How To Make A Simple And Effective Eyeglass Cleaner In Seconds

Eyeglass Cleaner

Recently I was attempting to clean my reading glasses, but my trusty cleaning cloth just wasnโ€™t cutting it. For the most part, my reading glasses only need a quick cleaning with my microfiber polishing cloth and they are good to go. But sometimes, especially if Iโ€™ve been cooking or working on a messy project, my glasses become a greasy, smeary mess. This was one such occasion, and I found myself in need of a little something extra to cut through the grime!

I know that you canโ€™t clean glasses with just any old cleaner, so I started doing some research online to find out if I could make my own at home. And it turned out to be quicker and easier than I ever would have thought! You just need some water, some rubbing alcohol, and a tiny bit of soap to make your own homemade glasses cleaning solution. It worked like a charm to de-gunk my reading glasses, and I also cleaned up my spare readers, my sunglasses, and my husbandโ€™s glasses too! It was quick, easy, and didnโ€™t cost me a thing.

So give this simple cleaner a try, and see what a difference it makes!

Related: 7 Quick & Clever Hacks You Need To Know If You Wear Glasses

Eyeglass Cleaner

Homemade Eyeglass Cleaner

Ingredients:

Supplies:

Eyeglass Cleaner

Directions:

Remove the cap from your spray bottle and fill it half-way with water.

Eyeglass Cleaner

Then add rubbing alcohol until the bottle is almost full, and add a drop of your favorite soap to finish it off. (I’ve tried this with Dawn and castile soap on separate occasions, and both worked equally well.)

Eyeglass Cleaner

Using Your Homemade Eyeglass Cleaner

The next time youโ€™re wiping your glasses clean and the cloth alone just isnโ€™t cutting it, grab your trusty bottle of eyeglass cleaner!

Spray the solution onto your microfiber cloth, rather than directly on the glasses. Rub the solution onto the lenses of your glasses using circular motions. The cleaner will penetrate through the grimy buildup, and your lenses will be crystal clear!

Eyeglass Cleaner

Bonus Tip! – How To Clean Your Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

A good microfiber glasses cleaning cloth is an indispensable tool for glasses wearers. The tiny fibers act like magnets that trap dirt, dust, and grime. But like any cleaning cloth, these cloths need to be kept clean in order for them to work properly! Luckily, cleaning your microfiber cleaning cloths is super simple and takes just a minute or two.

Start by getting your cloth damp, then place a drop of dish soap onto the cloth. (I use Dawn here because itโ€™s great at cutting through greasy residues. But you can use whatever you have on hand!) Rub the soap into the cloth with your fingertips for a minute or two, then rinse well with warm water. Rinsing your cloth well is crucial, so take your time!

When youโ€™re sure that all the soap has been rinsed out of the cloth, hang it up to dry somewhere. Never dry a microfiber cloth with dryer sheets or fabric softeners, as they will prevent the cloth from working properly.

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Jill Nystul Photo

Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

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28 Comments

  1. Well after reading all the comments I’m going to give it a try! Just want to thank you so much for all the wonderful info you provide! I use a tip or two almost everyday. : -)

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  2. What concentration of rubbing alcohol do you use? Can you use the stronger kind?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  3. Jillee – I tried this and told my eyecare professional about it, and they were horrified that I was using alcohol on my glasses. Apparently today’s glasses with their special coatings are not supposed to have any alcohol based products on them because they weaken and damage the special coatings. She suggested that I just use water with a drop of gentle dish soap and water – to make it easier, I used a small drop of Aveda’s Shampure and water in the little spray bottle and it works like a charm! Just thought I would let you know.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • That Shampure is awfully expensive to use to clean your glasses!

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  4. Thanks so much! I always sprayed my glasses instead of the cloth. By spraying the cloth FIRST I was able to clean more than one pair of glasses thus making the spray last longer.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  5. This was the best eyeglass cleaner EVER! My husband was sceptical when I told him, but he made it and was astounded and the clean glasses. He even sprayed his cell phone and got it real clean, but I don’t think he should have sprayed it directly…!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  6. If someone has no spray bottle handy, (me me me) wouldnt it also work to mix some in a little saucer or something? Since you’re only putting it on the cloth, not spraying it on lens, I think I’ll try it!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  7. You are a lifesaver over and over again! I don’ t know how you come up with so many things to teach, but they are all terrific. Thanks!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  8. You are absolutely right about the combination of liquids to clean one’s glasses, and I am glad you included the microfiber cloths as they are just the right size too. And as you included, the cloths must be kept clean in order to be effective. Thank you for your tips – I appreciate them very much!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  9. Hope this is better than the walmart eyeglass cleaner.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  10. I used an alcohol based cleaner on my lenses and it fogged them up for good. I have an antireflective coating on them and I think that’s why it did that. I just run my glasses under water, smear with liquid soap and rinse. I have rimless glasses so after rinsing the soap off I run the top edges under medium strength running water and it water just sheets off. I learned this from a YouTube video.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  11. Hi, I want to let you all know I am an Optical technician for laser optics and this cleaner is the best way to clean your glasses ever but I want to add one little thing that can help when you use hair spray. I use hair spray an so at work I use acetone to remove the hair spray before cleaning that it will not hurt the glasses just use a cotton ball to move around the glasses on both sides then use the cleaner to clean your glasses as you should. Hope this help. Teresa

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  12. Walmart eyeglass department refills their cleaning solution bottles for free (at least in my area)

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  13. I have been told by my optician to not use any product containing alcohol, including prepackaged wipes, as it can cause cracks in the edges of my lenses. Instead, I use a soap and water solution with just a bare drop of soap.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • I have to say if a laser will not crack the lens with alcohol then no wipe will I have been cleaning laser optics for 11 years They come back to me to clean them under a microscope to look for very small defects and I use alcohol to clean them. Just a thought!

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  14. I was told by an optician to mix water and alcohol and that’s what their cleaning solution is. Half and half mixture. I like the addition of Dawn.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  15. Thank you. This is very timely, as I am running out of the cleaner I got at the optometrist’s office.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  16. Microfiber will scratch your lenses. It is not noticable at first. I wear expensive trifocals, and replacing them due to the wrong cleaning technique? PAINFUL

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • It’s not the cloth that is scratching the lenses. It’s the fact that you use ANY type of material (microfiber, t-shirt, even the cloths provided with your glasses) without ANY moisture on the cloths or glasses. Never attempt to “clean” your glasses when they are dry. That just grinds the dirt into the lenses which will eventually leave them with scratches. That is what my optician told me (lectured me actually LOL). She saw me start to clean my old glasses with my shirt. I thought she was going to blow a gasket. She made me promise NEVER to do that again (or risk bodily harm) before she’d hand over my new glasses.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  17. Need to know the capacity of the spray bottle.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • This is a four ounce bottle, but you can make it in anything!

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  18. I usually take my bottles to the optical dept at Walmart when my solution gets low. They refill the bottles for free. Iโ€™ve also used my eyeglass cleaner on my iPad and iPhone . Iโ€™ll, have to try this version of eyeglass cleaner.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • My Walmart here in Florida, does not refill the cleaner.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
      • Mine in DeLand, Fl. does refill for free…

    • Interesting about Walmartโ€™s vision center. I guess it depends on where you live. My Walmart is in Missouri.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.

Leave a Comment

28 Comments

  1. Well after reading all the comments I’m going to give it a try! Just want to thank you so much for all the wonderful info you provide! I use a tip or two almost everyday. : -)

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  2. What concentration of rubbing alcohol do you use? Can you use the stronger kind?

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  3. Jillee – I tried this and told my eyecare professional about it, and they were horrified that I was using alcohol on my glasses. Apparently today’s glasses with their special coatings are not supposed to have any alcohol based products on them because they weaken and damage the special coatings. She suggested that I just use water with a drop of gentle dish soap and water – to make it easier, I used a small drop of Aveda’s Shampure and water in the little spray bottle and it works like a charm! Just thought I would let you know.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • That Shampure is awfully expensive to use to clean your glasses!

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  4. Thanks so much! I always sprayed my glasses instead of the cloth. By spraying the cloth FIRST I was able to clean more than one pair of glasses thus making the spray last longer.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  5. This was the best eyeglass cleaner EVER! My husband was sceptical when I told him, but he made it and was astounded and the clean glasses. He even sprayed his cell phone and got it real clean, but I don’t think he should have sprayed it directly…!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  6. If someone has no spray bottle handy, (me me me) wouldnt it also work to mix some in a little saucer or something? Since you’re only putting it on the cloth, not spraying it on lens, I think I’ll try it!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  7. You are a lifesaver over and over again! I don’ t know how you come up with so many things to teach, but they are all terrific. Thanks!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  8. You are absolutely right about the combination of liquids to clean one’s glasses, and I am glad you included the microfiber cloths as they are just the right size too. And as you included, the cloths must be kept clean in order to be effective. Thank you for your tips – I appreciate them very much!

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  9. Hope this is better than the walmart eyeglass cleaner.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  10. I used an alcohol based cleaner on my lenses and it fogged them up for good. I have an antireflective coating on them and I think that’s why it did that. I just run my glasses under water, smear with liquid soap and rinse. I have rimless glasses so after rinsing the soap off I run the top edges under medium strength running water and it water just sheets off. I learned this from a YouTube video.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  11. Hi, I want to let you all know I am an Optical technician for laser optics and this cleaner is the best way to clean your glasses ever but I want to add one little thing that can help when you use hair spray. I use hair spray an so at work I use acetone to remove the hair spray before cleaning that it will not hurt the glasses just use a cotton ball to move around the glasses on both sides then use the cleaner to clean your glasses as you should. Hope this help. Teresa

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  12. Walmart eyeglass department refills their cleaning solution bottles for free (at least in my area)

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  13. I have been told by my optician to not use any product containing alcohol, including prepackaged wipes, as it can cause cracks in the edges of my lenses. Instead, I use a soap and water solution with just a bare drop of soap.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • I have to say if a laser will not crack the lens with alcohol then no wipe will I have been cleaning laser optics for 11 years They come back to me to clean them under a microscope to look for very small defects and I use alcohol to clean them. Just a thought!

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  14. I was told by an optician to mix water and alcohol and that’s what their cleaning solution is. Half and half mixture. I like the addition of Dawn.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  15. Thank you. This is very timely, as I am running out of the cleaner I got at the optometrist’s office.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  16. Microfiber will scratch your lenses. It is not noticable at first. I wear expensive trifocals, and replacing them due to the wrong cleaning technique? PAINFUL

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • It’s not the cloth that is scratching the lenses. It’s the fact that you use ANY type of material (microfiber, t-shirt, even the cloths provided with your glasses) without ANY moisture on the cloths or glasses. Never attempt to “clean” your glasses when they are dry. That just grinds the dirt into the lenses which will eventually leave them with scratches. That is what my optician told me (lectured me actually LOL). She saw me start to clean my old glasses with my shirt. I thought she was going to blow a gasket. She made me promise NEVER to do that again (or risk bodily harm) before she’d hand over my new glasses.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  17. Need to know the capacity of the spray bottle.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • This is a four ounce bottle, but you can make it in anything!

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
  18. I usually take my bottles to the optical dept at Walmart when my solution gets low. They refill the bottles for free. Iโ€™ve also used my eyeglass cleaner on my iPad and iPhone . Iโ€™ll, have to try this version of eyeglass cleaner.

    Please log in or create a free account to comment.
    • My Walmart here in Florida, does not refill the cleaner.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.
      • Mine in DeLand, Fl. does refill for free…

    • Interesting about Walmartโ€™s vision center. I guess it depends on where you live. My Walmart is in Missouri.

      Please log in or create a free account to comment.