Cleaning your sunglasses regularly is important to prevent long-term damage! And considering a good pair of sunglasses costs a pretty penny, you want to keep them in tip-top shape for as long as possible.
Keep reading as our experts detail the best 5-step method to cleaning your sunglasses!
5 Easy Steps to Clean Your Sunglasses
Now that you know why you should clean your glasses regularly, here’s the best way to go about it, step-by-step:
1. Rinse under warm water
Remember to wash your hands thoroughly before you start. This prevents you from transferring oils, dirt, and bacteria to your lenses while you clean them.
Next, hold the sunglasses by the bridge, this is the length of plastic connecting the two lenses. Alternatively, grab them by the rim of the lens.
Then, rinse the glasses under warm water to remove surface dirt and grime. You’re less likely to scratch the lenses if you rinse them off first. And don’t forget to rinse the arms and frame as well.
2. Apply a small amount of mild dish soap
Next, dab a small drop of mild dish soap directly on each lens. The keyword here is mild.
Ideally, use diluted dish soap meant for glassware. Also, you’ll want to avoid citrus-based soaps. These contain harsh fruit acids that can leave a residue or damage your lens coating.
3. Gently run the dish soap into each lens
Work the soap carefully on the insides and outsides of each lens using your thumb or forefinger. Next, gently rub the soap on the other parts, including the frame, nose pads, and sides.
Finally, you can use the tip of a microfiber cloth to gently rub suborn grime in the logo, cut out patterns, edges, or nooks.
4. Rinse both lenses and frame with warm tap water
Again, rinse the lenses and frame with warm water. Remember to maintain gentle water pressure. Make sure you’ve rinsed off all the soap before moving on to the next step.
5. Gently dry with a clean microfiber cloth
Use a clean microfiber cloth to dry the sunglasses gently. You can also use any other type of lint-free cloth. Preferably it should be a soft lens cloth designed specifically for sunglasses.
Finally, you may need to leave the sunglasses out to air-dry if you can’t get all the water out of the details such as logos.
Don’ts of Cleaning Glasses
Now that we’ve covered how to properly clean your sunglasses, here are a couple of things you shouldn’t do when cleaning your sunglasses:
- Don’t use window cleaner, vinegar, bleach, or ammonia to clean your sunglasses. These compounds contain harsh chemicals that could strip the lens coating. Plus, your sunglasses will never get dirty enough to require this kind of cleaning.
- Don’t use your breath or saliva to clean your sunglasses. It’s unhygienic and doesn’t clean your lenses properly, to begin with.
- Don’t use paper products like tissue or paper towels to wipe your sunglasses. Paper products contain rough pulp particles that can scratch your lenses.
- Don’t use your clothing, old rags, or anything other than a lint-free or microfiber cloth to wipe your glasses. Again, these rough materials can scratch your expensive lenses. And they can leave lint and other residues behind.
- Don’t use hot water to clean your lenses. Most lens coating and treatments aren’t designed to withstand scorching temperatures, including hot water. Some frames may also warp due to excessive heat.
- Don’t wash your microfiber cloth with a fabric softener. A fabric softener can break down the cloth’s fibers, making it just as bad as using your clothing to wipe glasses. Additionally, fabric softener can leave an oily residue on your lenses.
- Don’t wait until your sunglasses are filthy before cleaning. You’ll need to be rougher with filthy sunglasses, increasing the chances of scratching or damage while cleaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Clean Your Sunglasses?
There are plenty of practical reasons to clean your sunglasses. First, it’ll improve your visibility since dust, dirt, and smudge-covered lenses are difficult to see through. And they can even cause your eyes to strain.
Second, dirt and dust can actually scratch your lenses. Over time this may cause your lenses to peel or flake, removing the outer lens coatings.
Finally, cleaning your sunglasses is just part of good general hygiene. You may not notice, but you’re constantly transferring bacteria and other germs every time you touch your sunglasses. Neglecting to clean them is a quick way to spread germs, and can even lead to an eye infection!
Can You Clean Sunglasses with Alcohol?
No, please don’t use alcohol to clean sunglasses. Alcohol-based cleaners (like Windex) are too harsh on lenses, so it’s not worth taking a chance. In addition, most high-quality sunglasses have a special coating that alcohol might strip off. The same goes for alcohol wipes.
Check with your sunglasses manufacturer for safe sanitizing solutions if you wish to disinfect your sunglasses.
What is the Best Way to Clean Polarized Lenses?
The best way to clean polarized lenses is with warm water and mild dish soap. We’d recommend using the steps we’ve described above to clean your sunglasses.
And this method works for both polarized and non-polarized lenses. Some brands also sell cleaning solutions for their sunglasses. While not required, these are always safe to use. You can see this in action in our guide to cleaning Oakley sunglasses.
Can You Use Windex on Sunglasses?
No, using Windex on sunglasses is a bad idea. This is because Windex contains harsh chemicals that can strip the outer coatings from your lenses.
Plus, Windex isn’t designed for cleaning non-glass materials like sunglasses lenses. You can learn more in our guide to why you shouldn’t use Windex on your sunglasses.
Can You Clean Sunglasses with Hand Sanitizer?
No, hand sanitizers contain alcohol which can break down the lens and frame coating over time. WHO-recommended hand sanitizers contain at least 60% alcohol, which is enough to damage your sunglasses.
Can You Clean Sunglasses with Nail Polish Remover?
No, Acetone-based products, such as nail polish remover, are notoriously damaging to sunglasses. Acetone can even strip the color from plastic frames. And the agent can also remove anti-reflection coating from lenses.
Can Toothpaste Remove Scratches?
Contrary to popular advice, buffing your lenses with toothpaste can damage them further. The best thing you can do is leave your sunglasses alone except for regular cleaning.
If you already have scratches, the next best thing is to prevent additional scratches from occurring. This advice includes not using other materials purported to remove blemishes, such as baking soda.
Have a Question?
Want to know more about how to clean your sunglasses? Or have a question? Let us know in the comments below!
