For many years there has been several opinions on the correct way to clean your spectacles. Allow me to set the record straight.
- Wash your hands: Yes, I realise that you have already washed your hands 20 times today, but always wash your hands to remove excess cream and sanitiser before cleaning your specs.
- Rinse first: Quickly rinse your spectacles under lukewarm water to remove dust, sand and debris that could potentially scratch and ruin your lenses.
- Drop of dishwashing liquid: Apply one or two drops of dishwashing liquid to each of your lenses.
- Gentle rub: Use your fingers and very gently rub the dishwashing liquid on both sides of the spectacle lenses. (Now you understand why your hands should be clean!) You may also want to give your spectacle frame a quick once-over, ensuring that you include the temples and nose pieces.
- Rinse: Thoroughly rinse the lenses and frames under some lukewarm water. Failure to remove all the soap from the frame will cause smudges and smears when you dry them.
- Shake: Shake your spectacles gently to remove most of the water. Check the lenses to ensure that you have cleaned them properly. If not, repeat steps 3 and 4.
- Dry lenses: Gently dry your lenses with the small microfibre cloth that your optometrist supplied with your spectacles and spectacle case. Please make sure the microfibre cloth is clean and free of dust before you attempt to clean you lenses.
As a side note, when your microfibre cloth gets dirty from repeated use, just put it in the washing maschine with your clothes, hang it up to dry and presto, you can use it a few hundred times more.
Lastly, if face masks cause your lenses to get fogged up, here is some great news: “Dr. Fog” is a magic little anti-fog cloth that works wonders on most conventional spectacle lenses, both those with special anti-reflection coatings as well as those without.
