Does this stuff expire quickly or something? Why sold in small individual bottles?
I have considered making it myself, but don't want to risk damaging the coatings on my lenses.
Not a fan of the wipes at the pharmacys, would prefer to buy a larger bottle and decant into smaller bottles to keep in my backpack or on my desk at home/work. Best deal was $3 for 60mL at Big W. Surely there is better.
Why Is It So Hard to Find Glasses Cleaning Sprays Bigger than 60ml?
meysha on 09/06/2019 - 13:23
Last edited 09/06/2019 - 15:14 by 1 other user
Last edited 09/06/2019 - 15:14 by 1 other user
Comments
Is it just a hail to corporate to be told by optometrists not to apply any soap to my lenses?
So I've been washing my glasses under warm water and using dish soap for many years, I had a pair of glasses for 2.5yrs before I needed to go get new ones, the optometrist took my glasses to have a look at what sort of lenses I had. When they returned with my glasses they said they are the cleanest glasses they have ever seen, especially at 2.5yrs old. I said I use dishwashing liquid and they instantly said "Don't to that, it will damage your glasses". I said, I've been doing it for 2.5yrs, what damage did you see?
They are transitions, with an anti-reflective coating, and it was all intact as they could tell by looking at the lenses.After I rinse the dish soap off with warm water, I run cold water over the lens, vertically, so it splits the stream over the front and back, this means I don't need to wipe the glasses with any sort of cloth.
The only downside to this is I need to clean them every day, dust and little bits of debris get stuck on them, I find the commercial stuff seems to repeal dust for two or so days, though I need a few squirts and many wipes to get rid of all the smugging.
Regarding dish soap, make sure it's stuff with no abrasive bits in it, and rinse the glasses first to get bits of debris off your glasses.
Every single night 16 years now, with three drops of Morning Fresh and soft art paint brush. All it takes is less than a minute.
Current lens Hoya optics. Water just flows away from the lens, if there's any small droplets I just blow them. They are ultra hydrophobic.
With cheap lens you can see micro scratches cobweb when NEW under very bright light. Wash it or not it is still there, perhaps its the way they apply the coating.
Anyway, I have lens that I have washed for 3 years and there is zero scratch except for some nicks from angle grinder.
If you clean your glasses like mine you will not scratch your lens.
These optometrist know ZERO (profanity) about Vapor Deposition techniques that the lens manufacturers do. These are well guarded formulation and not shared publicly. If such mild dishwasher(almost neutral pH 7.2 according to the MSDS) can can strip the coating then what about your saliva, enzymes high acidity pop drinks.
You don't need any of the stupid silly lens spray. Your rubbing will just make it worse. You need running water and some sort of surfactant to loosen the dirt and wash them away. Your lens spray will clean oil but dirt and grit will be stuck on the piece of tissue(abrasive! NEVER USE THIS) or cloth and it will turn into wet sand paper instantly.
Deeper look - the fact this recipe doesn't distingish between 15% alcohol (avg v/v% in witch hazel) and 70% isopropyl for it's concoction tells me they don't really know what they're talking about. Thanks for googling that for me anyway.
I googled this too, but if anyone can clue in on the type of material ski masks/safety glasses are made of, as opposed to glasses with blue light filter coating before I start smearing this on my spectacles, this would be great.
Are your glasses specsavers? They hand that stuff out like there’s no tomorrow 😂
Yes it was actually, and I'm almost out!
Just go back and ask for more. I don’t reckon they’ll care.
Yeah, they give out small bottles very freely, or if you want, you can buy the 120ml bottle for $8
Is Windex big enough?
No way - the chemicals in Windex will irritate your eyes and make them water(I know this from personal experience!)
Costco sell it in 200ml bottle
Opsm sell a large bottle bundled with a small sprayer that you refill. Good for phone screens too. Used it for years.
I just buy bulk lens wipe packs such as this
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41P5XMEm45L.AC_SY1000.jpg
I've always just used IPA. 5l bottle off ebay will last ages.
Does a standard pale ale work as well?
I find up to a point. Then it works backwards and my glasses get all funny and I can't see straight.
Sometimes it even gives me a headache the next day. Can be powerful stuff.
Specsavers sell 240ml bottles. About $12 or so.
I've been using store-band hand soap and warm water for years (always wiped clean with a fresh cloth to avoid water spots). It lasts for a few days and I carry a lens cloth (from the free one my optometrist gives with new glasses).
My Glasses always have the transition coating and I've never damaged it.
I use a medium spray bottle refilled with isocol on my phone screen but never on my glass as I don't know if this can damage the transition coating.
I have asked these questions to multiple optometrists over the years and can never get a straight answer. Always get told to buy their own brand overpriced cleaner to be safe.
When it comes to coatings, i was recently told that the blue light filter is built into the lens, its not a coating and cant be rubbed off. Anti scratch can be rubbed off. Im starting to think the lens coatings are a scam as i cant find any proof of what they really do and if they last long enough. When you decide on a cleaner, it is the coatings that you are concerned about.
I usually go to specsav but purchased my last pair at l+p. I asked what is the difference between lenses from the two shops. L+p told me theirs is better but couldnt explain how or why, just better. Maybe they are but I need features and benefits!
The industry doesnt want customers or retail staff to be fully educated as im sure this would lead to diminished sales of cleaners and coatings. Ive been trying to work this out for 10 years and still am not confidant when choosing my new glasses and coatings.Totally agree, my experience has mirrored yours.
Now I go to SpecsSavers and get an eye test done every few years and tell them I require the results. As it's a Medicare funded payment they can't refuse - and to be fair, they have never tried.
Then I go to zennioptical (online, Hong Kong based I believe) update my prescription on my account and order frames and glasses delivered for maybe 20% of what they charge here. A week or so later they turn up in the letterbox and they're as good or better than I've got locally.
I haven't checked but others have told me there are several other sites competing with Zenni now too, so it'd be worth doing your own research on that.
I’ve been using Windex, or generic versions of, for many, many years. Clean my glasses at least once a day. No lens degradation whatsoever over the two years or so between new glasses. No eye irritation from the Windex.
Soap and water would do the job equally as well, but I find it takes a little longer for the lens to dry. My optometrist said mixing metho and water is as good as anything. The metho (alcohol) just aids the drying process.
The important thing when cleaning glasses is to NEVER wipe the lenses clean when they are dry, but to ‘wet’ them first to lift the dirt. Also, to use a clean, soft tissue or lens cloth to dry them; not your T-shirt or other random material that could easily be embedded with tiny bits of grit.
In short: why buy expensive commercial lens cleaners when there are much cheaper alternatives.
Cleaning = dish soap or isopropyl alcohol. Spudger for embedded filth.
The real question is how do I clean the cleaning cloth? And where to get nice ones?
I put my glasses cleaning cloth in the washing machine and wash without fabric softener
It's just Windex!
But get an ultrasonic cleaner to give the glasses a full clean from time to time.I feel like a pleb now just using a cleaning cloth and nothing else…. yet they get clean enough for me with just a decent cloth?
Auto parts store, RainX or similar.
Or, as has been suggested, make some yourself.
And here I am just using my shirt 99% of the time.
Just make it yourself mate, https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/homemade-eyeglass-clean…