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We all know the scene: It’s a gorgeous warm day and the sun’s blinding you. You reach into your purse for your sunglasses and there’s a massive smudge covering the lens—so annoying! You grab the corner of your shirt to wipe as much of it away as possible, but did you know this could actually damage the lens? So how do you clean your sunglasses the right way? We reveal all!
Simply follow these steps and enjoy the cleanest of lenses with no trace of a scratch.
- Step 1: First, rinse your sunglasses under warm water. Don’t use hot water as this could damage the coating on the lenses.
- Step 2: Take some eyeglass cleaner or, if you don’t have any, mild dishwashing liquid also does the trick. Use your fingers to wipe it all over the frames and lenses. Be extra thorough with the parts that touch your skin, such as the nose part and the temples, as these areas could be the grimiest. If fluff has built up in the hinges, a soft bristled toothbrush can fix that.
- Step 3: Rinse off the liquid soap and hopefully all the dirt and grime will be rinsed off too.
- Step 4: Use a microfiber cloth to dry off your glasses thoroughly. The best way to wipe is with a circular motion, as well as back and forth to reduce lines and smudges. A normal towel isn’t a good idea since you might end up with fuzzy lenses again.
If your glasses have rubber nose pads, and they are too dirty or are very worn down, it might make sense to just replace them.
It doesn’t matter whether they’re designer shades or ones you snapped up from a drugstore display, you still want to keep them as clean and scratch-free as possible. Now that you know how to clean your sunglasses, make sure you don’t commit any of these faux pas.
- Spitting on your glasses. It might seem like a quick fix, but it isn’t very hygienic and will probably lead to more smearing.
- Wiping your lenses on your T-shirt, pants, jacket, etc. You might think these items of clothing are clean enough, but they’re covered in miniscule dust and dirt particles that are a surefire way to cause scratches.
- Using fabric softener to wash your microfiber cloth. After you’ve used the cloth to wipe your sunglasses, you might automatically throw it in with the rest of the laundry. This isn’t the best idea because if you usually use fabric softener when washing your clothes, it could render the cloth less effective and cause it to leave smears on your lenses.
- Drying sunglasses with paper products. Since these are made from wood, they can easily scratch your sunglasses’ lenses.
- Using household glass or surface cleaners to clean your sunglasses. These products contain ingredients that can damage the lens and its coating.
- Trying to buff out a scratch in your lens. Don’t try this—it’ll just make it worse.
Now that you know how to clean your sunglasses, you also might enjoy some other cleaning tips from Ask Team Clean. Learn about how to clean a carpet and how to wash your pillows. Sign up for our newsletter and you’ll get sent lots of great articles along with special offers!