3 Unforgettable Ways to Make Homemade Eyeglass Cleaner

How often should I clean my eyeglasses? What kind of cleaning solution should I use? Is alcohol safe to use around my eyes?

If you wear glasses or contacts, you probably already know that they require regular maintenance. The lenses of your eye glasses get dirty over time from dust particles, fingerprints, and other contaminants. The dirt buildup can cause blurry vision and even damage your eyesight.

You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars at the optometrist every year to keep your eye glasses looking their best. In fact, you can easily create your own homemade lens cleaner using common household ingredients. Homemade eyeglass cleaner can be just as effective in cleaning glasses as a store-bought lens cleaner.

If you are curious to find out how to create your own homemade eyeglass cleaner, then continue reading. In this article, we will guide you through different alcohol-based and alcohol-free cleaning solutions that you can use to clean your specs. We’ll also tell you exactly how to properly clean your glasses without damaging the lenses.

*This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure here.

Why Make Eyeglass Cleaner at Home?

There are several benefits to making your own DIY eyeglass cleaning. It’s actually simpler to just construct your own small spritz bottle rather than purchasing one on a side trip to the eye doctor. You can avoid traveling, and it’s simpler than it seems! Since you likely already have everything you need in your kitchen, you can use your money on something else.

How Do I Make Eyeglass Cleaner?

There are a lot of different ingredients and methods that you can use to create your own eyeglass cleaner. Basically, you can either create a homemade eyeglass cleaner with an alcohol base, for example, a mixture of rubbing alcohol and dish soap, or you can create a cleaner that is alcohol-free (vinegar based or one with baby wash as the main ingredient).

All the homemade eyeglass cleaning solutions are fairly simple to make and easy to apply. For the most part, it’s as easy as mixing all the ingredients or chemicals of your chosen cleaning solution into a small spray bottle and then creating a cleaning mixture that you can use to clean glasses.

Simply spray the homemade eyeglass cleaner onto the lenses and then use a clean microfiber cloth or soft cotton cloth to wipe the lenses clean.

What Is The Issue With Alcohol?

Check with your maker for specific instructions since alcohol or other solvents may damage certain glasses made of special materials, especially glasses with coated lenses.

DIY Eyeglass Cleaner Recipes With and Without Alcohol

Alcohol-Free

If you’re wondering how to make eyeglass cleaner without alcohol, here’s an easy recipe that you can follow to create your own cleaner at home.

Baby Wash and Distilled Water

Baby wash and distilled water are the only ingredients needed to make this eyeglass-cleaning spray. To avoid leaving a foggy residue on your glasses, all you need to do is get a baby wash without any additives like shea butter or cocoa butter.

Simply boil a glass of water and cover it with a lid to create distilled water. Once the water has boiled, take off the lid and get the condensed water for your spray from underneath.

What you’ll need:

• 2 teaspoons of baby wash
• 4 tablespoons of distilled water

Steps to follow:

To make this DIY eyeglass cleaner, simply use a small funnel to add the distilled water to a refillable spray bottle. Then add the baby was (free of additives) to the spray container. Now shake the bottle vigorously to mix the contents.

If you don’t have baby wash on hand, you can try substituting it with distilled white vinegar. Mix one part distilled water with three parts white vinegar to create the cleaning solution. Spray your glasses, then use a fresh cotton or microfiber cloth to buff them dry. Reapply if necessary.

Eyeglass Cleaner With Alcohol

Alcohol can be a powerful cleaning chemical that can be used to remove oily or greasy marks on lenses. Just be sure to check if your glasses are compatible with alcohol; you don’t want to damage the coating with this simple solution.

Rubbing Alcohol and Soap

This DIY eyeglass cleaner is very easy to make. Simply add some dish soap, rubbing alcohol, and water and use it to get rid of gunk on your glass lenses.

What you’ll need:

• 2 drops of dish soap
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol
• A spray bottle

Steps to take:

Fill a reusable spray bottle with two tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of rubbing alcohol. Now add a drop or two of dish soap to create an alcohol-based soapy water solution. Secure the cap of the bottle and shake the bottle to mix all the ingredients together. 

How Do I Carry the Cleaner?

To carry your eyeglass cleaner, you simply have to add the cleaning mixture to a tiny bottle; you can use a tiny squirt bottle or spray bottle to store the contents. This allows you to throw the tiny bottle with the cleaner in your handbag for on-the-go cleaning of your dirty glasses. 

How to Clean Eyeglasses

Cleaning eyeglasses do not have to be a hassle, you can clean them in the sink, or you can use the spray-and-wipe technique.

In the Sink

To clean it in the sink, simply follow these steps:

1. Put your glasses in the sink and run a light stream of warm water over them. Avoid using extremely hot water because it could harm the lens coatings.
2. To the tips of your fingers, apply a single drop of mild soap free of moisturizers.
3. On both sides of the lenses, lather the soap. Since skin oils and dust tend to lurk in tiny crevasses, rub every portion of the frame for a few seconds, paying particular attention to the nose pads, ends of the temples, and the edge of the lens where it joins the frame.
4. While washing your hands to get rid of extra soap, put your spectacles aside. This will prevent oils from your fingertips from getting on your lenses while you’re cleaning them.
5. Your spectacles should be washed in warm water. Rinse once more until no more visible film is present. Again, be careful to avoid using too hot water to prevent harm to the lens coatings.
6. Shake the extra water out of your glasses. There’s no need to dry them completely.
7. To get rid of any lingering moisture, wipe it clean using clean microfiber cloths around the edges of your frames. The cloth should be used to wipe away any remaining smudges. (Alternatively, you may use a cloth that hasn’t been washed with fabric softener or a dryer sheet.)

Spray and Wipe

To use the spray and wipe technique, simply select the DIY eyeglass cleaner that you prefer or that you have the ingredients to, add it to a spray bottle, and then spritz the cleaner onto the lenses and wipe it off with a microfiber cleaning cloth.

Steam Prevention Eyeglass Cleaner

This steam-preventive DIY eyeglass cleaner might be the solution if you frequently get your spectacles fogged up when cooking or working out. When you’re out in the fresh air, keep a travel-sized spray bottle of this cleaning in your pocket and reapply as necessary.

Vinegar and Distilled Water for Anti Fog

Depending on the lens, you can use vinegar or alcohol as a cleaner if anti-fogging power is what you’re after.

What you’ll need:

• White vinegar
• Distilled water
• Rubbing alcohol
• Spray bottle

Steps to take:

You should follow these directions for this recipe:

1. Combine equal volumes of vinegar, distilled water, and alcohol in a spray container.
2. Mix by shaking.
3. Spray the lenses while holding the bows.
4. Use a microfiber cloth to clean the lenses.

Don’t Do This!

I’ll admit that I’ve done this myself in the past. Many individuals clean their glasses by blowing or breathing on the lenses and then wiping the moisture off with the tail of their shirt. But please don’t do this!

Your spectacles will be readily scratched and damaged by this bad habit. To safeguard your eyesight and your investment, take the time to properly clean your eyewear. You can use any of the above-mentioned methods to clean your glasses without damaging the lenses. 

Bottom line

If you wear eyeglasses, you’ll know how frustrating it can be if you get an oily smudge on your lenses. You’ll also know that it can be a hassle to find the right cleaning solution to properly clean the stain without leaving some water spots or lint from your cleaning cloth. This can be avoided by using a good cleaning agent and the right technique to clean glasses.

However, to get your lenses clean and clear, you don’t need to invest any money. Instead, dig inside your cupboard to make a DIY version of a professional glass cleaner that performs just as well.

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