Cleaning your sunglasses, what is safe and unsafe to use

Sunglasses can be a precious investment when you buy a high quality pair that is good quality and has good aesthetic value.  Because most of us value our sunglasses, and decent ones tend to be more expensive (I discussed this issue in an earlier post) it is important to take good care of your sunglasses.  It is important to have a good case if you are going to be carrying your glasses around alot as well as a cleaning cloth.  Simply wiping off your sunglasses with your shirt can cause your glasses to develop scratches over time.  A microfiber cloth must be used.   I would also recomend that you buy a sunglass cleaning solution to spray on your glasses before you wipe them.    Never rub your lenses dry since this can cause scratches.  If nothing else is available, you can use water vapor from your breath and then wipe off the condensation from the glasses.  This will not leave water spots since the water vapor from your breath is completely pure water as opposed to tap water.  Your breath can act as a cleaning solution in this way.  It can be harder to do this in warmer weather, however, and that is usually when you are wearing your sunglass.  That is why I would recommend keeping a  solution at home to spray on the lenses.  This is what I do, and if I end up with any smudges when I am out, I usually wait till I get back home to clean it.  It is actually ok to use other optical cleaners such as lens cleaner for cameras  or binoculars.  This will not be a cheaper  option, but if you don't have anything else, it is definitely safe to use.  Some glasses can be cleaned with warm dishsoap water, but you would have to contact the company that made your sunglasses to verify, as this may not be safe for all sunglasses.  I personally have found that optical cleaner, such as cleaners designed for sunglasses, work best.

As far as the case is concerned, I ended up just using an old Kirkland hard case to put my sunglasses in.  I personally prefer hard cases, but it is not necessary, as long as you avoid them getting squished.  The Oakley cases do look a lot better, however, and that can be important to some people.