9 tips to clean your eyeglasses without damaging the lens

It’s been a long time since eyeglasses stopped being something undesirable and started to be considered accessories that can even help to enhance our face and enhance our style.

Today, with an immense variety of materials, models, colors and brands, eyeglasses have become fashion icons and help us compose looks for different occasions – so much so that it is common to find people who have more than one pair of glasses, just to be able to choose which model best matches the outfit of the day.

In addition, glasses are usually expensive pieces, even more so if your lenses are special or if you want a frame signed by a famous brand. As a result, there is a concern about the correct way to clean and maintain our accessories, so that they last for many, many years.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of essential tips for you to take care of your glasses and keep them looking brand new for as long as possible:

1. Wash the lenses with water and mild liquid soap

If no one has explained it to you, yes, you can and should wash your glasses with soap and water or neutral detergent. For this, you must place the glasses under running water and rub a drop of liquid soap on each lens.

Then, let it dry in the open air. If necessary, you can use a tissue to dry the glasses and give the final polish with the cloth that comes with your accessory.

2. Clean the frame after using makeup

When we use foundation, concealer and powder, or even moisturizers and sunscreen, these products end up sticking to the frame and platelets (those transparent pins that help hold the glasses to the nose).

Therefore, the ideal thing is that you clean the frame and the platelets with a tissue or a cotton swab whenever, at the end of the day, you notice that they have become dirty with residues of these products. If necessary, wash with soap and water – or your accessory could become stained over time.

3. Always keep your accessory in the case

If you are not going to wear your glasses at some point, always store them in the case, with the lenses facing up. This is the best way to preserve your accessory when it is not in use, avoiding scratches and dust accumulation.

Carrying the case with you saves you from having to simply drop your glasses in your bag or leave them on the table, at the risk of forgetting them when you leave.

4. Try to take off and put on your glasses with both hands

You might think you don’t have to worry about taking your glasses off and on using both hands because you’ll never drop them, but there’s another reason for that.

When we use only one hand to handle the glasses, mainly to take them off, we are always forcing the accessory to the same side, and this ends up bending the frame, as you can see in the image above.

5. Never clean the lenses on the shirt

It may seem like an innocent habit, but cleaning your glasses on your shirt or any other fabric other than the cloth that comes with the accessory can damage the lenses.

This is because the weave of most fabrics, even cotton, is quite irregular, with a multitude of loose threads. We don’t see these threads with the naked eye, but with a magnifying glass it is possible to verify their presence.

When rubbed against the lenses, these loose wires cause microscopic scratches that you may not even see at first, but that will deteriorate your glasses over time.

Thus, the best way to polish your lenses is only with the microfiber cloth that comes with the glasses.

6. Don’t wipe your glasses without washing them first.

You can even break the bad habit of cleaning the lens with your t-shirt, but know that passing the cloth that comes with your glasses or even a tissue paper on the lenses before washing them can damage your accessory.

This is because, when rubbing any material against the lenses, we are dragging particles of dust and dirt against them, so that we can end up causing scratches.

So, the safest way to clean your glasses is to wash them first with soap and water, to remove all the grains that may be deposited on the lenses, and only then polish them with a cloth.

7. Putting your glasses on your head can damage them

It may not seem like it at first glance, but our head is wider than our face. So, when you put the glasses on top of your head, it will end up deforming and getting wider. If you need to store your glasses, always put them in their protective case.

8. Keep your glasses out of extreme heat

Leaving the glasses in places where it is very hot, such as the glove compartment of the car, can end up causing deformations in the frames over time, bending the temples or damaging the protective films of the lenses.

9. Never force the frame to try to adjust it

If you notice that your glasses are a little crooked, don’t try to force the frames yourself. In an attempt to fix it, you are more likely to end up breaking the frame. The best thing to do is take them to the nearest optician.