Don’t Do These Things When You Clean Your Glasses

For the most part, people wear eyeglasses to improve their vision. They go through the whole “which is better, A or B?” routine with their optometrist to find the right prescription, pick out frames, end up being talked into multiple special coatings…and then clean their smudged lenses with the bottom of their shirt.

Don’t do that. Don’t make these other common mistakes when cleaning your glasses, either.

Using the wrong material to wipe them

When you notice something on your lenses, you want to get rid of it as soon as possible—so it makes sense if you grab the first thing you see to wipe them. But most of the time, that’s not a good idea. Here are a few materials to avoid:

• Your shirt, sleeve, or other piece of clothing: These can scratch your lenses and make them dirtier.
• Paper towels, napkins, or toilet paper: In addition to leaving your lenses full of lint, these can also scratch them.

Instead of any of those, clean your lenses using a microfiber cloth.

Using the wrong cleaner

When it comes to your glasses, not just any cleaner will do. Here are some to avoid:

• Nail polish remover with acetone: This powerful chemical could damage your lenses.
• Saliva: Not only is this unhygienic, but it can make smudges on your lenses even worse.
• Household glass or surface cleaners: These products have ingredients that can damage lenses and their expensive coatings.

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Instead, either use a dedicated lens-cleaning spray, or non-lotion dish soap (and then rinse it off) to get smudges, stains, or any other dirt off your lenses.

Of course, more can happen to your glasses than simply getting dirty. Here’s what to do if your lenses get scratched, and finally, here are several techniques to keep your glasses from fogging up while wearing a face mask.