Lens manufacturers say that anything other than a microfiber cloth will damage the coatings on a lens. But microfiber cloths eventually pick up crap and they look like they’re a pain to wash.
How do you keep your lenses clean? Are you using cloth/kleenex or microfiber cloths? If you use microfiber cloths, how do you clean those?
I use denim. My jeans get my glasses cleaner than anything else I’ve tried. I’m sure it’s not as good for them as a microfiber cloth, but it’s what I have on me. My wife has me clean hers, too.
I have a spray bottle with an isopropanol water mixture (around 10% isopropanol) and I just give my glasses a good spray and then wipe them with a clean microfiber kitchen cloth.
(I wash these cloths with just detergent powder, no softener or other additives, so they are grease-free out of the washer)
Gin will clean you glasses better than anything EVER. Nex t time you’re at your local bar, ask for a bar napkin with a drop of gin, and then dry with a microfiber, then thank me later!
I use warm (not hot) water under pressure. Dry with a clean hand towel. Warning: don’t use towels that were fabric softened, fabric softener can leave some nasty, hard-to-remove streaks on the lenses.
I found these cloths years ago, and they clean extremely well and go a long time before needing to wash them. Then I'll just throw them in the laundry with my clothes, take them out and air dry instead of throwing in the dryer.
If I my glasses end up getting particularly dirty, like grease spots from cooking, I do the dawn dish soap method and dry them with one of those cloths.
Worn cotton t-shirts work best. Launder without fabric softener or dryer sheets.
With plastic lenses, don’t use paper products, including Kleenex, toilet paper, napkins, or paper towels. Paper (wood) fibers are hard enough to put microscopic scratches in lenses or coatings, eventually making them appear cloudy.
Microfiber cloth is pretty lousy for cleaning lenses, in my experience.
I use a chamois cloth, seems to pick up oil/smudges even better that microfiber and need less washing. Also super easy to wash when it does need it. I basically just cut a dollar bill sized section off a natural off-brand sham-wow and it works better than anything else I’ve used
Just water and a regular dishtowel. If they’re more dirty I’ll use dishwasher soap. Rub it over with a finger to get the greesy stuff off and wash the soap off.
The microfiber cloth that usually comes with the glasses tend to stop working after a while, and I always have clean dishtowel anyway.
Outside my kitchen I use my t-shirt or if I’m wearing a shirt, I’ll use the underwear top, because shirts generally aren’t too good at it due to prints or fabrics. Yes I wear a “wife beater” under my shirt. It’s what it’s for, and I guess also for cleaning glasses.
I wear cotton t-shirts, so I have a drawer full of clean ones. I wash my glasses with foaming hand soap with my fingers, then dry with a shirt from the drawer. Not really had any problems, but I buy polycarbonate lenses with no coatings.
Every once in a while I’ll use dish soap and my fingers, then dry with a microfiber cloth.
Microfiber cloth and whatever that glasses spray is works ok, but after a while it feels like I’m just pushing smudges around. Dish soap for the microfiber cloth will also fix that.
When I see people using their shirt to clean their glasses I cringe inside.
I do both. Once or twice a week they get washed. But I never remember to bring a cloth with me, so if I’m out and about and get a smudge on my glasses, using my shirt is 1000% preferred over just leaving the smudge there.
I bought so many microfiber cloths that when one gets too dirty, it goes to workshop duty and I get a new one for glasses.
For cleaning lenses properly (which I do once a week or so), I tend to use lint-free tissue (Kimwipes) and a mixture of 85% petroleum ether & 15% pure isopropanol; both of which should be available at your local hardware store. Bonus is that this is also appropriate for scientific optics, like microscope/camera lenses & instrumentation components (mirrors, prisms etcs) - just don’t rub them!
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