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. Optometry appointments and glasses are expensive, and cleaning your glasses cheaply and quickly is an easy way to damage your pricy, essential goods. Don’t make these common mistakes when wiping off your fingerprints.
Never wipe your glasses with these materials
When you notice something on your lenses, you want to get rid of it as soon as possible—so it makes sense to 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.
Avoid using the wrong cleaner for your glasses
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 and even your plastic frames.
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.
The cleaning tools you need for your glasses
We wish we could steer you toward cheap, easily available household remedies for dirty glasses, but the risk to the lenses’ coating and the integrity of the frames is just too great. This is one of those instances in which you need specially made tools for the job.
Grab 210 individually wrapped cleaning wipes ($12.99) for on-the-go de-smudging.
Pick up six microfiber cloths designed for glass ($9.95).
Nab six ounces of lens-cleaning spray for $6.99.