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How Do You Clean Your Eyeglasses?

A new gizmo on Kickstarter reminds me that I've yet to see an easy way

By Rain Noe - September 4, 2020

in Object Culture

How do you clean your eyeglasses? I'm not talking about sanitizing them, I mean just getting the lenses perfectly clear of smudges and the skin oil that seems to migrate onto them.

My system is cheap and simple, if tedious. I've hung onto this roughly eyeglasses-sized plastic packaging that mushrooms come in. I fill the bottom with water, add a couple drops of dishwashing detergent, and let the glasses soak for a few minutes. Afterwards I rinse them off, then carefully dry them with a paper towel. The drying is the tedious part, trying to get to the edges of the lenses without stressing and breaking the delicate frames.

In Japan I'd first encountered an ultrasonic eyeglass cleaning machine at an optician, and when I got back to the 'States, I tried cleaning a pair of eyeglasses with the ultrasonic cleaner I use for machine parts. It destroyed the polycarbonate lenses.

Since then I've been on the lookout for an easy, cheap way to clean eyeglasses, and falsely hoped this might be it:

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Looks to be a bit of a letdown; $30 gets you a spring-loaded cylinder--is the spring necessary? Can we not agitate by hand?--and a small bottle of cleaning solution. Most of us already have dishwashing detergent on hand, and it seems to do the job just fine. I'm not seeing any true value or innovation here.

What I think most of us want is some easy way to clean the lenses, from edge to edge. I know some of you spectacled, detail- and UX-oriented designers out there have to have a better system than I do--please share it.

o

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Tobias Lagström

4 years ago

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Why is this even a kickstarter? This is an exisiting product. https://www.webboptik.se/sv/articles/2.140.7499/glasogonbad (Swedish). Hard to see that adding a bambu top counts as innovation.

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- Tobias Lagström
  
  Tobias Lagström
  
  4 years ago
  
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  Also the price is 2$. I got one for free with my glasses.
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Chapel Hill Eyecare

4 years ago

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As an Optometrist, I recommend washing under water to remove large particles or debri. Then we use eyeglass specific cleaner, which is almost diluted dawn dish soap, water, and some rubbing alcohol. I agree, no paper towels. Microfiber cleaning cloths for glasses are best or a clean cotton cloth. Doing this once or twice per day should take care of it. Also matters what type of lenses you have and if you have any anti-reflective treatments on the lenses which should help cleaning and resist smudging/dirt in general.

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Ross Oliver

4 years ago

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"dry them with a paper towel" severe cringe experienced! I never apply any paper products to any precision optics. Also never rest the surfaces of optics on any surface (i.e. the bottom of a container). My routine: first rinse under running water to remove any hard contaminants. Next apply small amount of foaming hand soap or pre-dissolved dishwashing liquid to thumb and forefinger, rub lenses gently. Examine carefully nooks and crannies around nose bridge and if needed clean out any gunk with wood toothpick, Rinse under running water, and blot dry (don't rub!) with dish towel dedicated exclusively to eyeglasses. Resist the urge to dry wipe between washings. Live with the smudge or go do the cleaning routine.

I agree with the project that certain soaps and cleaners interactive negatively with coatings. I avoid hotel bath and hand soaps for this reason. For travel I carry a travel size bottle of Johnson's Baby Shampoo along with my dedicated eyeglasses towel for cleaning. But I don't see the need for a dedicated cleaning container.

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Derek Chan

4 years ago

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I think the spring theoretically prevents your glasses becoming a shake whisk ball.

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