How to Properly Clean Your Glasses: Avoid These Common Mistakes
There are many ways to clean your glasses, and while the conventional methods are commonly known, there are still other ways to care for your lenses. Let's take a look at some cleaning tips and things you should avoid.
Vinegar, Window Cleaner, and Toothpaste
Many people believe vinegar is a good cleaner for glasses because it's a great household cleaner and is known for being non-toxic. However, vinegar can cause significant damage to your lenses. Likewise, using window cleaners like Windex, or any cleaner containing ammonia or strong chemicals, is not safe for your glasses. If your lenses have an anti-reflective coating, these cleaners can break it down and eventually ruin the coating.
Never use vinegar, bleach, ammonia, toothpaste, or window cleaner on your glasses.
Additionally, lemon juice should also be avoided, as its acidity can strip away the lens coating.
For those who think toothpaste can clean glasses or even remove scratches, it's not recommended. Although some sources claim toothpaste can help with scratches, it doesn't work as a proper scratch remover and may further damage your lenses.
Instead, stick to mild dish soap and water if you're looking for a cost-effective at-home solution—but never use vinegar.
- Your Shirt or Any Cloth Without Liquid
We've all done it—the biggest mistake in lens care: breathing on the lenses and wiping away the fog with your shirt sleeve.
You might know this is the wrong method, but when you're in a hurry, it’s tempting to try. However, using your shirt or a napkin to clean your lenses can cause serious damage. Shirts often contain dust and other particles that can scratch the lenses.
Breathing or spitting on dirty lenses is also a quick but ineffective fix—and obviously, it's not hygienic.
Even with a microfiber cloth, never clean your lenses without using a liquid. Dust particles can get trapped in the fabric and scratch the lenses as you wipe. Always use a cleaning solution, whether it’s gentle soap and water or a store-bought lens cleaner.
To keep your glasses clean all day, try to make it a habit to clean them in the morning—frame, lenses, and arms. This will help prevent the harmful but tempting quick fixes mentioned earlier.
