It’s important to clean your eyeglasses the right way, to prevent scratches and other damage and to keep them looking great.

Avoid

Be sure you do not clean your glasses with the following items, which could damage or scratch your glasses:

• Your clothing
• Your saliva
• Household glass or surface cleaners
• Paper towels, napkins, tissues or toilet paper

Proper cleaning technique

Wash

First, wash your hands with lotion-free soap (or liquid soap) and dry them with a lint-free towel.

Rinse your glasses under a gentle stream of lukewarm water. Avoid hot water, which can damage the lens coating.

Apply a small drop of lotion-free dishwashing liquid to each lens. Rub both sides of the lenses and all of the frame for a few seconds, including the nose pads and the ends that rest behind your ears. (You can also use a Clorox disinfecting wipe to clean nose pads and earpieces.) A soft toothbrush is useful for cleaning nose pads and hinges.

Rinse the glasses thoroughly, then gently shake to remove excess water.

Dry

Carefully dry the lenses and frame with a clean, lint-free towel (not laundered with fabric softener or a dryer sheet, which can leave a residue).

Remove any remaining streaks or smudges with a clean, micro􀀁ber cloth. You can 􀀁nd these at most optical shops or photography stores. Make sure you clean the cloths frequently with lotion-free dishwashing liquid and water.

For touch-up cleaning when you don’t have the above supplies, try individually packaged, pre-moistened disposable lens cleaning wipes.