As a company specializing in selling safety glasses and protective eyewear, we’re frequently asked:
“What is the best method for cleaning the lenses on my safety glasses to avoid scratching the lens?”
Most safety eyewear manufacturers use polycarbonate lens material, which is excellent for impact protection. However, it’s prone to scratching when not cleaned properly. In fact, the number one reason for scratched lenses is improper lens cleaning.
How to clean your safety glasses to keep them scratch-free:
- Gently blow any loose dirt or debris from your lenses.
- Rinse your lenses under a faucet or use a cleaning spray, such as those found in a lens cleaning station provided by many employers. If neither is available, use a lens cleaning towelette or lens cleaning spray to gently wipe both sides of the lens.
- Wipe your lenses with a soft microfiber cloth to remove streaks and cleaning solution residue.
Rinse glasses with lukewarm water to clear any dust or debris.
Additional tips to keep your lenses clean and scratch-free:
- Include the frames in the cleaning process since dirt and debris collect on them too. A soft-bristle toothbrush works well for cleaning frames, but be careful not to graze lenses with the bristles.
- Never use a shirt, shop rag, facial tissue, or paper towel to clean lenses. Even though they may feel soft to the touch, most fabrics are infused with abrasive fibers and debris. And these rough fibers can quickly scratch your lenses. Mirrored lenses are especially prone to scratches when cleaned this way.
Use the inside of a microfiber pouch to wipe your glasses.
- Use the inside portion of a microfiber eyewear pouch to clean your lenses. The bag’s exterior may have picked up dirt, debris, or other abrasives that may cause scratches.
- Wash your cleaning cloth and microfiber bag often. Keep multiple cloths or pouches on hand so a clean one is always available for cleaning your glasses.
- Bear in mind that some fluid is essential for properly cleaning eyewear. Using a dry cloth alone significantly increases the chances of scratching lenses.
- Never clean your safety glasses with any soaps or window cleaners. These cleaners contain chemicals that may remove your eyewear’s special lens coatings. You wouldn’t want to take off your anti-fog coating accidentally!
- Store your safety glasses in a protective case or microfiber eyewear pouch when not in use. Improper storage of safety eyewear is the second most common cause of lens scratches.
- Create a routine for frequently cleaning safety glasses, say at the beginning of your shift or break. Waiting until your safety glasses are noticeably dirty means removing more material from the lens, which could increase the chances of a scratch.
Using a case will help protect your glasses from scratches.
Clean eyewear saves money
Following the above cleaning techniques will keep your safety eyewear clean and extend eyewear life, saving money. Also, maintaining clean eyewear can improve overall visibility and keep small foreign objects out of your eyes. For these reasons, a good eyewear cleaning routine just makes sense.
Do you have a question or comment about cleaning your safety glasses? Please leave a comment below.
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Safety glasses are an important component of any worker’s PPE. They need to be maintained just like any other piece of protective gear. Don’t give yourself the excuse of “oh, these are scratched” to get out of wearing safety glasses on the job!
Question… I have inherited a bin of safety goggles and glasses. Some are Z287; some are not. All have been harshly used and poorly cleaned. I have some that feel tacky; I cannot tell if it’s chemical residue from experiments or goop and glop from hair care and skin care products. I am thinking of dumping them in very hot water with Dawn dish detergent (since it’s used for animals in oil spills). Thoughts? Risks? For me, it’s a question of what the old goop really is or isn’t and clearing it to spare as many pairs as possible.
Thank you for your question, Katrina. Washing the bin of safety glasses in a mild solution of Dawn dish detergent should work fine. There is a risk the detergent may damage certain anti-fog lens coatings, but at this point, it sounds like this bin of used safety eyewear has already seen better days.
If we follow these tips, how long will our safety glasses last?
Thank you for your question, Archimedes.
How long your safety glasses last depends on many factors such as your environment, exposure to abrasive materials, and frequency of cleaning. On average, you should expect 30 to 60 days of life from a standard set of safety glasses.
I followed these steps but my problem is my eyeglasses are scratched. The scratches look similar to really fine sandpaper and I guess because of my cloth. Do you knoe what is the most trusted eyeglass cleaning cloth brand?
Thank you for your question, Diana. I’m not aware of a specific brand for eyewear cleaning cloths. I always opt for a quality microfiber cloth to clean my sunglasses and safety glasses. If you want to narrow down a specific brand, I recommend you perform a Google search for “the best eyeglasses cleaning cloths for 2020.”