Back in September, I started wearing glasses occasionally for computing. Since then, I have been getting used to the idea of wearing glasses while reading and working at the computer. The main problem I have faced has been keeping them clean. I think this would not be as big of a deal if I wore them all the time, but because I constantly find myself removing them and putting them back on, they get a lot more handling than most full time glasses-wearers. In addition to this, I came to the realization today that ever since I chopped off my hair, I have been putting "hair stuff" in (Bumble & Bumble Sumo Tech, for those that care) and my habit of propping the glasses up on top of my head when someone comes in to talk to me causes some of that to lightly deposit on the glasses. After a few times, this smears up the inside (or, rather, the me-facing side) of the lenses.
I received a nice microfiber lens cleaning cloth when I got the glasses, but that is starting to get grimy. I usually wrap my glasses in that before putting them in the metal tube case I carry them in. A coworker uses alcohol-based lens cleaning wipes, which mostly work. They seem like they clean everything but the hair cream, which just gets smeared around -- though the microfiber cloth picks it up.
So my questions to the glasses-wearers out there are these:
- Is there a good, recommended, way of cleaning this microfiber cloth, or should I just treat it as disposable and start with a new one every month or two?
- Is there a better way of cleaning glasses and keeping them clean?
- It's almost an unconscious motor-reflex to prop the glasses up on top of my head, where they come in contact with the perilous hair stuff. Is there a better way of doing this? Sometimes I only bring them up to my forehead, but that does not always work, not to mention looking and feeling a little silly. I have also tried pushing them to the end of my nose and peering over the frames, like a bad MySpace photo, but that does not always come naturally nor is super-comfortable. Maybe I just need to retrain myself to completely take them off instead of propping them on my head?
If you liked this post, you may also enjoy:
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
At first, I used the cloth provided with my glasses, but after so many uses, the cloth ended up getting dirty and became useless. I tried using the glass cleaner spray, but ultimately ended up wih a box of disposable glass cleaners for their portability and convenience. I will bring some of my disposable packets for you to try.
Years back I was instructed to clean my glasses with (dish washing) detergent (liquid) — rather than soap — and then rinse them clean and dry them with a clean cloth. I still do that every few days when they’re looking particularly unclean. I think how well that works depends a bit on what coatings (if any) you have on the lenses — and it may possibly interfere with some coatings so you may want to double check it with someone who knows how your lenses are coated. Some of the (camera) lenses cleaning solutions may also help, again depending on the coatings.
I’ve had reasonable success cleaning those microfibre cloths with water and the same detergent, and then leaving them to dry, since the detergent seems to help clean the grease out of the cloth. But you may find it helps to start with a new one periodically even despite that.
I’m not sure if it’ll help you, but I’ve generally found the best solution is to take the glasses off completely. I tend to put them on a table or hang them off my shirt. Anything else seems weird, or likely to end up with additional smudges on the lenses.
Ewen
This will make you feel old, but go ahead and invest in a wicked cool eyeglass chain. It’ll save you lots of hassle.
You know, the glasses chains might rock it pretty well with the tweed jacket I have recently been eyeing…