You just paid a small fortune for new eyeglasses. On top of the cost for prescription lenses and fashionable frames, you opted for anti-reflective, anti-scratch and UV-protection coatings. After all, eyesight is a precious thing, and it’s only wise to do all you can to protect it, right? Absolutely! But here’s the deal: You may be destroying your investment one cleaning at a time.

Modern-day lens coatings are revolutionary in the way that they protect your eyes from harmful UV rays and provide comfort. And these coatings are fairly durable. Just know that anti-scratch does not mean 100% scratchproof. Rather, it somewhat helps to prevent minor scratches that could easily develop on a regular lens.

WHAT NOT TO USE

Pay attention to these things you can never, ever use to clean eyeglasses because they can break down the coatings, strip them of their qualities and leave a mess instead.

— Wood pulp in paper towels and facial tissues, and the tiny fibers in shirt fabrics. They can make fine scratches that will eventually create a kind of visual haze that’s impossible to remove. Think of paper and fabric as extremely fine-grit sandpaper.

— Window cleaner, glass cleaner and mirror cleaner

— Ammonia

— Bleach

— Vinegar

— Lemon juice

— Toothpaste

— Paper towels

— Facial tissues

— Your shirt

WHAT TO USE INSTEAD

Now that we have those out of the way, here are the best things you can use to clean and protect your eyeglasses, maintain their beauty and increase their longevity:

— Water

— Dishwashing liquid

— Rubbing alcohol

— Microfiber cloth

— Lens wipes

HOW TO CLEAN EYEGLASSES

To start, run your glasses under lukewarm water. Don’t use hot water, because it will decrease the lifespan of some lenses with coatings.

Put a small drop of dish soap — blue Dawn is ideal — on your fingertips. Gently rub it on both sides of the lenses and the nose pads. The best way to clean eyeglasses at home is with dish soap. Even the American Optometric Association recommends it.

Rinse with warm water, and gently dry with a clean microfiber cloth. Use light touches. The microfiber cloth leaves no lint, so your glasses should be perfectly clean.

To keep your eyeglasses clean throughout the day, use individually wrapped lens wipes or a spritz of rubbing alcohol from a spray bottle followed with a microfiber cloth.

DEEP-CLEAN MACHINE

Feel like your glasses have been through a lot and need a deep clean? Consider investing in an eyeglass cleaning machine for a periodic deep cleaning that gets all the gunk and grime out of the hinges, nose piece and crevices, all without harming the protective coatings. This maintenance step is crucial to keeping longevity and clarity in your eyeglasses.

With any ultrasound cleaning machine, always use clean lukewarm water even if the directions call for hot water. The high temperature could actually warp your frames and lens coating. And never clean eyeglasses with scratched lenses in an ultrasound machine. While tap water is OK, filtered water is highly recommended.

Follow other instructions provided with the machine and in 10 minutes, your deep cleaning will be complete. So amazing!