Keeping your eyeglasses clean

The moist towelettes that I currently use on tour beside the more traditional bottle of cleaning fluid and a cloth.
Click to enlarge.

I've been wearing eyeglasses since I was just a wee lad of three. Over all those years one thing that's always been true is that I can't stand wearing dirty glasses!

This might seem like a minor topic for a bicycle touring web site but for me it's important. Dirty glasses can make the scenery less enjoyable and if the glasses get dirty enough it can lead to a pothole exploring adventure.

Originally I simply washed my glasses with water and used kleenix or toilet paper to wipe them dry taking off the dirt and grime at the same time. Unfortunately this method isn't recommended for modern, light-weight, prescription glasses with polarizing lens, built-in UV and anti-glare protection. From what I've read and heard doing my old tricks would rapidly lead to a lighter wallet with the replacement of the original set of glasses.

During my first few bicycle tours I carried a special eyeglass cloth and a bottle of eyeglass cleaner. You can see these in the picture attached to this article. This method worked but one major downside for me was that after cleaning the glasses I would place the somewhat wet cloth in to a plastic bag. On hot days this would result in a stinky mess inside that bag at the end of the day and a cloth that I couldn't use anyway since it was still wet.

Luckily I found a product by Lenscrafters that seems to work well for my type of glasses. The product is called "LensCrafters Pre-moistened Lens Towelette. I usually purchase them in bulk by buying a 60 pack of these towels. Essentially they are a cleaning cloth that has been premoistened with the eyeglass cleaner liquid.

Using this product I've been able to have clean glasses and enjoy the scenery without the mess that often accompanied me in the past. I caution you to double-check with the person you purchased your glasses from before using any eyeglass cleaning product. So far I've used this product on four separate sets of glasses without any problems but it never hurts to ask.

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