taking care of Sunglasses.

[Darth-Baiter]

I stopped using the provided microcloth for the most part.  at the end of (fishing) day, I go to the kitchen sink.  I take a tiny drop of dish soap in my fingers and rub the lens under running water.  just a light trickle.  then I air dry them.  I might get the occasional water spot, but it is rare.  if I do, that is when I use the microcloth.  I feel I am confident there isn't a grain of sand or anything abrasive in that waterspot.

 

I put them back into the case for the next fishing trip.  I think it is working.  none of my sunglasses are scratched now.

 

I had an old German dude that sold me my binoculars suggest this for the lenses he sold me.  crawling around on the mountains coat binoculars with abrasives.   yesterday, mid day I gave myself a start.  I thought  I lost my sunglasses.  I was wearing them.  they are so clear, I thought I was looking at the world with bare-eyes.  I was missing that tiny scratch I have on my daily pair of sunglasses.  

 

any tips?

[DaubsNU1]

I went through cheap, gas station sunglasses like a hot knife through butter. This was years ago. 

 

Finally decided to invest in a good pair of sunglasses, and got them fitted to my face / head (they heat and bend them to sit just right). Spent some good $$ on them.. 

 

And I took care of them. Using glass cleaner and microfiber cloth often. And always keeping them in case when not in use.

 

They lasted many years, until I upgraded to some Smith cycling glasses with interchangeable lenses around 2000. 

 

Liked them so much, I got a few more pairs, and more lenses to swap in and out. Still take good care of them...and they are still serving me well after 20+ years.

 

Purchase good sunglasses, take care of them, make sure they are protected and clean, and they will last you many years. 

[Dwight Hottle]

I have worn glasses since the 3rd grade & I'm 74 now so I have a lot of experience with glasses. I'm legally blind without them so I give them plenty of care. I always buy new lenses with a scratch coating applied. I used to use my fingers under running water to clean but found that you can still scratch them that way. I now only use hot running water over both sides of the lenses & then dry with a soft cotton T shirt that is devoted to only drying glasses. It gets washed regularly but never with dryer softener because that can leave a film on the lens. Now my sunglasses & regular glasses are scratch free. 

[Cbump]

Darth, that’s exactly how I clean my Maui Jims. It’s the best way to get rid of the film you get on the lenses from water/sweat/sunblock etc. 

 

[Jar11591]

Tiny bit of dish soap can help reduce fogging on the lenses when using a face shield or neck gaiter as well. 

[throttleplate]

never use wet wipes to clean your lenses.

[Deleted account]

I never use anything other than 100% cotton (Navy uniform white Ts) and a bit of water on the field, Ivory soap hand wash at home, no hard scrubbing. Anything else with or without grit and salt will scratch most lenses in short order. When not on my face they go in their pouch and case. 

[TOXIC]

I have a lot of microfibers for wiping the boat and truck.  If they are super clean, I will use them to wipe off my Rx Oakley’s.  I have a pair of microfibers that I found in my boat when I bought it that have Lowrance embroidered on them and they are totally different than all my other microfibers.  I have all grades of microfibers from washing to polishing and none are like the Lowrance ones.  They are super fine and I assume made for graph screens.  They work super on my sunglasses.  

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, Cbump said:

Darth, that’s exactly how I clean my Maui Jims. It’s the best way to get rid of the film you get on the lenses from water/sweat/sunblock etc. 

 

same for my Maui Jim’s and costas. I leave my costas in the truck hanging from the rear view. My Jims are in the case in a drawer for ‘pool’ and backup use. Sweat, sunscreen, and anything that’s not just water gets some dish or hand soap. I also keep a large microfiber in both the truck and the boat.  The trucks does sunglasses and the windshield in a pinch. The boat does sunglasses and the fish finder. Neither sees actual dirt or grit and if they do they go in the washing machine. 

[gim]

The most important factor for me is to put them back in the hard case they came with when not in use. When I had cheapies, I’d just place them wherever. My costas always go back in the hard sided case after I’m done with them.

[GRiver]

Man I’m hard on glasses, I’ve  bought good glasses before, even have a nice pair of Ray-bans I wear occasionally. 
For the most part, a pair from  the fishing section at Walmart is what I have on, around $20.00 bucks or so. I still take care of them the best I can, dish soap warm water, soft towel, the whole bit.  On the boat …we’ll that’s a different story….when they start getting dirty, dunked over the side, tap them on my thigh, and wiped of with my shirt. Like I said I’m hard on glasses.

[padlin]

4 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 I used to use my fingers under running water to clean but found that you can still scratch them that way. I now only use hot running water over both sides of the lenses & then dry with a soft cotton T shirt that is devoted to only drying glasses. It gets washed regularly but never with dryer softener because that can leave a film on the lens. Now my sunglasses & regular glasses are scratch free. 

Ditto to Dwight's write up. On my 2nd pair of progressive Wiley wraparounds in about 10 years, the 2nd pair just cause the prescription changed, nothing wrong with the lenses. FWIW, I got scratches on my regular glasses at the time I was using Palmolive and my fingers, no more.

[Revival]

I bought my Dad a pair of sunglasses couple years ago.  He used little bit of dish soap to clean the lens one day and soapy water got caught in the film of lens.  Company sent him a pair of new lens, but that was the last time he used soap.

[throttleplate]

5 hours ago, Revival said:

He used little bit of dish soap to clean the lens one day and soapy water got caught in the film of lens.

 

When i was in Hong Kong a couple years ago i bought some Ray Bans, while being fitted the sales guy told me to not use dish soap as it can harm the lens.

A year ago at another eye glass place  in the usa i was again told to not use dishwashing soap as it affects the lens coatings. Never wash your car with dishsoap because it strips off the wax if you previously waxed it.

[CrashVector]

I clean my Oakley Flak 2.0 S.I.'s the same way after a day on the water, except I use a milder soap....Dr bronner's magic soap.

[Darth-Baiter]

43 minutes ago, CrashVector said:

I clean my Oakley Flak 2.0 S.I.'s the same way after a day on the water, except I use a milder soap....Dr bronner's magic soap.

Great soap!  

[flyfisher]

Back when i was a kid and got gflases i remember the eye doctor telling me to never wipe a dry lens and always rinse them first to get that microscopic dirt off and it has stuck with me ever since.  I don't put mine in a hard case but they have yet to be scratched.  Modern good quality sunglasses seem to be pretty scratch resistant.

[Darth-Baiter]

9 hours ago, CrashVector said:

I clean my Oakley Flak 2.0 S.I.'s the same way after a day on the water, except I use a milder soap....Dr bronner's magic soap.

To anyone reading this. This is a fantastic soap. You can use it for anything.  My appliance repair guy takes that statement to heart.  From shampoo to kitchen cleaner.  He uses this soap.   Either him or his wife is in remission, and he allows zero chemicals into the home.   He used it to clean the condenser fan under my fridge. I asked about it and bought a bottle. Just a teaspoon in a spray bottle of water and it’s my spray cleaner. I use it to clean the kayak.  I don’t want to drag chemicals into a lake. 
 

cleaning sunglasses is a good idea since they are on my face. I use Dawn soap now cuz it cuts sunscreen grease easily. 

[Way north bass guy]

On 9/4/2022 at 5:31 PM, gimruis said:

The most important factor for me is to put them back in the hard case they came with when not in use. When I had cheapies, I’d just place them wherever. My costas always go back in the hard sided case after I’m done with them.

Same here. Since I got a pair of Costas in glass lens, thats how I’ve treated them. I have a couple pairs, one stays in the boat all the time and one is in the truck or on my face. Always gets a rinse and very light dish soap that doesn’t have any harsh chemicals in it, and I’ve been over two years without a single scratch, and trust me, being a stonemason, I know a thing or two about dust!

[Woody B]

I used dish soap for years on my (prescription) glasses.  A friend suggested I use a product called cat crap.  It works great, and does better for anti fog than dish soap.  I had to wear a mask for 1 1/2 years at work.  Fogging was a problem, even with the dish soap.  The cat crap works.  

[Darth-Baiter]

14 hours ago, Way north bass guy said:

Same here. Since I got a pair of Costas in glass lens, thats how I’ve treated them. I have a couple pairs, one stays in the boat all the time and one is in the truck or on my face. Always gets a rinse and very light dish soap that doesn’t have any harsh chemicals in it, and I’ve been over two years without a single scratch, and trust me, being a stonemason, I know a thing or two about dust!

yea.  my Costa Glass taught me to use the case.  this has translated to all of my glasses.  i went and found all my various hard cases and put them back into use.  if i had one complaint..the Costa Case might be the worse in the bunch.  mine is so cramped.  my glasses feel "Shoehorned" into place.  no issues yet, and i hope the snug fit is by design.  maybe to keep them from slapping around inside.  

[Panfish_In_A_Pan]

Best advice on how to care for sunglasses is to stop using bug spray with DEET! I’ve melted a couple lenses before I learned that one and switched to Hawk Soap Co spray.

 

but yes, I also clean my sunglasses the same way, works a dream.

[Crow Horse]

No one using an ultrasonic cleaner?

 

[TOXIC]

17 hours ago, Panfish_In_A_Pan said:

Best advice on how to care for sunglasses is to stop using bug spray with DEET! I’ve melted a couple lenses before I learned that one and switched to Hawk Soap Co spray.

 

but yes, I also clean my sunglasses the same way, works a dream.

Add to that spray sunscreen.  Reeks havoc on graph screens, seats, plastic boat trim pieces and sunglasses both the lenses if poly and the frames, most notably the nose pieces.  

[Bankc]

You're not supposed to reuse lens wipes.  The microfiber clothes are great, but you need to wash them often, and not reuse the same spot between washings.  They're a one-time use cloth that can be refurbished in the wash.  Also, don't use fabric softener with them.  I hand wash mine and air dry them so they don't pick up lint and stuff.  It's pretty easy to do in a cup with a drop of detergent.   

 

My tap water is pretty hard, so there's no way I could let my glasses air dry.  There would be nothing but spots on them if I did that.  What I will do from time to time, if they're really oily, is wash them under the sink in soapy water, and then dry them with a microfiber cloth.  Use the water pressure at first to knock off any particulates, so you don't grind them into the lens while washing them.  And you'll have to wash the microfiber cloth often, as it will pick up the oils from your fingers and calcium from the water, even if it never contacts the particulates.  

 

Glass lenses are heavier, but they're about 100x's more scratch resistant than plastic lenses, and clearer.  I don't like polycarbonate.  Those scratch WAY too easily, even with anti-scratch coatings.  Sure they're bullet proof, but who gets shot in the eye?  Acrylic is a better, and often cheaper, middle ground between lightweight and scratch resistance.  And while they're not bullet proof like polycarbonate, they're still tough enough to be used in windshields on jet airplanes.  So they'll stand up to a tungsten weight.