Keeping Eyeglasses Clean

I started wearing eyeglasses about 8 months ago. When I asked the
fitter about cleaning and mentioned kleenex, he reacted as though I
had suggested a daily rubdown with sandpaper.

Then I googled eyeglass care and cleaning pages and they were in near
unanimous agreement with his advice: use only dish soap and warm
water--or eyeglass cleaning solution--and always the right cloth,
preferably a microfiber cloth that's been protected from collecting
dust. Dire warnings about kleenex and paper towels, especially, but
also any plausible cloth you might realistically have on hand--shirt
tails, etc.

After following the guidelines for 8 months, I have pristine, scratch
free lenses, but at the expense of long hours of peering through
horribly annoying, filthy lenses until I can get back to dish soap or
cleaning solution and an appropriate cloth, or when I remember, having
to inconveniently carry a cleaning kit along with me wherever I go.

How overblown is the advice? Why can't I use a shirt tail and breath
fog to clean my glasses when cleaning my windshield with a dobie has
no ill effect? How come I see people all over the place with clean,
unscratched glasses without bulky cleaning kits spilling out of their
pockets? What's your secret?

Before experimenting with a pricey pair of specs, I'd like feedback
from those who have been there: what's a practical, hassle free way to
keep your glasses clean and in reasonably good condition in the REAL
world?

On May 5, 9:54 am, xplorer7 <xplorerse...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I started wearing eyeglasses about 8 months ago. When I asked the
> fitter about cleaning and mentioned kleenex, he reacted as though I
> had suggested a daily rubdown with sandpaper.
>
> Then I googled eyeglass care and cleaning pages and they were in near
> unanimous agreement with his advice: use only dish soap and warm
> water--or eyeglass cleaning solution--and always the right cloth,
> preferably a microfiber cloth that's been protected from collecting
> dust. Dire warnings about kleenex and paper towels, especially, but
> also any plausible cloth you might realistically have on hand--shirt
> tails, etc.
>
> After following the guidelines for 8 months, I have pristine, scratch
> free lenses, but at the expense of long hours of peering through
> horribly annoying, filthy lenses until I can get back to dish soap or
> cleaning solution and an appropriate cloth, or when I remember, having
> to inconveniently carry a cleaning kit along with me wherever I go.
>
> How overblown is the advice? Why can't I use a shirt tail and breath
> fog to clean my glasses when cleaning my windshield with a dobie has
> no ill effect? How come I see people all over the place with clean,
> unscratched glasses without bulky cleaning kits spilling out of their
> pockets? What's your secret?
>
> Before experimenting with a pricey pair of specs, I'd like feedback
> from those who have been there: what's a practical, hassle free way to
> keep your glasses clean and in reasonably good condition in the REAL
> world?

new antireflective coatings (crizal alize to name one) only require a
microfiber cleaning cloth (usually supplied by your optician).
You almost never need water/soap or other solutions to get them
sparkling clean. they work very well.

xplorer7 wrote:
> I started wearing eyeglasses about 8 months ago. When I asked the
> fitter about cleaning and mentioned kleenex, he reacted as though I
> had suggested a daily rubdown with sandpaper.
>

My opinion:

http://www.obase.net/clens.htm

the microfiber cloths that are so popular are great on the day you get
them. after that, they get progressively more damaging as they pick up
fine sand and dust particles (which converts them into the sandpaper
your fitter is so afraid of)

ever see a piece of dust/sand under a microscope. sharp little suckers,
and HARD.

w.stacy, o.d.

In article <(E-Mail Removed) .com>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...
> On May 5, 9:54 am, xplorer7 <xplorerse...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I started wearing eyeglasses about 8 months ago. When I asked the
> > fitter about cleaning and mentioned kleenex, he reacted as though I
> > had suggested a daily rubdown with sandpaper.
> >
> > Then I googled eyeglass care and cleaning pages and they were in near
> > unanimous agreement with his advice: use only dish soap and warm
> > water--or eyeglass cleaning solution--and always the right cloth,
> > preferably a microfiber cloth that's been protected from collecting
> > dust. Dire warnings about kleenex and paper towels, especially, but
> > also any plausible cloth you might realistically have on hand--shirt
> > tails, etc.
> >
> > After following the guidelines for 8 months, I have pristine, scratch
> > free lenses, but at the expense of long hours of peering through
> > horribly annoying, filthy lenses until I can get back to dish soap or
> > cleaning solution and an appropriate cloth, or when I remember, having
> > to inconveniently carry a cleaning kit along with me wherever I go.
> >
> > How overblown is the advice? Why can't I use a shirt tail and breath
> > fog to clean my glasses when cleaning my windshield with a dobie has
> > no ill effect? How come I see people all over the place with clean,
> > unscratched glasses without bulky cleaning kits spilling out of their
> > pockets? What's your secret?
> >
> > Before experimenting with a pricey pair of specs, I'd like feedback
> > from those who have been there: what's a practical, hassle free way to
> > keep your glasses clean and in reasonably good condition in the REAL
> > world?
>
> new antireflective coatings (crizal alize to name one) only require a
> microfiber cleaning cloth (usually supplied by your optician).
> You almost never need water/soap or other solutions to get them
> sparkling clean. they work very well.
>
>
Not if you have oily skin. Dirt is one thing, oil film is another. On the
portion of the eyeglass frame touching under my eyes and on my nose, and
the inside of the lense surface from my eyebrows, the accumulation of
oil, and then trapped dust, is incredible. I have to wash the glasses 2 -
3 times per day. I have Crizal Alize on my PALs (1.67 Hi-Index). It is a
fantastic product compared to the old stuff that was available.

I use warm water from the faucet to rinse as much as possible off of the
glasses, then gently apply a lather from a drop of plain mild dish soap
and more water. Rinse well, and then gently blot dry with a clean lint
free tissue. I don't get scratches or lint, and it is has been two years
on this pair of glasses.

I can't afford fine microfibre cloths to throw away after few uses when
they start trapping dirt. I can't carry around a box of lint free cotton
cloths everywhere I go, but I can usually find good tissues almost
anywhere.

That is just my experience of 40 years of daily wear @ 18 hours per day.

Dennis R

Folks, you don't need those expensive microfiber cloths. Old worn T
stirts do the job just fine and we all have em.
Just cut them into little cloths and you're set.

spammer wrote:

> Folks, you don't need those expensive microfiber cloths. Old worn T
> stirts do the job just fine and we all have em.
> Just cut them into little cloths and you're set.

I breathe on the lenses (cr39, no coatings) and use the tail of my current
t-shirt to finish them off. If I get something filthy on them, or a bug
splat or something, I use water and dish soap, drying with a paper towel and
ultimately the aforementioned t-shirt tail. The only scratches I get are
from dropping or stepping on them. Some of us are clumsier than others.

--
Cheers,
Bev
================================================== ===
It's 95% of the lawyers making the other 5% look bad.

On May 5, 9:16 pm, The Real Bev <bashley101+use...@gmail.com> wrote:
> spammer wrote:
> > Folks, you don't need those expensive microfiber cloths. Old worn T
> > stirts do the job just fine and we all have em.
> > Just cut them into little cloths and you're set.
>
> I breathe on the lenses (cr39, no coatings) and use the tail of my current
> t-shirt to finish them off. If I get something filthy on them, or a bug
> splat or something, I use water and dish soap, drying with a paper towel and
> ultimately the aforementioned t-shirt tail. The only scratches I get are
> from dropping or stepping on them. Some of us are clumsier than others.
>
> --
> Cheers,
> Bev
> ================================================== ===
> It's 95% of the lawyers making the other 5% look bad.

Same here.