How to Clean Glasses with Vinegar & Alternatives

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Thinking about an easy and cheap way to Clean Eyeglasses With Vinegar?

Wondering if household cleaner vinegar can be used for cleaning your eyeglasses too?

Confused if it is even safe and worth it?

You’re at the right place. This article has all one should know before using vinegar to clean their eyeglasses. So, scroll till the end to know if it is even worth it.

But the first and foremost step is to make sure you wash your hands before cleaning eyeglasses With Vinegar.

How To Clean Eyeglasses With Vinegar?

To clean eyeglasses with vinegar, Mix equal parts of water and vinegar in a bowl, dip a soft, lint-free cloth, and gently wipe the lenses and frames to remove any smudges or dirt. Rinse the glasses under running water, then dry them with a clean, microfiber cloth. Vinegar is a natural cleaning agent that’s cost-effective and eco-friendly.

Can You Clean Glasses With Vinegar?

Can You Clean Glasses With Vinegar?

Yes, vinegar is an effective homemade eyeglasses cleaner. It acts just like a glass cleaner to make your glasses look brand new!

But, it should be done with care. Vinegar is an acidic substance, and thus it can prove to be harmful to your glasses, but it depends on the material they are made of too. For eg; avoid using them on the anti-reflective coating as it will wash away the anti-reflectiveness of the coating. What’s an anti-reflective coating without the anti-reflective feature? Nothing!

Apart from some minor carefulness, you are good to go for cleaning glasses with vinegar

Which Vinegar Is The Right Choice To Clean Your Glasses?

To begin with, before deciding on the right type of vinegar, you need to first decide if it is even necessary to clean eyeglasses with vinegar.

Usually, distilled white vinegar is used for household cleaning and can hence, have more chances of being found at your home itself. It has a pH level of 2.5, which is pretty acidic, and hence cleans well and is generally used by a lot of people.

How To Clean Eyeglasses With Vinegar?

Clean Eyeglasses With Vinegar

There are a few different ways of cleaning your eyeglasses with this vinegar-based homemade eyeglass cleaner.

The first one is,

  1. Get distilled white vinegar, water, and a spray bottle.
  2. Mix up to 1/4th of the bottle with water and the rest with distilled white vinegar. 
  3. Shake the bottle and mix it well.
  4. Spray the solution on your lenses.
  5. Wipe the lenses with a microfiber cloth (or as an alternative, use a clean cotton cloth), and you’re done.

The other method involves less vinegar and here are the steps to follow that method,

  1. Find a small bowl and fill it with warm water.
  2. Now add a little amount of white vinegar, 2 spoons preferably. 
  3. Mix the vinegar with water in the bowl.
  4. Get a lint-free cotton cloth and dip it in the solution made.
  5. Use the dipped cloth to clean the eyeglasses.
  6. Now rinse your eyeglasses with cold water.
  7. Use a dry cotton cloth to wipe the glasses.
  8. Let it dry properly, and you’re done.

Fun Fact: This white vinegar-based solution can also be used to clean the frame and its different parts, like the nose pad, etc.

It is advised that when deciding upon which method to choose, one should go ahead with the second one as it involves less vinegar compared to the first one.

With less vinegar, the effect of its acidic nature would remain in control and the coating of your lens would be safer when compared.

Is Cleaning Eyeglasses With Vinegar A Good Idea?

Is Cleaning Eyeglasses With Vinegar A Good Idea?

Wondering if this super easy cleaning method is a good idea? 

It is no doubt that the vinegar cleaning method is a super easy, cost-effective, and highly used method. When used in the right way, it can even wipe the scratches off of the lenses of your eyeglasses.

BUT

Hold on!

Don’t you think the eyes are one of the most precious parts of the human body? So, if eyeglasses are a major help to your precious eyes, you should not risk them at all. Why? 

Well, to begin with, firstly, buying new glasses if they get damaged is an expensive issue, and secondly, having something acidic made at home without the supervision of experts can result in harm to your eyes.

So, the main reason why cleaning eyeglasses with vinegar is not a good idea is,

There are different kinds of glasses available, and as per the requirement and suitability, one can get those. The glasses which come with specialized anti-reflective and anti-scratch coatings are widely used these days. 

When using vinegar, its acidic nature might result in wiping off the coating and hence, damaging the very coating you paid extra for the protection of your eyes.

You wouldn’t want that? Would you?

Alternatives Of Cleaning Eyeglasses

In case you have now changed your mind about cleaning eyeglasses with vinegar, here are a few alternative methods you can follow:

Cleaner and Cloth

The very basic and most reliable method is having the eyeglasses lens cleaner and the microfiber cloth. 

All you need is to visit your optician and get the right suitable lens cleaner along with the microfiber cloth and you’re good to go.

Dish Soap and Water

alternative ways to clean glasses

This is a home-based method of cleaning lenses, and sure is safer and easier than the vinegar-based method, and also as the AMERICAN OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION ADVISED!

Put up to 2 to 4 drops of dish soap on the lenses and rub with your finger. Now, gently wash the lenses with water (preferably warm water). Finally, wipe off the water from the lenses, and you’re done. 

Lens Cleaning Wipes

You can get lens-cleaning wipes from any optician and this is one of the simplest and easiest ways of cleaning lenses. 

You do not need to worry about a cleaner cloth or water or dish soap. Take one wipe from the packet and wipe your lenses off.

Conclusion

Cleaning your eyeglasses is so important that this activity should be part of your routine, and since it is very important, one should be careful about the method used too. 

To conclude, the clean Eyeglasses With Vinegar method even though has a few benefits and is commonly used, has drawbacks of its own. 

If you have eyeglasses with anti-reflective or anti-scratch coatings, this method is a big NO! You do not have to risk your lenses, money, and the protection of your eyes by using this acidic method. 

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Author

Tessa Reynolds
Meet Tessa Reynolds, who lives in Denver, Colorado. She likes to write about sunglasses, and eye makeup so that she can share her knowledge, and help all the people who need something for their eyes. When she is not writing, you can find her skiing in the mountains of Colorado.