcohol to clean glasses, they often use white spirit to clean lenses. Alcohol can potentially damage your frame (if it’s a ‘plastic’ one).
What do you use to wipe away the cleaning spray? Microfiber cloths don’t absorb so we’ll, so you’ll usually get a better result using something cotton
When I tried to use it, I sprayed the Zeiss spray onto a Zeiss supplied microfiber cloth (was part of a kit I got from an optometrist), wipe the glasses, then use a dry part of the microfiber cloth to wipe it away. I don’t think a more absorbent cloth would help much since it’s a greasy residue. Plus, other sources tell me that I shouldn’t use anything other than microfiber to clean my glasses. The spray just seems like a poorly formulated product that can’t cut through grease like dish soap or the Zeiss disposable wipes.
We also give out sprays and microfiber cloths, and I always tell people to use them apart. Just because both says Zeiss doesn’t mean they’re to be used together
I should have clarified that they were both part of the same kit, with no other cloths provided.
Also, what I do is pretty much the same as what Zeiss says to do in their instructions, see this video link (couldn’t find written instructions on their site): https://www.zeiss.com/vision-care/us/need-new-eyeglasses/eyeglass-cleaning-solutions.html#overlay-benefits-832427451
Lastly, what do you mean by using the spray and cloth apart? Do you mean using the cloth dry? Because that is even greasier than using the spray+cloth.
That’s the way I’ve been taught by the guy who makes my eyeglasses too! I remember being slightly incredulous but took his word for it.
I only touch the lenses while soaping it, making sure that (liquid dish) soap is evenly distributed across the lenses. Then, I rinse them thoroughly in a stream of running water until I can no longer see water spots on their surfaces. I give the eyeglasses a slight tap to dislodge any excess water before wiping it with a dry clean cotton cloth I reserve for that purpose.
Thanks! That looks pretty easy, and it seems to work for a few other posters.
User name checks out.
Thanks for the tip. Just to be clear… are these instructions for cleaning the glasses, or the microfibre cloth?
Glasses
Hand soap works fine as well.
Some hand soaps have moisturizers that leave a film on lenses. I do not recommend.
Not if it’s moisturizing soap. The moisturizers are designed to remain after rinsing, which will leave an oily film on your glasses. Dish soap is designed to rinse clean, so you should use that instead.
I tend to wear cotton t shirts so I tend to just grab a corner of that to clean em.
Been doing this for 20 yrs and never had to replace a set before my eyes said otherwise.
Frames on the other hand…
+1 for cotton T shirt corner! Been doing that for 20 years as well
You clean your frame?
(Kidding)
A little moisture never hurts, though. That’s why I do the ol’ huff-n-buff.
I clean them with the hem of my shirt, always assumed this is what everyone does.
It is
Don’t let Big Microfibre tell you otherwise
That’s what I do, but it works better if I use glass cleaner.
I have been using tap water and dish soap for years to clean my glasses. Everything else leaves streaks.
It’s what professional window washers use. Just some Dawn dish soap and tap water. Because the dish soap will cut any kind of skin oils that may be present on the lens, the same way it cuts food grease.
That’s my go to as well.
I rub them with my shirt whenever the smudges are making my view too blurry.
Only for that to spread the smudges around more and coating your whole view into a nice layer of white.
I still do it.
💯
In the 20 years I’ve owned glasses, I’ve never had an issue just using my shirt.
Same I don’t have to wear glasses anymore, but it’s was t-shirt all the way. And the occasional “I’ll pour water on the lenses to make them more clean”.
I rub them with my teeshirt
The actual way is to use dish soap under running warm water (not hot apparently, it can damage some coatings I’ve learned in this thread). First rinse the lenses under a stream without touching them, to wash away any loose debris (which is the reason why you should never use any sort of cloth to wipe them, they just move the debris around which causes scratches). Then use a bit of dish soap on your (clean) fingers to gently rub each lens, which will get rid of any grease or other smears. Then a final rinse – for this one it’s best if you use a very slow and even stream as it gives you the fewest water spots, but as long as you don’t have super hard water it’ll be moot in a few minutes.
This is the way, but you’re right about hot water. I did damage a pair by accidentally using water that was too hot.
This method minimizes scratching and it does a great job of removing grease (I sweat a lot) that a microfiber cloth would just spread around.
Yep, and just give them a quick flick at the end to shake off any remaining droplets. Then they’ll dry quickly.
Water and hand soap, unless they really need to be cleaned right now. I used to use a microfiber cloth, but I ran into the same problems as you. Soap and water will allow you to get oil from your hands and face off, as well as water spots and whatever else might be on there, and it’s gentle enough that it doesn’t hurt or scratch the lenses. When I put my glasses back on after cleaning them like this, It’s a Whole New World starts playing in my head.
Do you just wipe with your fingers? And how do you dry them
https://www.visionexpress.com/eye-health/how-to-clean-your-glasses seems to point to fingers, dry with a lint free cloth?
Daily wash with water and foaming hand soap. Foaming soap on lenses, rub with fingers, rinse. Dry with cotton hankerchief. I usually keep my glasses 2 years before replacing and haven’t had any issues with the anti-reflective coating washing this way.
I will never forget the time I saw my classmate clean his glasses by licking them. It wasn’t a small lick. The lenses were covered in his saliva afterwards. 🤮
I do that sometimes. When the lenses have grease or salt from the beach, and I have no quick access to water, I’ll lick them. I don’t recommend it, but I do it.
My mother did that so I ended up doing the same in elementary school. It took me a while, but I realized how disgusting it was and have been using cloths, or my shirt, for most of my life.
Rinse glasses. Rub on some hand soap or a very small amount of dish soap. Rinse again. Dry with paper towel.
Some paper towels will scratch your glasses
Never had that issue but I pretty much only ever bought Bounty or BJs store brand. Also I basically only buy Zeno glasses and my prescription isn’t complicated so IDGAF about the lenses.
Don’t even dry them, just use a slow steady stream for the final rinse and just give them a few taps to get off the excess water.
This is the way.
I just clean the lenses of my glasses with my cotton t-shirt. I need to clean my glasses twice a day because they get foggy due to my oily skin and oily eyelashes. I have not noticed any scratches yet (I have been using these glasses for around 5-6 years). However, I use glass lenses and not plastic lenses. The plastic ones scratch easily.
I use microfiber cloths, dawn dish soap, and water for a deep clean every once in a while. The microfiber cloth kinda gets cleaned in the process. I then use a second dry microfiber cloth to dry it off and prevent water spots on the lenses. Unfortunately I have to shake out my glasses before drying since water gets stuck in between my frames and my lenses.
For quicker cleaning, I use those Zeiss glasses wipes, though not entirely sure if getting brand name is important or not.
I feel like I’m cleaning my glasses every couple of days, I think I’d go through a lot of those disposable wipes.
Yeah it’s pretty wasteful. I’ve tried the Zeiss spray+microfiber cloth, but I haven’t had the greatest luck with it. I tried to use it just now to remind myself what it’s like, and I find that it spreads a thin greasy residue on my lenses.
Cleaning with dish soap is only a bit more effort and is much more effective in my experience (my glasses feel brand new afterwards). The Zeiss wipes get most of the way there usually, but I sometimes need two instead of one.
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Odd. I’ve tried the Zeiss spray+microfiber cloth before, and it just didn’t work for me. It leaves greasy smudges on my lenses. I’ve found that only dish soap or the Zeiss disposable wipes actually left a clear and clean lens. Are you using Zeiss spray or a different lens cleaner?
Got a box of alcohol wipes made by Zeiss, specially for cleaning camera lenses and the like. Works great on glasses.
I bought a box when they were cheap on Amazon.
Handy for having in your bag. But so much waste. Plastic sachet, plastic cloth, throw it all out.I want to find a reusable liquid/cloth solution that works as reliably, but the Zeiss wipes are just too good.
Hmmm, I think mine are paper materials. I’ll have to look more closely.
I use the edge of my shirt, or whatever I happen to be wearing. I never use any sort of soap or cleaning solution. Works fine. My specs last longer than it takes until I need to get a new prescription anyway.
