How To Properly Clean Your Oakley Glasses

[iRon(V)oNKeY]

I just use a microfibre cloth and water. I find that alcohol dries and strips away at coatings and dries the rubber. The beauty of O lenses is that they are so smooth that nothing tends to stick to them.

 

[Jben04]

Free refills,?,is that for both the pens and the cleaning kit ?

 

[digi7alph0enix]

Free refills,?,is that for both the pens and the cleaning kit ?

Pen isn't refillable, that's the hydrophobic kit not the regular cleaning kit.

 

[Jben04]

Gotcha, i have both,,

 

[i2ane]

I have the Holbrook LX with the metal hinges. Can I still wash the frame in cold water? An Oakley store rep told me that it would cause the metal hinge to rust.

 

[MJLSr]

So many good inputs here... After 24 pages - almost 3 years - of this thread and about 15 years of personal experience cleaning my sunnies and Rx glasses I thought I would provide a summary for the n00bs [and perhaps a refresher for others?]

If your glasses are exposed to chemicals (gasses, chlorine, olis?), dirt, salt water, etc… rinse them off gently, but throughly, with warm water prior to using the lens cleaning solution (taking them into the shower as mentioned early on in this thread is an option, but be careful as there are additional risks to consider!). Warm(er) water is key as it will dissolve more of the buildup/dirt/salt than cold water, and faster in general.

Stay clear of alcohol-heavy and ammonia-based cleaners. The only part of my Oaks I have every used PURELL® (or other hand sanitizers) on were rubbers when they were OFF the frame. The standard Oakley lens cleaning kit you will find does contain a small amount of Isopropanol, this is a.o.k.

Oakley also recommends you store the cleaner between 50F and 104F (approximately 10C and 40C). So if you live somewhere where it is really hot or really cold, or even in a moderate climate… if you keep a spare cleaning kit in your car be careful of those below-freezing nights and days when it feels like everything in your car is going to melt. I have seen this cloud the cleaning solution, resulting promptly in a 'dump and refill' - not worth the risk when free refills are everywhere

Speaking of free refills - most optometrists will also refill your Oakley cleaning solution. They all use the same stuff more-less. The solutions may vary slightly but are compatible in general. I would not mix them, but I use my Rx stuff on my Oakleys and My Oakley stuff on my Rx's - I have verified it is the same stuff. The fill bottles they use are quite large and if you need reassurance just ask if you can read it or take a picture. You will find their solution is very similar if not the same in most cases. For those who wear reading glasses get an extra bottle or two as the same general practices are recommended for care of your Rx's. I know a few eye care places and they are all happy to do so free of charge. Between Oakley stores/vaults, SG Hut, LensCrafters, and the eye Dr's there is really no excuse not to have a bottle or three. Even the vision center in the local Walmart will do refills for free in my area.

For cleaning bags I prefer the tbsp of Woolite in a medium-to-large-sized bowl, with a second similar-sized container nearby. A little bit of Woolite goes a LONG WAY! This will do 20-some bags at a time, fill with warm water, add bags, gently stir/agitate, let soak a few minutes, then rinse. As you rinse them turn the bags inside out (not sure if this has been mentioned, but think about it). Also pull the string to close and re-open the bag in case anything is stuck in there (that is an area the glasses - frames and lenses - commonly make contact with. Once inside out repeat the tbsp of Woolite, soak, stir, rinse [you know - rinse, repeat]. Then turn the bags right side out for one final rinse. Air drying is the best option, be careful of overexposure to the sun if hanging them outside to dry. You can run a hair dryer through them on a low setting to get out any residual moisture and wrinkles to complete the drying process. I have a rack that fits in my dryer proper and I can just place them in there after a good squeeze to get out the excess water, it works great. Those hangars with the 'boobie bumps' on them also hold a few bags nicely.

The standard Oakley lens cleaning kit is stated (on the box) as NOT being compatible with goggles or eye shields. It is also not approved for use with anti-fog coated lenses - those come with their own cleaning formula. I know some forum members say they use this, but Oakley recommends otherwise. I am not sure if this is due to the anti-fog coating in general or something else's, but that's what the standard cleaning kits says right on the box.

I try to remove my lenses and clean them every couple of dozen times I wear them and/or when they get excessively dirty and the standard rinse and lens solution will not do. Wise members have said they take theirs in the shower, I have done that from time to time and it works very well with no harm done in my experience. Of course, it depends on your rotation. I would not go more than 20-some times wearing my sunnies before giving them a good breakdown, full cleaning of the lenses, frame, and rubbers - but that is just me. A lot of factors here - how many pairs you have, the environment you wear them in, how much you sweat - YMMV

For the rubbers there are a few options, but I have found that three things help: 1) using the lens cleaner, 2) using a mild soap/detergent (more Woolite, heavier, 2x concentration than when cleaning bags & frames). Then clean them a bit more aggressively than you would your lenses and frames, and 3) boiling the rubbers for about 5 minutes. This will help remove any residual oils and detergents. Just drop 'em in, then pat them dry, blow out the ear socks and nose pads (compressed air?) then place them in a bag in a sunny window for the afternoon to allow anything that is left to evaporate. This combination seems to keep the rubbers both clear and 'rubbery', more like new. I can't say for sure how much the boiling removes the stuff Unobtanium absorbs, but I can say that every pair I have followed this process with since new I have never had to replace a set of rubbers unless I ripped them or did something less_than_smart, like pinched an ear sock putting it back on or ripped a nose pad. This also applies to the orbital gaskets and t-shox (of course) - more Unobtanium, more to clean

Try to use newer bags. If you get vintage Oaks with bags they may be thick and somewhat coarse. If you walk into any Oakley store wearing your Oaks and ask they will probably give you a newer generic bag or two. Same for the optometrists - they have cleaning cloths as well, as long as you are a paying customer, you return for regular checkups, etc… it does not hurt to grab one or two cloths and maybe an extra bottle to keep in the glove box or the desk at work while you are there for a visit. I have found the new Ferrari bags, while not quite as soft as the 'Elite', are softer than the standard bags, and absorb better too. If you ever got a complete 90's X-Metal or earlier (e-Wire anyone?) you probably know the bag(s) I am referring to - they are thicker, heavier, and coarse - more like sandpaper and less like something you would want to wipe you lenses with. Try to stay with newer and smoother bags (the MF towels included with the Oakley kit are still pretty heavy, but finer and do a better job of cleaning than the standard MF bags in general presuming you keep them clean).

When using the cleaning solution a good single full spray on the front and an equally good single spray centered spray in the back is generally sufficient. A single spray is a 'metered spray' and should suffice - again, once for the front and once for the back. After both sides are wet and the cleaning solution meets the bag/towel/wipe it is not longer 'dry' and will spread to any areas not yet wet if spread with care. My point is we want to avoid dry wipes to avoid scratches and swirls, but unless your sunnies are very dirty there is no reason to fully spray each lens and add another for good measure. if they are that dirty - if you need to spray that much you probably should have rinsed them first and/or disassembled them for more precise cleaning.

Don't 'over clean' - don't just clean for the sake of cleaning, dust is dust, pollen is pollen, and unless you are actively wearing the glasses there is usually no reason to clean them frequently otherwise. It is kind of like over washing your car - is it really that dirty or is there just a little dust on it - are you removing the wax more than cleaning your ride? Some exceptions may be extreme climates, dust/desert areas, high humidity, and beachside living. These and other areas may have more 'stuff' in the air to protect your precious sunnies from.

An ounce of prevention… keep the lenses away from aerosols, perfumes, bug spray, hair spray, if you have a significant other get the cabs in another room and not the bedroom where he/she does their hair and makeup… seriously, DON'T keep them exposed to that crap! Find a clean, well-ventilated area of your home to store your glasses [and your cab(s)] and they will thank you for it in the long run. If you pay attention to your home the cleanest most dust-free area is usually the best bet. Air purifiers and filters will provide supplemental filtration of necessary. This also holds true for the boxes stands - everything - the more effort you use to keep it clean the less you will have to clean them and the longer they all will last.

Also check out this link:
http://ca.oakley.com/en/support/product-care

I hope this helps sum up the thread. Please let me know if I missed anything!

 

[MJLSr]

An Oakley store rep told me that it would cause the metal hinge to rust.

After the LX bathing a can of compressed air and a hair dryer on a low setting are your friends here.

Also, Titanium proper does oxidize (rust, as some say), but at an incredibly slow rate. It is resistant to corrosion in most environments (+1 for Oakley) Most alloys rust/oxidize much faster. A new pair of sunnies with new Titanium will oxidize (rust) eventually but slowly, and probably not in your lifetime.

In general when you hear 'rust' think 'iron'! All other metals suffer from some amount of oxidation/tarnish/etc... To the best of my knowledge the 'least likely to rust/tarnish/oxidize' is Gold! Platinum is up there too, but that is neither here nor there. We are talking about Titanium here

 

[jhey81]

For FMJ finishes, like Splice, can I used the same cleaning principle? because I've heard it's more delicate.

 

[Kuztomized]

Great info on this thread, thanks to all for their input. Will try washing my microfiber bags in a bowl of Woolite as described above. I definitely notice that they haven't been cleaning my lenses as well !

 

[Litos]

I think I have OCD...

I have a cleaning cloth here at my desk at work and I'm always hitting my lenses with it....

I probably "clean" my glasses twice a day....then when I get home, I "clean" them again...

problem is they're not dirty, I just clean them because I see a random spec of dust on my lens....

any little smudge or oily spot throws me for a loop...there I go breaking out the cloth...

I know my heart is gonna hurt when get my first scratch, but i'll cross that bridge when I get to it HAHA !!!!!