To a person with poor eyesight, glasses aren’t a casual accessory; they’re an essential piece of medical equipment they must have for day-to-day living. Because glasses are so important, people must learn how to clean them properly to maintain their pristine quality and prolong their use. Some materials are better for cleaning glasses than others.
You cannot clean glasses with alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol may be a weak acid, but it can damage the protective coatings of your specs. Instead, you should use gentler products, such as dishwashing detergent or specifically designed cleaning solutions for your glasses.
This article talks about cleaning tips for eyeglasses. Keep reading to learn how to properly take care of your lenses!
Can You Clean Glasses With Alcohol?
Eyeglass lenses are either made of plastic or glass. Plastic lenses are a recent invention of technology. They’re lighter, thinner, and more scratch-resistant than traditional glass lenses.
On the other hand, others still prefer glass lenses for their natural clarity.
No matter which type of lenses you have, it’s crucial that you remember not to use alcohol when cleaning them. Common rubbing alcohol is considered too harsh for the coating and frames of the eyeglass.
Even weak acids generally are not recommended for cleaning lenses. By reading further in this article, you will learn more about the other products you should refrain from using on your glasses.
What Should You Not Clean Your Glasses With?
Regardless of the lens material, eyeglasses serve the same purpose: improving the vision of the person using them. Similarly, all eyeglass lenses should be treated with utmost care to last longer and provide the clearest sight possible.
Being oblivious to the things that might scratch or thin the lens’ layer can affect your eyeglasses’ clarity. There are a few materials and solutions that you should not clean your glasses with.
You should never clean your glasses with harsh chemicals, including any type of alcohol. You also shouldn’t clean them with common fabrics, saliva, or paper toiletries.
The following sections will explain precisely why these items don’t make good glasses cleaners.
Harsh Chemicals
Be cautious about the chemicals that you use on your lenses. Even everyday household products can damage the coating of your optics. Avoid the following or anything that contains the following:
- Acetone
- Bleach
- Ammonia
- Vinegar
- Fabric softener
- Hair spray
- Perfume
Instead, you can opt for non-lotion dishwashing liquid or a specialized glasses cleaning solution to clean your specs.
Common Fabric
Don’t use the fabric of your shirt or any parts of your clothing to wipe your eyeglasses. These fabrics are not engineered for the delicate surface of your lenses and may scratch their outermost layer when you rub them.
Instead, opt for microfiber cleaning cloths specifically designed to clean delicate items like electronics and glasses. The fiber of these cloths can trap even the smallest dust particles from your eyeglasses.
Due to this feature, you must wash them regularly to prevent the accumulated dirt from scratching your lenses’ surface.
Saliva
Many might find the idea gross, but some people still clean their eyeglasses with saliva. If you’re one of those people, you should stop.
Aside from the fact that it may worsen the smudge, using your saliva can spread germs on your glasses. Besides, doing so is just not sanitary.
Paper Toiletries
Though you may have them conveniently to hand, tissue, paper towels, and napkins are not appropriate for eyeglass cleaning.
The texture of these materials is too rough for your lenses and may leave tiny scratches. Using these will, in the long run, blur the glasses.
What Is the Best Eyeglass Cleaning Solution?
When looking for the best eyeglass cleaning kit, there are four things you must consider:
- The solution’s cleaning ability
- Its ingredients
- How safe it is for your particular type of lenses
- Its value for the money
I reviewed some of the best-selling and highest-rated products on Amazon to determine my most recommended product.
Koala Eyeglass Lens Cleaner Spray Kit from Amazon.com is the best eyeglass cleaning solution. This cleaning fluid is made from type II laboratory-grade water, free from mineral deposits that can scrape your lenses’ surface. It’s also free from strong chemicals and designed for high-grade lenses.
This product also offers the most excellent value for the money. The cleaning kit includes a pair of 8 oz. (236.59 ml) lens cleaner solution bottles and another 2 oz. (59.15 ml) spray bottle, two premium microfiber cleaning cloths, and 26 individually wrapped wipes.
Why Do Eyeglasses Get Cloudy?
Eyeglasses get cloudy for two reasons: built-up dirt and condensation. Knowing what causes fogginess in eyeglasses is crucial for minimizing the instances of blurry specs.
Dirt accumulates from day-to-day dust, face oil, and skin flakes. For this reason, avoid dusty places and wash your face frequently to lessen the chances of cloudy eyeglasses.
On the other hand, condensation is typically a temporary issue that arises because of the weather or a specific set of conditions being met (such as wearing a mask and glasses simultaneously).
Fogging of eyeglasses due to condensation happens when water vapor touches a cold surface and turns into tiny drops of liquid.
Condensation often occurs when we breathe or sweat or when the weather is a bit humid, producing considerably warm particles that land on the relatively cooler surface of the eyeglasses.
Therefore, it’s helpful to give your glasses a daily light cleaning to keep them pristine.
Can I Use Windex on My Glasses?
As I have previously mentioned, you should avoid using products that contain harsh chemicals. If you are unsure, check the ingredients of the item in question.
You should not use Windex on your glasses. Some sources consider Windex the best window cleaner for its efficiency in leaving glass windows on your houses spotless. However, before applying them to your delicate eye specs, you should look at their ingredients first.
Windex contains ammonia as one of its main cleaning agents. Applying this product might hurt the protective coating of your glasses, so it’s best not to use it.
Conclusion
Delicate materials make up eyeglasses; hence they require a particular way of cleaning. It’s essential to take note of the things that might scratch your lenses if you want them to maintain their clarity over time.
In addition, regularly clean them to prevent your reading glasses from being cloudy. Some window cleaning solutions might be effective on certain types of glasses but may contain harsh substances that are harmful to the lens.
Therefore, learning about a product’s ingredients before using it on your glasses is critical.
