Cleaning spectacles / eye-glasses using a machine ?

January 20, 2015 5:50 PM

Interested to hear of others experiences using a machine to clean your spectacles / eye-glasses ?

I have trouble keeping my glasses clean and it drives me nuts.

I've seen some machines (which I think might go under the name "jewellery cleaners" as well) which claim to do the job. They generally use the term "ultrasonic".

You immerse the spectacles in some liquid, turn it on for 60 seconds and your glasses come out nice and clean.

Interested to know if anyone has one of these machines ? How much did you pay ? Are there restrictions on lens coatings which may be used ? Cost of consumables ? Interested in any experience of them .

Thanks.

posted by southof40 to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

You can find them set up on tables out front of opticians in Tokyo.
posted by Rash at 8:44 PM on January 20, 2015

I bought one a few years back on Amazon -- I can't remember which one, but it cost about 200 dollars and was very highly rated. I used it for eyeglasses, jewellery and bits and pieces like keyfobs. Honestly, I was underwhelmed and eventually stopped using it -- it's in a cupboard somewhere now and I pull it out only rarely.

I have the impression those machines work best to loosen heavy accumulations of grime on things that are intricate. They would probably work very well for an occasional deep clean for example on the temples of glasses (where they meet the arms), but I find washing with tap water and soap, and finishing with a lens cloth, does a better job for routine lenses cleaning.
posted by Susan PG at 9:24 PM on January 20, 2015

Concerning those in Tokyo, passers-bye are invited to dip their specs into small reservoirs, which then pulsate ultrasonically. Here's a couple pics of one such storefront I took ten years ago: 1   2
posted by Rash at 9:26 PM on January 20, 2015

I bought this generic model on Amazon a few years ago for about $25. It works particularly well for cleaning the schmutz that collects around nosepads and hinges, where you might otherwise need a dental pick or alcohol-soaked Q-tip. And it does a fine job cleaning the lenses as well. I'm not aware of any contraindications, re coatings. Liquid-wise, I just fill it with warm water with a squirt of dish soap to act as a surfactant.

It's the drive-through carwash of glasses cleaning. 2 minutes of vibration and they come out just about as sparkly as you could hope to get them with much more elbow grease and a chamois. I don't use it religiously, but fairly regularly. I don't regret the purchase.
posted by mumkin at 11:22 PM on January 20, 2015 [3 favorites]