Keeping Sunglasses Clean
05-27-19, 08:41 AM
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Keeping Sunglasses Clean
Like many, I don't bring cotton shirts on bike tours. Polyester shirts don't do anything but smear the gunk across the lens. Half the time, I get the same effect from those microfiber eyeglass cloths.
Normally, my best bet is to wipe with something absorbent first (washcloth, T-shirt), then the microfiber eyeglass cloth. But if you don't have anything in that first category, well, what do y'all do?
Normally, my best bet is to wipe with something absorbent first (washcloth, T-shirt), then the microfiber eyeglass cloth. But if you don't have anything in that first category, well, what do y'all do?
05-27-19, 09:07 AM
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Soap, water, fingers, bandana, lens cleaning packet.
05-27-19, 09:26 AM
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Walmart lens wipes. Works good.
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05-27-19, 09:49 AM
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in the last couple of years, I've laughed a few times because I have had my many, many decades old cotton bandana from my teenage days in the bottom of my handlebar bag, and I've only ever used it for my sunglasses.
I also have clear lenses in those little fabric pouches they give you when you buy sunglasses, and I use that too, but the bandana is right there.
as Indy states simply, if you get that much sunscreen on them, a bit of any soap and your fingers gets that off quickly, then use the small fabric holder or a bandana and you're set.
and dont stick your grubby paws on them in the first place!
I also have clear lenses in those little fabric pouches they give you when you buy sunglasses, and I use that too, but the bandana is right there.
as Indy states simply, if you get that much sunscreen on them, a bit of any soap and your fingers gets that off quickly, then use the small fabric holder or a bandana and you're set.
and dont stick your grubby paws on them in the first place!
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05-27-19, 11:15 AM
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The problem is usually sweat. Bandana is a good idea; think I'll bring one for that purpose, among others. There's always a use for a bandana.
05-27-19, 11:25 AM
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funny, but despite doing a loooot of riding in very hot climates, Ive never had a problem of sweat on my glasses.
but as you say, my old, worn, very soft cotton bandana is perfect for wiping glasses, and/or that and the fabric pouches just need a good wash once in a while and they are good to go.
but as you say, my old, worn, very soft cotton bandana is perfect for wiping glasses, and/or that and the fabric pouches just need a good wash once in a while and they are good to go.
05-27-19, 03:40 PM
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Never heard of that, lol, but isopropyl alcohol works great. I usually keep a few spare paper napkins in my handlebar bag, for my glasses. Surprisingly, wet wipes will streak your glasses like crazy. 😒
05-27-19, 04:37 PM
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05-27-19, 04:53 PM
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hell, while we are on the "alternative usages of stuff" theme, I find the alcohol I use in my Trangia stove to be great for putting on the start of athlete foot or even the beginning of a saddle sore. Keep them both clean and a dab of stove alcohol helps with disinfecting and drying out, handy.
Important to catch both these things at the beginning before they get worse.
Important to catch both these things at the beginning before they get worse.
05-28-19, 09:59 AM
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05-28-19, 04:16 PM
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05-28-19, 05:45 PM
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This is my area of expertise, and so my suggestion:
Always if possible and before anything else,
Run the eyeglasses under tap water, and if really grimy, warm soapy water. This important first step removes all the loose particulates that are on the surface of the lens. If you simply wipe a dry lens down with a shirt tail or even a special lens cleaning cloth, those loose particles will act like sandpaper and can scratch the lens. Never clean the lens dry if possible, if nothing else I'll often take my water bottle and spray some water on BOTH sides of the lens and then always wipe down with a soft cotton cloth, an old bandanna/handkerchief is great but an old cloth diaper or tea towel will work fine.
Don't ever use any Paper Products, no napkins, no paper towels, no kleenex ! Why? Because most paper products contain microscopic wood fibers that can scratch a lens or destroy the coating. Because of the myriad of lens coatings in this day and age, I can't make a blanket statement as to the safety of alcohol which may or may not harm the lens. Never use acetone or any strong solvents.
Back in the old days, when optical lenses were made out of glass, they generally had a much greater scratch resistance than today's plastic lenses. Today, well over 90% of all lenses are made out of plastic. Plastic lenses often have a scratch resistant coating applied to the front surface of the lens but in most cases, the posterior surface of the lens does not receive a scratch resistant coating because that is the surface that we grind the prescription on, therefore the posterior surface is much more likely to receive scratches from those small particulates that didn't get rinsed off before cleaning. Often if you hold the glasses up to the light, you might see small circular scratches on the posterior surface of the lens and they are almost always due to someone that has tried to clean the lens while dry and dirty. Yes, after the lens is ground, you can have an additional scratch resistant coating (notice I didn't say scratch proof, scratch proof doesn't exist) on the posterior surface, but most lenses won't have had that unless you paid a significant amount extra for that service.
One last thing, I see lenses destroyed all the time by someone who read something somewhere on the interwebs that told them that some common household product did wonders for cleaning the lens or to make it "fog proof". Be very careful of what your lenses are exposed to. Today's optical lenses are so much lighter and thinner than in the past but they are far less forgiving of rough treatment.
Hope this helps.
Always if possible and before anything else,
Run the eyeglasses under tap water, and if really grimy, warm soapy water. This important first step removes all the loose particulates that are on the surface of the lens. If you simply wipe a dry lens down with a shirt tail or even a special lens cleaning cloth, those loose particles will act like sandpaper and can scratch the lens. Never clean the lens dry if possible, if nothing else I'll often take my water bottle and spray some water on BOTH sides of the lens and then always wipe down with a soft cotton cloth, an old bandanna/handkerchief is great but an old cloth diaper or tea towel will work fine.
Don't ever use any Paper Products, no napkins, no paper towels, no kleenex ! Why? Because most paper products contain microscopic wood fibers that can scratch a lens or destroy the coating. Because of the myriad of lens coatings in this day and age, I can't make a blanket statement as to the safety of alcohol which may or may not harm the lens. Never use acetone or any strong solvents.
Back in the old days, when optical lenses were made out of glass, they generally had a much greater scratch resistance than today's plastic lenses. Today, well over 90% of all lenses are made out of plastic. Plastic lenses often have a scratch resistant coating applied to the front surface of the lens but in most cases, the posterior surface of the lens does not receive a scratch resistant coating because that is the surface that we grind the prescription on, therefore the posterior surface is much more likely to receive scratches from those small particulates that didn't get rinsed off before cleaning. Often if you hold the glasses up to the light, you might see small circular scratches on the posterior surface of the lens and they are almost always due to someone that has tried to clean the lens while dry and dirty. Yes, after the lens is ground, you can have an additional scratch resistant coating (notice I didn't say scratch proof, scratch proof doesn't exist) on the posterior surface, but most lenses won't have had that unless you paid a significant amount extra for that service.
One last thing, I see lenses destroyed all the time by someone who read something somewhere on the interwebs that told them that some common household product did wonders for cleaning the lens or to make it "fog proof". Be very careful of what your lenses are exposed to. Today's optical lenses are so much lighter and thinner than in the past but they are far less forgiving of rough treatment.
Hope this helps.
05-28-19, 06:49 PM
#14
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interesting robow, I always kept in mind the "no dry" thing for lens cleaning, I worked in photo for many decades and always took extra care with my expensive lenses, specifically for the anti glare and reflection coatings on them, and making sure you arent doing the sandpaper thing applies the same to eyeglasses thats for sure.
Going back to my motorcycle days, having a really clear visor , and with bicycles, very clear, non scratched, sun or clear glasses, is a real priority for me, so taking care of my sunglasses is super important.
good point to bring up.
Now if people care or make the effort, thats a different matter.
Going back to my motorcycle days, having a really clear visor , and with bicycles, very clear, non scratched, sun or clear glasses, is a real priority for me, so taking care of my sunglasses is super important.
good point to bring up.
Now if people care or make the effort, thats a different matter.
05-29-19, 12:24 AM
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This is my area of expertise, and so my suggestion:
Always if possible and before anything else,
Run the eyeglasses under tap water, and if really grimy, warm soapy water. This important first step removes all the loose particulates that are on the surface of the lens. If you simply wipe a dry lens down with a shirt tail or even a special lens cleaning cloth, those loose particles will act like sandpaper and can scratch the lens. Never clean the lens dry if possible, if nothing else I'll often take my water bottle and spray some water on BOTH sides of the lens and then always wipe down with a soft cotton cloth, an old bandanna/handkerchief is great but an old cloth diaper or tea towel will work fine.
Don't ever use any Paper Products, no napkins, no paper towels, no kleenex ! Why? Because most paper products contain microscopic wood fibers that can scratch a lens or destroy the coating. Because of the myriad of lens coatings in this day and age, I can't make a blanket statement as to the safety of alcohol which may or may not harm the lens. Never use acetone or any strong solvents.
Back in the old days, when optical lenses were made out of glass, they generally had a much greater scratch resistance than today's plastic lenses. Today, well over 90% of all lenses are made out of plastic. Plastic lenses often have a scratch resistant coating applied to the front surface of the lens but in most cases, the posterior surface of the lens does not receive a scratch resistant coating because that is the surface that we grind the prescription on, therefore the posterior surface is much more likely to receive scratches from those small particulates that didn't get rinsed off before cleaning. Often if you hold the glasses up to the light, you might see small circular scratches on the posterior surface of the lens and they are almost always due to someone that has tried to clean the lens while dry and dirty. Yes, after the lens is ground, you can have an additional scratch resistant coating (notice I didn't say scratch proof, scratch proof doesn't exist) on the posterior surface, but most lenses won't have had that unless you paid a significant amount extra for that service.
One last thing, I see lenses destroyed all the time by someone who read something somewhere on the interwebs that told them that some common household product did wonders for cleaning the lens or to make it "fog proof". Be very careful of what your lenses are exposed to. Today's optical lenses are so much lighter and thinner than in the past but they are far less forgiving of rough treatment.
Hope this helps.
Always if possible and before anything else,
Run the eyeglasses under tap water, and if really grimy, warm soapy water. This important first step removes all the loose particulates that are on the surface of the lens. If you simply wipe a dry lens down with a shirt tail or even a special lens cleaning cloth, those loose particles will act like sandpaper and can scratch the lens. Never clean the lens dry if possible, if nothing else I'll often take my water bottle and spray some water on BOTH sides of the lens and then always wipe down with a soft cotton cloth, an old bandanna/handkerchief is great but an old cloth diaper or tea towel will work fine.
Don't ever use any Paper Products, no napkins, no paper towels, no kleenex ! Why? Because most paper products contain microscopic wood fibers that can scratch a lens or destroy the coating. Because of the myriad of lens coatings in this day and age, I can't make a blanket statement as to the safety of alcohol which may or may not harm the lens. Never use acetone or any strong solvents.
Back in the old days, when optical lenses were made out of glass, they generally had a much greater scratch resistance than today's plastic lenses. Today, well over 90% of all lenses are made out of plastic. Plastic lenses often have a scratch resistant coating applied to the front surface of the lens but in most cases, the posterior surface of the lens does not receive a scratch resistant coating because that is the surface that we grind the prescription on, therefore the posterior surface is much more likely to receive scratches from those small particulates that didn't get rinsed off before cleaning. Often if you hold the glasses up to the light, you might see small circular scratches on the posterior surface of the lens and they are almost always due to someone that has tried to clean the lens while dry and dirty. Yes, after the lens is ground, you can have an additional scratch resistant coating (notice I didn't say scratch proof, scratch proof doesn't exist) on the posterior surface, but most lenses won't have had that unless you paid a significant amount extra for that service.
One last thing, I see lenses destroyed all the time by someone who read something somewhere on the interwebs that told them that some common household product did wonders for cleaning the lens or to make it "fog proof". Be very careful of what your lenses are exposed to. Today's optical lenses are so much lighter and thinner than in the past but they are far less forgiving of rough treatment.
Hope this helps.
05-29-19, 10:15 AM
#16
An optometrist says: (1) rinse the lense under water faucet, (2) put a drop of dishwater soap on each lense, (3) use your finger tip to lather the soap on the lense, (4) rinse off the lense under water faucet.
I think the idea is your finger tip is very clean, you can keep it clean, you can feel if there's dirt on your finger tip, you rinse it off immediately.
Instead of cloth, because cloth traps dirt and become like sand paper.
I think the idea is your finger tip is very clean, you can keep it clean, you can feel if there's dirt on your finger tip, you rinse it off immediately.
Instead of cloth, because cloth traps dirt and become like sand paper.
06-01-19, 07:09 PM
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By wearing a skullcap, I find there is much less need to clean my glasses. But I try to keep napkins handy, realizing that paper is not to be used on eyeglasses. This is for cleaning them in the field. Otherwise I use soap and water.
06-01-19, 07:22 PM
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Last winter I read about cleaning ski goggles which sometimes require extra care to avoid removing the anti-fog coating. Folks recommend breathing on the glasses & wiping them with the soft cloth goggle bag. OTOH Smith says their goggles' coating doesn't get dissolved with mild dishwash (Dawn) detergent.
For bike glasses, how about using Dawn + fingertip or microfiber cloth to wash & perhaps microfiber cloth to dry if necessary? Microfiber cloth is very popular among car-detailing fans for being gentle on delicate finishes; caveat being that it's clean & free from any grit.
For bike glasses, how about using Dawn + fingertip or microfiber cloth to wash & perhaps microfiber cloth to dry if necessary? Microfiber cloth is very popular among car-detailing fans for being gentle on delicate finishes; caveat being that it's clean & free from any grit.
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