3 Methods to Clean Your Sunglasses
When you get a new pair of sunglasses, they're so clean and the vision is so crisp. However, sooner or later, they're going to get dirty or smudged. It's nearly impossible to keep your fingerprints and other marks off of them! Here's how you can get your glasses back to their original clean state.
First Method: Using Eyeglass Cleaner Solution and a Microfiber Cloth
1. Look to see just how dirty the lenses are. Also, inspect if any other pieces of the glasses need cleaning. Pieces to look out for are the nose and earpieces. These come into contact with hair and natural oils on your skin, which can quickly accumulate to make them dirty quicker. If they do need a quick clean, then wipe them with the microfiber cloth.
2. Use a clean microfiber cloth. Don’t be counterproductive and clean with dirty cloth! Not only is using a clean cloth avoids transferring dirt and other residues, but it highly reduces the risks of scratching lenses when wiping off an eyeglass cleaning solution.
3. Spray both sides of each lens with the eyeglass cleaner. It’s best to use a spray that came with the glasses when you purchased them. Sprays that are specific to your sunglasses will protect any extra coatings the lenses have on them. Try to spray from a distance that evenly coats the lenses, so when you wipe there isn’t any buildup of the solution to accumulate to form smudges.
4. Hold each lens with a microfiber cloth (specifically made for eyewear). Gently apply a bit of pressure. Wipe with a circular motion, back and forth to reduce lines and smudges.
Second Method: Washing Lenses with Soap and Water
1. Run lenses underneath warm water. Make sure the water is at a warm enough temperature to touch — tepid or room-temperature water is ideal. Running glasses underwater that is too hot could damage any coatings the lenses may have.
2. Put a small drop of dish soap on each side of the lenses. Take your forefinger and thumb, and gently smear the soap in a circular motion. Rub so that the soap evenly coats each lens.
- If you don't have a microfiber cloth, use a clean cotton cloth. The alternative to a microfiber cloth must be clean cotton cloth. Any other material could hold risks of severely scratching the lenses!
- any cloth treated with fabric softener is not a good idea because it often leaves smudges.
Third Method: Making Your Own Lens Cleaning Solution
1. Combine some rubbing alcohol and water. Using rubbing alcohol is a safe way to clean glasses without removing finishes, such as non-glare coatings.
- Put three parts of alcohol for every one part of the water you mix together.
- Make as much as desired, and keep in a small spray bottle for future uses.
- Spray and wipe with a clean cotton cloth in a circular motion.
2. Add one or two drops of dish soap to any mixture for extra clarity once the lenses are wiped. This works the same as cleaning lenses under running water with dish soap. Add a little bit of soap to a ready-made bottle of diluted alcohol to get that finishing clarity.
3. Use the solution on other parts of the glasses. Since pre-made lens cleaners are specified towards lenses only, the benefit of a diluted rubbing alcohol solution is that it can be safely applied to pieces such as earpieces and nosepieces. Give the entire frame a wipe down to get them back to their original, clean state.
Avoid adding other household cleaning products, such as window cleaner. These chemicals are far too hard on lenses, running risks of damages with expensive repair costs (i.e. coating replacements). Though they may seem convenient, do not add them to any cleaning solutions you plan to make.
