Don’t use a handkerchief or corner of a shirt/blouse. These can contain particles of dust and dirt which can easily scratch your lenses when you start rubbing. Paper towels and napkins are just as bad. They’re essentially pulped wood and surprisingly abrasive whilst also leaving particles of dust on the lens.
Use a liquid for best results - condensation from your breath isn’t enough, even if you’re using a microfibre cloth. The simplest way is to rinse your sunglasses in warm (not hot) water. This is especially important if they’re covered in sand and salt from the beach. Run a bowl of water and add a couple of drops of mild washing up liquid to it. Then simply give the sunglasses a good dunking to remove all the dirt, gently rub them with your fingers in the water and then dry with a clean, lint-free microfibre cloth. However, don’t apply washing up liquids – particularly citric ones – directly onto lenses as they can be abrasive, some containing salt.
Don’t forget to clean the frame too. When you wear your sunglasses, the areas most likely to be contaminated with grease, dirt and grime are the nose pads, temples and the frame surrounding the lenses. Clean these too or you could end up smearing skin contact residue onto the lenses.
Avoid household glass cleaners: general purpose household glass cleaners can contain vinegar, ammonia or even bleach – making these cleaners too ‘aggressive’ as they can strip away mirror or anti-reflective coatings on sunglasses. Use a proprietary lens cleaner such as this one shown – we have several options available in our accessories section.
