7 Tips to Extend the Life of Your Glasses

by Chelsea Stone

Always use both hands to take them off.

It's not as dashing as the one-hand maneuver, but you'll avoid loosening or misaligning the earpieces, which will eventually cause the frames to fit your face incorrectly.

Avoid these cleaning mistakes!

Steer clear of glasses cleaner with ammonia or alcohol in it, because the harsh chemicals can damage the coating on your lenses. Instead, gently wash eyeglasses or sunglasses using a solution of diluted dish soap and your fingers. Dry the lenses with a microfiber cloth designed for that purpose and never use ordinary tissues, paper towels, or other wood-based materials, which can cause scratches.

At the beach, use bottled water to rinse them off.

When your shades or specs get wet or sandy at the beach, resist the temptation to swish them clean in the surf or on a towel. Tiny crystals of salt or sand could scratch your lenses.

Keep glasses out of extremely hot conditions.

Don't leave eyeglasses or sunglasses inside your car on a warm day, for example. Most of today's frames are typically made by pouring liquefied plastic into a mold, so if they get too hot, they might melt or become too flexible.

Don’t wear your glasses on top of your head.

Though it might be convenient or look stylish, you risk stretching out the earpieces. Also, natural oils from your hair and scalp can smudge or otherwise affect the lenses.

Stop the slip.

If your glasses slide down your nose, try Wedgees, a piece of cloth material that easily slides onto the earpieces of your glasses to keep them securely in place, or Nerdwax, a blend of beeswax and coconut oil that can be applied directly to your glasses' bridge to make them stay put. For a more permanent fix, ask an optician about applying wire tubing on the earpieces to add extra grip.

Don't put glasses lens-side down.

You've heard it before, but this can cause serious scratches. Invest in a hard case to keep your specs secure if they didn’t come with one.