Thread: keeping eye & safety glasses clean

i know this one is a little out there, i have been meaning to start a thread about this for a while now as there is no way im the only one to suffer through this at work.
This is a major pain in my ass, with all the greasy MC stuff i handle and cutting fluids, way oil, etc i just CANT keep my safety glasses even remotely clean, this in turn gives me headaches or best case scenario i just cant see as well which is equally annoying, then out of frustration i take the glasses off and of course a chip, as if magnetically drawn to me, shoots across the room and squarely into my eye every single time.
The constant 'wiping off' of smudges using the inside of my shirt just causes more scratches and thus the cycle completes itself. arghhh
fwiw i would love to be able to put safety glasses on when i walk into the shop and not take them off till the work day is completely over and the shop is cleaned without constant cleaning, missing punch marks, headaches and all of the associated problems.
The best thing i have come up with is motorcycle riding glasses as they seem to take a little more abuse before scratching badly but they dont keep the little stuff from finding its way in.

So, i know others have dealt with this...anyone have any suggestions?

Get more than one pair. When one gets dirty, get another one out. Clean them all at once with warm water to rinse away oils and loose dirt. Then with dishwashing soap and warm rinse. Don't scrub hard. Use eyeglass cleaner then dry with cotton cloth (like your wife's underwear). I use the full wrap around vented goggles and use the newer ones where I need to see realy well like the close tolerance last lathe cuts. I use the older ones when not so important or with abrasive activities.

Ahmen your preaching to the choir brother, not only do I suffer from the same maladays that you mention, but I use cheaters (1.50 mag) and it is a royal pain in the bollocks. One thing that does help is one of those lanyards (well call it) that attach to the ear pieces and hold the glasses around your neck when not wearing them, it helps to keep then cleaner and you never loose them. I also use a product called Krystal Glaze which is a plasic lens polish, it says "hard resin" what ever that is. The product by winco optical also seems to be fairly good at clearing minor scuffs emphasize minor. I have also toyed with the idea (but never tried it) to use the plasic screen protector sheets that are made for small touch screen devices, cut it to rough shape apply and when it becomes all gacked up remove and replace.
Couldn't tell you where to purchase it cause I havr the same bottle for five years now.

Hope this helps and maybe just maybe somebody will have the miracle solution.
P.S. I also keep a micro fibre cleaning cloth in my "clean tool box draw" I use it before the begining of the work day before I touch anthing else in the shop.

Originally Posted by vanguard cycle

any suggestions?

In the days of wooden-wheeled race cars with iron pistons, long-distance drivers simply used more than one pair.

What works for me is to keep 3 pair of Chinee-made '3M' branded wrap-arounds in a protected spot, pull-off the smeared or spotted ones and swap.

And try to NOT wipe them at all during the 'shift'.

Break-time, lunch-time, or end of the day, one washes ALL of them with El Cheapo dish detergent and is ready for the next shift.

They are under ten-bucks apiece and fit OVER the average eyeglasses, so no tears if badly scarred, and two pair or ten, it is no big cost.

Bill

Wash them with what ever gets rid of the gunge there coated in, then something detergent based. A final rinse with either high purity Reverse osmosis or deionised water, anything bellow about 30ppm purity will dry spotless.

The comments about not rubbing them is crucial, need to wash the grit off not grind it around. If i ever end up earning the famed $20 a hour i will probaly spot for a new pair of safety glasses every week. I love the new glasses day i currently can only justify about once every 2 months.

I dip my glasses in the ultrasonic cleaner for about 15 seconds then rinse with water and dry with a soft cloth. This helps to get the grunge out of the nose pads.

That is how my optician cleans my prescription eye glasses. A ultrasonic cleaner is on my list of things to get.

Originally Posted by mach2

Get more than one pair. When one gets dirty, get another one out. Clean them all at once with warm water to rinse away oils and loose dirt. Then with dishwashing soap and warm rinse. Don't scrub hard. Use eyeglass cleaner then dry with cotton cloth (like your wife's underwear). I use the full wrap around vented goggles and use the newer ones where I need to see realy well like the close tolerance last lathe cuts. I use the older ones when not so important or with abrasive activities.

I'd like to know just how mach 2 knows so much about Vanguard Cycle's wife's underwear. Just sayin'

Has anybody considered making safety glasses with tear offs like the dirt bike and sandblasting guys have had for years?

Originally Posted by mach2

Get more than one pair. When one gets dirty, get another one out. Clean them all at once with warm water to rinse away oils and loose dirt. Then with dishwashing soap and warm rinse. Don't scrub hard. Use eyeglass cleaner then dry with cotton cloth (like your wife's underwear). I use the full wrap around vented goggles and use the newer ones where I need to see realy well like the close tolerance last lathe cuts. I use the older ones when not so important or with abrasive activities.

This is my basic routine, but I do a couple of things different. I only use dishwashing detergent (I've have eyeglass cleaners strip the no-fog coating from safety glasses) and I dry my with compressed air. The only thing I ever use to rub my glasses with is a wet finger covered in detergent.

great suggestions guys!! looks like i'm officially starting a new daily clean up duty.
i have 4 of the 'better' pairs all together and have never considered washing all 4 at a time at the start or end of the day.
starting first thing today (after cleaning up dog piss ) i washed all 4 and hung them back up on the rack where they sit..instead of keeping the same pair on all day im going to swap as i need, such a simple tip! thanks again everyone

Originally Posted by greenbuggy

Has anybody considered making safety glasses with tear offs like the dirt bike and sandblasting guys have had for years?

Yes, I've seen them in catalogs. I just did a search on the term 'safety glasses tear off' and found numerous sources.

Thanks mach2, simple solution to an agravating problem and low cost to boot!

knn

Always wash you hand before handling the glasses. I avoid the hand cleaners with pumice if possible.
Always wash the glasses with water before anything else touches them- even the dishwashing detergent.
Always use dishwashing detergent.
Designate a new chip brush or paintbrush to clean the lens with. Try and have a hook it can hang from.
Nothing touches the brush bristles but detergent, water and the lens.
Nothing touches the lens but water, detegent the brush and a soft cotton towel.
Nothing touches the towel but clean hands and a clean lens.
If you have a way to mark the towel- have one side for the lens and the other for your hand.
If you do not have a clean towel, tap the side of the gasses on a solid surface and knock off most of the water.
You may have some water spots- but they will be gone when you wash them the next time. Scratches are forever...

Another great way to batch clean your glasses is to use one of the small steam cleaners that are now available for home use. The steam evaporates the grease and blows away the debris without a need to touch the lens. It can also be used to clean the grease and grime that collects in the corners and crevices of your glasses. The warm glasses quickly air dry so you don't have to dry them with a cloth or tissue. As it takes time for the steam unit to heat up, this process is best used when you have a batch of glasses to clean.