How to Clean Blue Light Glasses

Co-authored by Kara Hartl, MD, FACS and Eric McClure

Last Updated: October 25, 2022 References

If you’ve got a slick pair of blue light glasses, it’s super reasonable that you’d want to protect your investment. After all, how helpful are blue light glasses going to be if they’re so dirty that you can’t see! Luckily, cleaning blue light glasses is a breeze. In this article, we’ll break down how to clean your glasses correctly, what to use to clean them, and how to store them correctly. We’ll also cover common pitfalls to avoid if you want to keep your blue light glasses safe.

Things You Should Know

Use warm water and dish soap, eyeglass cleaner, or steam to clean your blue light glasses safely.
Keep your glasses safe by storing them in a hard-shell case, not touching the lenses directly, and keeping your glasses away from direct sunlight and heat.
Avoid using your shirt, harsh cleaners, or saliva to clean the lenses, since these options may damage the glasses.

Section 1 of 5:

Most Effective Cleaning Methods

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Warm water and moisturizer-free dish soap Turn on the hot water in your sink. As the water heats up, add a squirt of dish soap to each lens. Then, clean the glasses with water by holding them under the running stream. You can use a clean finger to gently work the soap into the lenses if you’d like. Repeat this process on the other side of the lenses and dry your lenses with a clean microfiber cloth.^{[1]
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- If there’s an especially dirty part of the lens that is clearly dirty, use a cotton swab to physically clean the area while you wash the lenses.
- Polish the nose pads when you’re done with the microfiber cloth.
- If your home has hard water, you may be better off with bottled or distilled water (because hard water can leave white streaks).
2
Eyeglass cleaner Any commercial eyeglass cleaning solution designed for normal glasses will do the trick with blue light glasses. Hold the lenses by the frame and spritz each side of the lens with the cleaner. Use a microfiber cloth to gently buff and dry each side of the lens and you’re good to go.^{[2]
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- You can always make your own eyeglass cleaner using dish soap, a touch of rubbing alcohol, and water if you’d like.
- If your glasses have an anti-glare or anti-reflective coating, make sure that the cleaner you use is designed specifically for your coating. It will mention the coating on the label.^{[3]
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3
Steam Turn the hot water on at the hottest temperature available, or boil some water in a pot. Once the water starts producing steam, hold the lenses over the steam and let your glasses fog up. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the lenses dry and voila! Your glasses are clean.

Section 2 of 5:

How often should you clean your glasses?

Clean your glasses 1-2 times a day when you’re using them. If you use the glasses all day, you’re best off cleaning the lenses once in the morning and once at the end of the day. This will keep any germs or dust from building up on the blue-light filtering coatings that cover the lenses, which can keep them from working correctly.^{[4]
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- If you store your blue light glasses in a case, you only need to clean the lenses on days where you use the glasses.

Section 3 of 5:

Storage

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Keep your glasses in a hard-shell case when you aren’t using them. Your glasses came with a hard-shell carrying case for a reason. Whenever you aren’t using the glasses, keep them in the case to prevent them from getting scratched or damaged.^{[5]
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- If your glasses didn’t come with a case, you can use any standard eyeglass case to store the blue light glasses.
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Set your glasses down on clean surfaces with the lenses facing up. When you take your glasses off to set them down temporarily, remove them by the frame and fold the temples back. Set the glasses down, temple-side down, on a clean tabletop or counter. When you pick them back up, use the frame and temples to avoid touching the lenses.^{[6]
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Section 4 of 5:

Glasses Care

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Never touch the lenses when removing your glasses. Unless you’re cleaning them, you should never directly touch your lenses. The oils from your fingers can stick to your lenses, which can degrade the lenses over time in addition to making it hard to see.
2
Wash the microfiber cloth you use to clean the glasses regularly. It’s good that you’re using a microfiber cloth to clean your lenses, but you need to actually clean that microfiber cloth! Over time, your cloth picks up gunk, dirt, and dust from your lenses. Wash your microfiber cloth at least once a week to avoid accidentally damaging your lenses.^{[7]
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- Wash microfiber cloths in your normal laundry using cold or warm water; these cloths don’t require any special laundering steps.
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Avoid storing your glasses in the car or on a windowsill. Excessive heat can damage blue light lenses—especially if they’re made of plastic. Never leave your glasses in the car during the warmer months, and avoid leaving them out in direct sunlight.^{[8]
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Section 5 of 5:

Common Cleaning Mistakes

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Using your shirt to clean the lenses As tempting as it may be to use your T-shirt to clear away those smudges and marks that randomly appear on your lenses, you’re best off fighting the urge. Regular clothing can scratch and damage your glasses. The fibers just aren’t soft enough to clean dirt and debris without potentially harming your lenses.^{[9]
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Spraying the lenses with harsh cleaners You may want to use ammonia, bleach, Windex, vinegar, or some other tough cleaner to cleanse your glasses when they’re especially dirty. Unfortunately, this can wear away the blue light coating and keep your glasses from working as intended.^{[10]
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- Only use mild dish soap, water, or glasses cleaner to remove dirt or debris.
3
Spitting on your glasses to clean them quickly You may be tempted to use your saliva to clean the lenses in a pinch, but this can leave your blue light glasses even dirtier than they were before. On top of that, it’s unsanitary to spread your germs on the lenses of your glasses, so avoid spitting on your lenses.^{[11]
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- The germs from your mouth can also get on your glasses if you breathe on them. Avoid using the steam from your mouth to buff your glasses when you’re on the go.