How To Clean Eyeglasses

How to Clean and Disinfect Eyeglasses

How to Clean Your Frames

Giving your eyewear a thorough cleaning can be done using lotion-free soap and a microfiber cloth to dry them. However, if your glasses or sunglasses are extremely dirty, or caked in grime, it may not seem so simple.

1. Wash your hands. Starting with dirty hands is a surefire way to transfer grime, grease, and dirt to your frames. Use soap and water to wash your hands before handling the frames.
2. Gently bathe your glasses or sunglasses in warm (never hot) water. Be sure to use a lotion-free soap on the frames and lenses. Fully rinse your frames so there are no residual bubbles left.
3. Thoroughly dry the eyewear with a clean microfiber cloth. We recommend not using your shirttail, dish towel, paper towel, or bath towel to dry them. The rough cotton fibers of everyday fabrics may feel soft against your body, but they can scratch or damage your lenses or lens coatings.

If you’re working on frames that are extremely dirty and caked in grease or mud, try these tips:

• Use a soft toothbrush to scrub away grime and oil from the nose pads and hinges.
• Avoid touching the lenses with the toothbrush bristles, and dry them with a microfiber cloth.
• Be diligent about reaching every part of your frames to remove stubborn debris, germs, and oils that may have transferred from your skin. This includes the area where the lenses meet the frames.
• Do not use popular household cleaners, or other ammonia-based solutions on your glasses or shades. These harsh chemicals can damage the frames and lenses and cause scratches or peeling.

How To Clean Plastic Glasses Frames

When cleaning eyewear with plastic frames, use warm water and a lotion-free soap to remove dirt and build-up. After washing, buff the frames dry with a microfiber cloth.

The thing to remember with plastic frames is that they can scratch with excessive scrubbing, especially if you use a brush with tough bristles. Make sure to clean them thoroughly but gently so you don’t scratch the frames or lenses.

How To Properly Clean Glasses Lenses

When washing your lenses, avoid using products with ammonia. Your lenses may have one or more different coatings on them that are sensitive to ammonia and other chemicals found in most household cleaners.

To keep them safe, follow the recommendations below:

• If washing: Use warm water and mild soap that does not contain a lotion additive — dishwashing liquid is a good option. Gently wash the lenses with your fingers. After rinsing them under cool water, use a soft towel to gently dry them.
• If using lens cleaner: Spray both sides with a lens-specific product. Using a microfiber cloth, gently wipe them, and then use a dry portion of the cloth to dry them. If you don’t have a microfiber cloth, you can use a tissue without moisturizer. You can also purchase prepackaged moistened wipes designed specifically for eyewear. Remember to avoid using common household products to clean your lenses.
• Try to avoid using paper towels, dishtowels, a shirttail, or other fabrics to dry your lenses. Some lens materials are susceptible to scratching from anything other than a soft, microfiber cloth.

How To Clean Glasses Nose Pads

If your specs feature plastic frames, there is often a seamless transition from the frames to the nose pads. In this case, they can be washed at the same time and in the same way as the frames. If you have metal frames with detachable nosepieces, there are a few ways to go about cleaning them.

Cleaning Nose Pads on Glasses and Shades

To clean nose pads while they’re still attached to your frames, you can either use an alcohol wipe, or soap and warm water.

• Alcohol wipe: Get a pre-moistened alcohol wipe and use it to clean the flat side of the nose pads. You can also use it to wipe down the underside of them — try to avoid getting too much alcohol on the lenses.
• Soap and water: Fill a sink or large bowl with warm water and add a few drops of dish soap. Place your glasses in the warm water and let them sit for 10-15 minutes. This helps lift particularly stubborn grime. After 10-15 minutes, remove the glasses and either dry them with a microfiber cloth or let them air dry.

Removing Nose Pads for Cleaning

To determine whether your nose pads are detachable or not, inspect them to see if there are tiny screws holding them in place. If there are screws, you can use a small screwdriver to loosen them, which will allow you to remove the nose pads.

Once you’ve removed them, use the alcohol wipe method mentioned earlier. You could also use soap and water if you prefer. Mix a small bowl of warm water with a few drops of dish soap. Dip a soft toothbrush or Q-tip into the water, then use it to gently clean the nose pads.

Dry them with a microfiber cloth, then reattach them to your frames using the screwdriver.

When to Use Professional Cleaning

If you’ve neglected your eyewear for a period of time, or they’ve accumulated a lot of grime from years of wear, you might need professional cleaning.

Lenses that don’t have many blemishes and frames that have maintained their shape are good candidates for professional cleaning. New nose pads and a little adjustment can also make those old frames seem new again.

How To Handle Your Eyewear

An easy way to keep your eyewear looking new is by handling it properly. When holding your frames, hold them using both hands.

Try to avoid dropping them, or touching the lenses with your fingers. When you set down your glasses or shades, place them upside down with the bridge at the bottom. This prevents scratched lenses and keeps more top-heavy frames from falling over.

How To Store Your Eyewear

Always store your eyewear in its case to prevent it from getting dusty or damaged. Be careful of leaving your glasses or sunglasses in places that get too hot. A heater or fireplace can warp or damage the frames. And a hot car in the summer can cause the lenses to peel. Storing your glasses properly can help prolong their quality and lifespan.

How To Clean Lenses With Anti-Reflective Coating

To clean lenses that have an anti-reflective coating, first, gently wash the frames with warm water and lotion-free soap. You can also use an optician-approved spray or a specialized lens soap and warm water.

With any of these methods, be sure to wipe and dry the frames with a microfiber cloth. We recommend being gentle with your lenses throughout the cleaning process, as you do not want to scratch or damage the coatings.

How Do You Clean Cloudy Lenses?

Cloudy lenses can be cleaned with warm water and soap if the clouding is caused by dirt, grease, or grime. Specialty lens sprays made to decrease fog are helpful if the clouding is from moisture and not from dirt.

If the clouding of your lenses is caused by damage to the coatings, or years of wear and tear, it may be time to have them replaced.

Cleaning Eyewear FAQs

Is Washing My Glasses the Same As Disinfecting Them?

No. Washing your glasses removes dirt, grime, and some amount of germs. Disinfecting kills a high percentage of germs on a surface.

Sanitizing reduces the number of germs on a surface to a level deemed ’safe’ according to public health standards. Sterilization kills all microbial life, appropriate in medical or laboratory settings.

Most health officials maintain that cleaning hard surfaces with dish soap and water is an effective strategy to kill (and prevent the spread of) germs and viruses like COVID-19.

Can I Disinfect My Eyeglasses?

You may be able to disinfect your eyeglasses after you wash them. You can do this by using various chemicals diluted in water. It’s important to remember never to mix any of the chemicals mentioned below. And always dilute them with water before using them on your glasses.

Some types of safety glasses can be disinfected using a solution of one part bleach per thousand parts water, but bleach can corrode metal. You can also use ammonia and water, or a tincture of iodine and water, in the same ratio.

Another common solution that can clean your glasses is rubbing alcohol and water, but be advised that doing so may damage special coatings on your lenses.

Soak your glasses in the solution for two minutes, then thoroughly rinse them in warm water. Cleaners or disinfectants can damage your eyewear if not completely rinsed away. Dry the glasses with a lint-free cloth.

While disinfecting your glasses is important, you don’t want to damage them in the process. Please call us if you have questions about disinfecting your eyeglasses.

Soap and Water Remain the Best Strategy for Killing the COVID-19 Virus

Most health officials maintain that cleaning hard surfaces with dish soap and water is an effective strategy to kill germs and viruses like COVID-19.

Dr. Ryan Parker, O.D., suggests: “Using warm water and lotion-free soap will do the trick. You want to stay away from household glass cleaners as they have chemicals in them that can damage certain lens coatings. Also, you would want to stay away from soaps that have those abrasive beads in them.”

Can Bacteria Live on My Eyeglasses?

Yes. Your eyeglasses or sunglasses can harbor bacteria, mold spores, and other irritants. But washing them regularly with soap and water easily removes bacteria.

Avoid cleaning your glasses by fogging the lenses with your breath — this only adds germs to your eyeglasses.

Can I Use Rubbing Alcohol to Disinfect My Eyeglasses?

Maybe. Alcohol is an ingredient found in some commercial lens cleaning solutions. But using alcohol to disinfect your glasses might damage special lens coatings.

You can try a homemade solution using a spray bottle filled three-quarters with rubbing alcohol, two drops of dishwashing liquid, and topped off with tap water. If you have questions about using alcohol to disinfect your glasses, please call us.

According to Dr. Ryan Parker, O.D.: “A diluted solution (70%) of isopropyl alcohol is also useful. It should not pose any issues to good quality lenses, but one should be careful because it can remove some ink and dyes from the frame.”