How effective is Fairy Liquid for cleaning glasses?

Are you guilty of cleaning your glasses with whatever is closest to hand, including your own clothes, hand sanitizer, and even washing up liquid?

You should stop using washing up liquid to clean them

In addition to being the most commonly used cleaning mixture for glasses, washing up liquid and warm water is also one of the most destructive.

If you use washing up liquid that contains grease-busting chemicals, the fragile lens coating on your glasses will be damaged.

The lenses of eyeglasses coated with anti-reflective coatings may even craze under such conditions, which causes a web of tiny cracks to appear.

Don’t use a corner of your shirt to clean them

Using the end of your shirt or skirt to wipe your glasses is far too simple.

However, it can be quite damaging to your glasses.

Besides failing to clean your glasses, the tiny particles of dirt could also cause numerous tiny scratches on your lenses as well.

The cleaning of your glasses can be difficult when you are wearing certain clothing materials, such as wool.

Even the cleanest clothes can scratch lenses if they are not free of dirt and dust.

Do not use hand sanitizer to clean them

We see hand sanitizer everywhere now, but it is too strong for our glasses during a pandemic.

As a strong and aggressive chemical, alcohol is capable of eroding lens coatings and frames on your glasses. Alcohol does not spare any detail when it comes to destroying your glasses.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hand sanitizers containing 60% or more alcohol should not be used on glasses.

Put an end to the practice of cleaning them with household glass cleaners

If household glass cleaner is effective on your glasses, shouldn’t it also work on your lenses?

Reading glasses should not be cleaned with household cleaners as these ingredients are harmful and ineffective.

When using any spray, please remove your glasses first.

Don’t spit on your glasses

Despite being an abundant and readily available resource, your mouth fountain may not be sufficient to clean your glasses.

In order to prevent corneal (front of your eye) infections, you should avoid putting saliva near your eyes.

Take precautions, avoid the risk, and do not clean your glasses with saliva.

Don’t wash your specs with soap

Clean the frames of your glasses with gentle soap to remove dirt or oil, but avoid getting the soap on the lenses.

The surfactants found in store-bought soaps are similar to those found in washing up liquid, so it is best to avoid them as much as possible.

Lather some soap in your hands and apply it to your frames if you are desperate to clean them.

After washing, rinsing the suds off gently with lukewarm water and drying them carefully is always recommended.

Do not rinse your glasses with hot water

A gentle method of cleaning your glasses is to rinse them off with water to remove dirt and grit that may damage your lenses. However, using hot, scorching water may damage them as it could remove the protective coating on the lenses.

Your glasses will be less aggravated by lukewarm water than by hot water.

Avoid the use of UV light cleaners

It is important to note that UVC light, although capable of sanitizing your glasses, will not be able to remove any grease or dirt from them, making them extremely limited and therefore not recommended.

The UVC light is also dangerous, as prolonged exposure can result in eye and skin damage.

Don’t wipe your glasses with tissue

You will probably scratch your glasses if you wipe them with lint-based tissues, as lint fibres are the smallest magnets for dust.

As kitchen rolls are generally lint-free, you should be able to use them.

As most baby wipes are alcohol-free, you should be able to use them as well.

Lint-free items may not always be obvious from the packaging.

Then, what are the best methods of cleaning your glasses?

A gentle microfiber cloth along with an alcohol-free liquid lens cleaner is the most effective method for cleaning lenses

If you first purchase your pair of glasses, most optometrists will provide you with a bottle of lens cleaner and a microfiber cloth. Please make good use of these items.

Also, compostable soft microfiber lens wipes are ideal for keeping your spectacles sparkling.