One Safe Cleaning Routine for All Your Glasses

Why one routine works better than five separate habits

Most people have more than one pair of glasses at home. A pair for work, sunglasses in the car, reading glasses next to the couch and maybe a spare pair in a drawer. Each of those glasses has its own lens material and its own coating, but that doesn't mean you need a different approach for each pair. A fixed routine that you can apply everywhere is not only easier, it's also safer. You prevent yourself from accidentally using an aggressive product on a delicate coating, simply because you can no longer remember which pair was meant for what.

The routine below works for glass lenses, plastic lenses, sunglasses with a polarizing filter and reading glasses with a simple or multifocal coating. All you need is lukewarm water, a clean microfiber cloth and possibly a mild cleaner. No paper towels, no shirt hem, no paper towel.

Step 1: rinse first, always

The most important step is also the step people skip most often. Before you touch anything, rinse the glasses under lukewarm running water. This removes dust, sand and small sharp particles that would otherwise end up under your cloth and act like sandpaper on the glass.

Why this is so important: lens coatings are thin. An anti-reflective coating, a scratch-resistant layer or a hydrophobic top layer is often only a few micrometers thick. Grains of sand and dust particles are hard and sharp in comparison. If you start rubbing right away, you press those particles into the coating. You won't see it immediately, but over time fine scratches and dull spots appear that can no longer be polished away.

What to watch out for when rinsing

• Use lukewarm water, not hot water. Hot water can affect certain coatings and is bad for plastic lenses.
• Rinse both sides of each lens, not just the front.
• Hold the glasses at an angle so the water runs off and you don't keep spraying against the lens.
• Don't touch the glass with your fingers yet. Fingers contain grease and skin oil that you'll have to remove again later.

Step 2: clean without alcohol or aggressive products

After rinsing, it's time to remove grease, fingerprints and skin oil. This is where things often go wrong. Many glass cleaners contain alcohol, ammonia or strong solvents. They work quickly, but over time they affect coatings. An anti-reflective layer can become dull, a hydrophobic layer loses its water-repellent effect and with some plastic lenses the material itself can be affected.

So use a cleaner that contains no alcohol and is safe for all common lens materials and coatings. Magic Cleaner is such a cleaner: alcohol-free, biodegradable and made for screens, glasses, glass and lenses. You spray a small amount onto the lens or onto your cloth, wipe gently and let it evaporate. The antistatic formula also helps prevent dust from adhering as quickly, which means your glasses stay clean longer.

What you'd better not use

• Window glass cleaner: often with ammonia or alcohol, too aggressive for coatings.
• Hand soap with perfume or scrubs: leaves residue and can cause streaks.
• Spit and a shirt hem: sounds harmless, but saliva contains enzymes and your clothing contains dust particles.
• Paper towels and kitchen paper: the fibers are hard enough to cause micro-scratches.
• Anything you have to "rub in" or let soak in: glasses don't need time to soak.

Step 3: dry with a clean microfiber cloth

The microfiber cloth is not a detail. A good cloth picks up grease and moisture without scratching, provided it's clean. A cloth full of previously absorbed dust and oil redistributes that dirt over your lens. So wash your microfiber cloths regularly, without fabric softener, and let them air dry. Don't use them for other purposes, such as cleaning a keyboard or dusting a windowsill.

How to use the cloth

• Take a clean, dry microfiber cloth. One cloth per pair of glasses is safest, or wash them often.
• Wipe with light pressure, in circles or from left to right, but don't rub hard in one spot.
• Do one lens first, then the other, and then the frame and the nose bridge.
• Use a separate corner of the cloth for the frame, so grease from your skin doesn't end up on the lenses.
• After use, fold the cloth with the clean side facing inward, or store it in a pouch.

Differences per pair of glasses: what you need to know

The routine above works for virtually every pair of glasses, but there are a few differences you really need to know.

Plastic lenses

Most glasses today have plastic lenses. They are light and safe, but also more sensitive to scratches than glass. Never use hot water and don't rub a dry cloth over a dry lens. Plastic can also be sensitive to certain solvents, so stick to a mild, alcohol-free cleaner.

Glass lenses

Glass is harder and more scratch-resistant, but not indestructible. The coating on it is just as vulnerable as with plastic. The advantage of glass is that it becomes static less quickly and holds grease less quickly, but the same routine is still needed.

Sunglasses with polarizing filter

A polarizing filter is built into the lens and can be damaged by aggressive cleaners or by prolonged contact with water. Rinse briefly, use an alcohol-free cleaner and dry immediately with a microfiber cloth. Don't leave sunglasses in a hot car; the heat can affect layers and the filter.

Reading glasses and multifocal lenses

Reading glasses often have simple coatings, but multifocal and progressive lenses have more layers. That's exactly where you see the effect of incorrect cleaning: a dull haze or small scratches right in the part you look through. The same routine prevents that.

A routine you'll actually keep up

The best cleaning routine is one you don't forget. So keep your supplies together in one place: a bottle of alcohol-free cleaner, a few clean microfiber cloths and a spot where you can rinse calmly. Preferably do it at a fixed moment, for example in the morning before you leave the house, or when you pick up your glasses anyway.

The order is always the same: rinse, clean, wipe dry with microfiber. No exceptions for sunglasses, reading glasses or expensive multifocal lenses. One routine, every type of glasses, and your lenses stay clear longer. If you want to try the cleaner yourself, you'll find Magic Cleaner at magiccleaner.nl for 12.90 euros.