Dirty Looks – A Guide to Cleaning Your Favourite Pair of Sunglasses

Your favourite pair of sunglasses is dirty.

A few smudges and fingerprints, maybe some grime. We don’t know what you get up to in the sun all day, but if you’ve found yourself in this situation, we aren’t judging. We’re just here to help by guiding you through and providing a few pointers to make the best of your shades.

Dirty, smudged sunglasses

What shouldn't you do and why on earth not?

When putting your glasses back on, most people tend to use the tails of their shirts or t-shirts, and sometimes scarves or trousers, to rub the lenses and remove smudges and dirt from them. It’s a good thing that you’re not most people! Right? Work with us here, we’re assuming the best of you.

Also, avoid using a paper towel or toilet paper to do so. Don’t use a regular hand towel either, else you’ll be faced with micro-scratches and a whole lot of annoying fuzz and threads which will cling to your pair with the magic of static electricity.

Don't wipe sunglasses with paper towel, tissues, serviettes, or toilet paper


It may seem like it’s working, but it just makes things worse over time by creating those pesky micro-scratches on your lenses. After a while, you’ll end up with what looks like a smudge when it’s actually just a collection of micro-scratches from the abrasion that you’ve caused by using the wrong cleaning materials.

“But what if I just spit on the lenses a little and clean it that way?”

Really? Please don’t. It’s not hygienic nor the most attractive sight, at the least, and neither does it do much to actually help. Let’s just pretend that you didn’t ask that question and move on from here.

 

Misted, fogged up lenses

 
The safest and best method to clean your eyewear while on-the-go would be to wipe them off with a microfibre cloth, but don’t mist or fog up the lenses with your breath before you do. There’s no need to look too hard to get one of these cloths, since we provide one, and a pouch, with our eyewear. We’ve got you. 

So, what’s the best form of action to clean them thoroughly?

Sunglasses with water on lenses

  • First thing’s first – rinse your sunglasses under some lukewarm water. You don’t want the water to be too hot or too cold, else you risk damaging the lenses.

  • Next, use a tiny drop of mild dishwashing liquid (a little bit of that stuff goes a long way) and work it along the lenses and frames with your fingers. 

  • Pay special attention to the nose pads and temple tips (that’s the earpiece, for those of who aren’t in the know) since they’re the parts which come into contact with your skin most. 

  • Make sure not to use any lotions or hand moisturisers. You don’t want to ruin the protective coating on those lenses.

  • Once you’re satisfied, rinse your shades off, gently shake off excess water and leave them to air-dry for a few minutes.

    Wiping sunglasses lens with microfibre cloth
  • Finally, using the microfibre cloth that we’ve provided you with, dry your sunglasses thoroughly.

You’re done. That wasn’t so difficult, was it?

Take care of them and they’ll experience the world with you for a good, long while. Don’t sit them with lenses facing down on a table or counter and always try to keep them in one of our protective pouches when they’re not on your face.

Alhazen Eyewear - Crisp, clean frames and lenses

And remember, when you want to refresh your aesthetic, we’ve always got another pair of eyewear to suit that gorgeous face of yours. We’re just here to help.