Dandruff leaves stains on my glasses.

July 13, 2019 5:08 PM

I get dandruff. This is fine and I'm managing it and it's not a big issue, except in one aspect of my life: Tiny dandruff flakes get on my glasses gradually over the course of a day. They're a bit greasy and leave residue, so even if I blow them off they leave stains. Because of this, I have to clean my glasses at least once a day, and often twice, a process that is tricky to do without leaving smears. Help!

(The only way I've found to get my glasses actually clean is to use soap, which isn't always available.)

I think either of these will solve my problem:
a) What can I do to make cleaning my glasses easier?
b) Can I get glasses that resist staining a bit better?

posted by LSK to Grab Bag (17 answers total)

Individual alcohol lens wipes. Buy multiple boxes, keep them everywhere.
posted by bfranklin at 5:10 PM on July 13, 2019 [6 favorites]

My old glasses resisted smears much better than my new ones. For the new ones I sprang for several fancy coatings (anti-glare, some UV thingy, dunno what else). I suspect one of the coatings is the cause, but don’t have any idea which one.
My solution is to keep several microfiber cleaning cloths around my house, office, day bag, etc.
posted by nat at 5:14 PM on July 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

The absolute best way I have found to clean my glasses without soap has been a cheap pack of terrycloth-style microfiber dust cloths. If you are lucky enough to live near a Daiso store, theirs are my favorites.
posted by corey flood at 5:23 PM on July 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: As a fellow dandruff-sufferer, I can heartily 2nd a couple of bulk boxes of alcohol lens wipes distributed around the house/office desk, or lens-cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth. I've been cleaning my glasses at least once a day for years, and either of those options do a great smear-free job of cleaning my glasses.
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:49 PM on July 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

My SO says that a spray similar to what Greg_Ace linked, but with space in the cap to hold a couple of microfiber cloths in one convenient package, has been a life changing thing.
posted by wierdo at 6:09 PM on July 13, 2019 [2 favorites]

a spray ... with space in the cap to hold a couple of microfiber cloths in one convenient package

I've never seen such a thing, but I would absolutely purchase and recommend it if I found / was pointed to it.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:19 PM on July 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

I don't have your specific issue but I have a low tolerance for dirty glasses and usually clean them a couple times a day.

I just hold them at arms length, spray them with glass cleaner and then paper towel them dry. I find microfiber cloths just smear them more. Probably you could decant the ammonia into smaller spray bottles if you wanted to keep one at your desk at work or whatever.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:38 PM on July 13, 2019

I believe this kit is the specific one Georgia uses.
posted by wierdo at 6:43 PM on July 13, 2019 [4 favorites]

Diy lens cleaning spray (if you have a small, couple ounce spritzer bottle):

50% rubbing alcohol
50% water
4 drops dish soap

Works a treat with a tissue.
posted by jenkinsEar at 7:13 PM on July 13, 2019 [4 favorites]

I use a washcloth-size fluffy micro fiber cloth for my glasses. I often have to clean mine multiple times a day. That’s just wearing glasses. (I touch them, my eyebrow oil gets on them, or my hair brushes against them.) if they’re really bad I use a small amount of dish soap to wash them or alcohol wipes. But honestly a clean fluffy cloth works well.
posted by Crystalinne at 9:45 PM on July 13, 2019 [2 favorites]

I have found that running the hot water really hot, so that it is too hot to hold my hand under the tap and sticking the glasses under the running water for several seconds, maybe half a minute, dissolves any grease on them quite nicely and they just need drying. This can be done during your pee break. However this requires the water in your washroom to actually get really hot and that isn't the case everywhere.
posted by Jane the Brown at 3:00 AM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]

I have oily skin and use makeup so I have to clean my glasses daily. The wipes are great day to day but I do find I have to wash them with soap and water every few days, too.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:31 AM on July 14, 2019

Thirding the washcloth-sized fluffy microfiber cloth. What’s even more great about those is that they are equally effective at cleaning device screens and for using in a Swiffer. I bought a multi-pack in Target’s automotive section, and several years later they’re still good.
posted by Autumnheart at 6:07 AM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]

Many eyeglass dispensary personnel have told me that using glass cleaner on plastic lenses is not recommended. Likewise paper towels and facial tissue. Alcohol wipes are fine, and the most recommended method is rinsing first with warm water and then using a small amount of dishwashing liquid rubbed over the lenses with a finger. Dry with a microfiber cloth.

I suffer from an unfortunate combination of Sjogren's Syndrome (which causes extreme dry eyes) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (I absolutely can't stand sport or smudges or flakes of skin on my eyeglasses). I have to apply moisturizing drops sooo many times per day, which eventually somehow (via my eyelashes after blinking?) end up making streaks on my glasses, not to mention the skin flakes I shed from my eyebrows and face (Sjogren's Syndrome means excessively dry everything....skin, eyes, inside of nose, internal organs, etc.) I have to clean my glasses three or four times per day. Another important thing to remember is it's best to rinse your glasses in water first before cleaning with a cloth or finger, just to get rid of any grit that accumulates (from the wind outside, etc). Using a cloth of any type without rinsing might scratch your lenses, and a scratch in my line of vision is another thing that would make my skin crawl.....
posted by Oriole Adams at 11:18 AM on July 14, 2019 [1 favorite]

Be careful about using hot water if you've got coatings on the lenses. I ruined a pair of glasses that way. Ended up with a network of tiny cracks all over the coating, which was like looking though a haze.
posted by emeiji at 3:25 PM on July 14, 2019 [2 favorites]

Yeah, paper towels are abrasive, and lots of facial tissues have softening additives that goop up lenses. BJ's sells a 40-pack of those terry-cloth-like microfiber cloths for about $15. That's a lifetime supply, even if you give a lot of them away. The thin microfiber cloths that come with glasses also work well, but you have to wash them more often.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:25 PM on July 14, 2019

Safety supply places sell anti fog lense cleaning solutions and non abrasive tissues for cheap (like $10 easily gets a 500 pack of wipes a bottle of cleaner).

I prefer disposable products over reusable cloths because unless you wash the cloth after every use you can't be sure some piece of microgrit didn't get embedded in the cloth and then acts like a knife next time you polish your lenses.

I've got bottles and boxes spread around where ever I need them (shop, office, bedroom) and in my travel photography case.
posted by Mitheral at 7:04 PM on July 16, 2019