More often than not, people use the sleeve of their shirt to wipe glasses when they become dusty, get covered with fingerprints or fog up. Some of us breathe on them before wiping.
Although the use of a shirt may seem the easiest and most natural action if the glasses are dirty, this is the wrong way to clean the glasses. A simple wipe of the glasses with a sleeve cannot remove all the dirt, moisture, sebum, and bacteria on the lenses and the frame.
If the fabric is coarse, it can damage the protective coating and leave unsightly scratches that can affect vision. Therefore, you should know how to clean your glasses.
Use the microfiber cloth daily
When the glasses are dirty, it happens to use any eyeglass cloth to try to clean them, from paper tissues to the shirt we wear. This represents a serious mistake, as these materials are not suitable for cleaning the lenses and risk scratching them and damaging any treatments, such as the anti-reflective one, adopted.
The first rule to keep in mind for cleaning glasses is, therefore, to use only microfiber cloths, in particular, the classic rags supplied at the time of purchase.
If used daily, these allow you to maintain adequate basic hygiene by removing dust and any other foreign bodies that may limit the correct vision.
However, the cloth should never be used if it is dirty: in this case, the advice is to wash it with a neutral soap, rinse it and let it dry thoroughly.
How to clean heavily soiled glasses
Sometimes the simple microfiber cloth is not enough: perhaps because we have been in a very dirty place or exposed to grease and encrusting agents, as can happen in a kitchen, it is possible that at the end of the day our glasses are in really critical conditions.
In these cases, it is good to use specific products, which allow you to remove all traces of grease, fingerprints, and incrustations, completely sanitizing the lenses. In the absence of such detergents, it is also possible to resort to the classic disinfectant alcohol, which has an excellent degreasing power and does not risk damaging the surface of the lens.
SOME PRACTICAL TIPS FOR CLEANING THE GLASSES
There are obviously some tips for cleaning and preventing scratches on your lenses
- The water should always be warm. If the temperature is too low or too high, the anti-reflective and anti-dirt treatment could be damaged
- You can always use a finger and a drop of neutral liquid soap for hands or dishes and rub gently
- Never leave your glasses in the car in the sun in summer
- If you use a special detergent, don’t worry about the foam that will form after the treatment; it should be rinsed with normal warm water
- Try to avoid drying your lenses with any substance that has to do with paper, such as paper towels. Soft cotton is the best solution
- Grandma’s method: Dear grandmother, we love you so much, but this time you are not at all right when you tell us to use moistened toilet paper. Unfortunately, at first glance, the lenses may appear clean and shiny, but if repeated several times the cellulose could irreversibly ruin your glasses
- When you are done make a final check looking at the lenses against the light and eventually eliminate the last halos with the cloth
Conclusion
To keep your glasses in good condition for as long as possible, clean your glasses once a day. Pay special attention to the nose pads and eyeglass frames because the maximum amount of fat, bacteria, and dirt accumulate on these parts. The right way to clean your glasses will help extend your life and ensure that your vision remains crystal clear.