To remove mild small scratches, basically the ones created but using paper towels or a cotton cloth, use furniture polish. In the US the best to use is Pledge, not sure what others can be used but a mild wax is in there and it "fills" the scratch. It shouldn't hurt the lens but it is a bugger to get off. To remove it if you can't polish it well enough, use rubbing alcohol. NEVER use acitone as that will chemically melt most sunglasses. (I used to be an optician so...) Now to find good prescription-able sunglasses...
Hi Jon ! Personnaly I don't recommend rubbing the soap bar directly on the lens, I scratched my Oakleys doing this... Rubbing the cloth on the soap and then on the lens is far more safe in my opinion !
saliva definitely works. It's the most used technique in scuba diving. (I personally did it on my scuba goggles). never tried on my glasses, as honestly never needed to.
Toothpaste will remove any coating from the lens too, it works as an abrasive compound rubbing away the surrounding material to match the depth of the scratch.
A super clean lens fogs less than a dirty lens. When I head out early in the morning, if the dew point is high and fogging a possibility, I simply clean my lens with a professional lens cleaning solution that my optometrist provides and wipe clean with a microfiber cloth. That reduces the fogging. By the way, I wear corrective lenses so cycling glasses are a no go. Instead, I wear an aero helmet with a magnetically attached lens (Giro Air Attack Shield). The lens shield that attaches to the helmet blocks the air turbulence that would normally hook around the edges of my eye glasses, blowing dust into my eyes. And when I don't need it, I simply flip it and re-attach it to the helmet where it's out of the way.
Saliva as anti-fog repellent is an age old trick used at least among swimmers and divers. As I did both as a junior before switching to cycling, I can vouch for the method. It's not really as gross as it sounds, either ;)
ikr nor is there duct tape involved. I have it from good authority that if you put a strip of duct tape (or just about any other tape really as long as it's not clear) over a scratch it will effectively disappear from sight.
Love some tips to keep Rx inserts from fogging up (other than keep moving), especially in the rain when the antifog/dish soap/soap bar/shaving cream wash away. Bit of a bugbear inserts, last longer since if your external lenses scratch you can just replace them, plus you can have a variety of lenses for different conditions, but these lenses scratch more easily and fog up (even if they say antifog).
Indeed it stays fog free but from my experience it doesn't really leave you with a super clean lens to see trough (remarkable how being underwater negates that a lot). And well the only reason they don't fog then is because they are already wet, the moment it dries up they start fogging again anyway.
Spit does work, but in my experience is better on actual glass than polycarbonate or other plastics ( I used to dive a lot). Our diving instructor kept a small bottle of dishwash liquid, called it "Jacques Cousteau saliva".
I clean my regular glasses only with one thin cloth tissue and distilled water as there is always left calcium marks from tap water. Firstly I wet glasses with distilled water then clean it and finally remove distilled water from glass with dry part of the tissue. Result is great, much better than using only tap water and soap for example. For better results, thin rubber gloves are also helpful as they prevent hand grease to transfer to tissue.
There are several polishing compounds that can be used to reduce the scratches in your plastic lenses. Toothpaste doesn't have enough of this fine abrasive in it to do much unless you rub for a week. Glass cook top polish that many people have in their kitchen will do a decent job. Try it on an old pair first before your good glasses. There are better things to use, but for something that is commonly available, it's a decent choice.
I've heard the warnings about paper towels and cotton before but it's never been a problem for me. But I'm extra careful to dab, and not rub dry. I have a nice pair of Smith from SportRX that get washed with a couple drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid, rinsed with RO water and dabbed dry with a paper towel or clean cotton towel. That said, I routinely use a cotton shirt I'm wearing on my normal prescription glasses without scratching. I do make sure to use the inside next to my skin to avoid any particles that may have fallen on it.
My sunglasses came with a soft bag for storage and polishing. They said ONLY polish with the soft bag that it comes with and to definitely not use any paper products or other fabrics. So, I rinse my glasses off with water really well and then buff/clean the lenses with the bag.
6:09 higher end auto detailing fare will contain some plastic polishes of varying degrees of severity. The finest of those polishes (again, the ones made for plastics) will likely work better than a random toothpaste. Having said that, a lot of lenses are polycarbonate with one or two films or coatings. And if the scratch is deep enough you may be out of luck.
Could you do a video on the best way to clean shoes please. I have some white sidi's and would like to get them looking tip top again. The cuff if looking a little scruffy now. Thanks
Also a good idea to maintain sunglasses or eyeglasses is to use some machine oil on the hinges. Some oil similar to that that it is used on electric shavers will do the trick and avoid any rust since washing the sun/eyeglasses is must.
Cheap toothpaste? That'll be the hydrated silica in it then. A fine grinding paste. It's long been a 'hack' for removing minor scratches from polished plastics, but on optical lenses? More of a 'bodge'.
You really stepped in it with this one. I am pretty sure all of the major manufacturers of high end shades are licking their lips at how many new pairs they're going to sell since your suggestions are guaranteed to thrash their existing ones.
best use Pledge furniture polish - smear free with microfibre cloth. no fogging and gentle on the lens coating - been using this on my motorbike visor for years no issues
Biggest problem for me if sweat getting on inside on the lenses. I have to clean my lenses with water every ride. Any hacks to stop the sweat going on the glasses quite so much would be great! I know it's inevitable eventually
Dish washer soap is okay, but please don't use this rough microfiber! These MF are for abrasive usage, there are smooth MF towels like you get from your optometrist or it comes with your glases!
Washing up liquid on the lenses...? But that will just leave a "distorting" coating to the lense. Even how much you try to get it off with a dry cloth.
I've worn prescription glasses for over 30 years the same prescription cycling for the last 7 years. I almost always dry them with paper towels and they have never caused scratching. Using paper towels scratching lenses is a myth.
Prescription glasses tend to be made from glass which is a lot more scratch resistant than polycarbonate, which most sports sunnies are made from (for the lightweight/impact protection benefits). I have scuffed sports glasses with a paper towel before.
Could have done with this last week. In Dubai it was 33 degrees with 89% humidity at sunrise and my lenses were opaque. With the dust being extreme and a contact lens wearer it was a miserable combination.
I chewed some soap and sprayed shaving foam in my mouth (like you would with whipped cream) and gargled some dish soap then I spit all of it on my lenses and my sunglasses are now fog free!!!
Might be wrong here, but won't any of the soap based hacks wear off pretty much as soon as the lens gets wet? Soap dissolves in water, right? So one use only, and maybe not even good for a full ride in the wet. Or perhaps I'm wrong...
My Koo Cycling glasses has few scratches on them :( I forgot to read the precautions before using it. So READ THE PRECAUTIONS that is included in the glasses.
i would not do any of these hacks to my oakleys, rinse with water and wipe of with the bag you got with the sunglasses. Oakley has good service so if you have any problems just contact them and you will get a new pair of lenses, i even got to keep my old lenses
@@Bungle2010 I was working at an optical store. That was the way we cleaned glasses. They are not as soft you might think. Of course if they have dry dirt on them you must be more cautious.
I sooo dislike looking through dirty sunglasses and I dread the day when I have to wear expensive corrective vision sunglasses as I always just use liquid dishsoap and water to clean my glasses. In a mud fest MTB race 25 years ago, my glasses got so muddy that I had to take them off, and then I got hit in the eye by front wheel thrown stuff and scratched the cornea in my right eye. Had to finish the remaining 10k with only one eye open. Sunglasses are key to protecting those two eyes of ours.
Why not buy a pair of glasses that have hydrophilic coating and designed to "breathe"? Applying toothpaste is going to remove material if it removes a scratch, that material could be a specific layer applied to the lens which is not what you want to be doing.
When I saw you rubbing regular soap on the glassess... 😨 Why not rub a little soap on the microfiber cloth and use it to coat the glasses then? Come to think of it, if any particles are stuck in the bar, they can transfer to the cloth too. I'd still stick to liquid soap.
Fell on a descent, break my wrist but worse I have a sratch on my brand new Oakley Flightjacket Orange wich I bought 1 week before the crash.. No way to fix it....
You realize how vain you are when you care more about your sunglasses than your broken wrist. Know the feels though, few months back I bought 1 of those "life behind bars" with a MTB front silhouette (normal tee not a jershey) which I ripped up crashing into a wall when out on a trip with my mom. Heartbreaking as it was the first time I wore the shirt :(
I completely disagree using washing up liquid on the lenses. Using this can actually break down the coatings on the lenses. Nail polish remover would be best to clean the lenses.
Actually Oakley reccomends to not wash your glasses with water, but I’ve noticed that cleaning the lenses using just the microfiber tissue is not super effective.....
Protip - Don't let Oliver touch your glasses, he likes to set them on the face, just check the Roka unboxing video, absolutely cringe-worthy when weighing them!
Do you use any of these hacks or are there any we've missed? Let us know. 👇
To remove mild small scratches, basically the ones created but using paper towels or a cotton cloth, use furniture polish. In the US the best to use is Pledge, not sure what others can be used but a mild wax is in there and it "fills" the scratch. It shouldn't hurt the lens but it is a bugger to get off. To remove it if you can't polish it well enough, use rubbing alcohol. NEVER use acitone as that will chemically melt most sunglasses. (I used to be an optician so...)
Now to find good prescription-able sunglasses...
Do NOT use washing up liquid on lenses, washing up liquid is a mild abrasive and will scratch over time!
Hi Jon ! Personnaly I don't recommend rubbing the soap bar directly on the lens, I scratched my Oakleys doing this... Rubbing the cloth on the soap and then on the lens is far more safe in my opinion !
Would Rain-X work? (The stuff you can treat car windscreens with that repels water)
saliva definitely works. It's the most used technique in scuba diving. (I personally did it on my scuba goggles). never tried on my glasses, as honestly never needed to.
I want someone to look after me like Jon looks after his sunglasses.
Aw
Toothpaste will remove any coating from the lens too, it works as an abrasive compound rubbing away the surrounding material to match the depth of the scratch.
Will it prevents fogging?
Spit actually works great I've done it on diving goggles and sun glasses and all stayed fog free. Just don't do it after eating garlic or onions
Yikes!
I love me a good pair of Garlic scented glasses. Oof!
Yup a good mouthful of spit works a treat ask any scuba diver and it's free 👍🏻
Just imagining you putting on basically onions on your face makes me cry of laughter (pun intended)
Be very careful with microfiber cloths on lenses; make sure yours is pristine. They grab up abrasive particles and hold on to them.
A super clean lens fogs less than a dirty lens. When I head out early in the morning, if the dew point is high and fogging a possibility, I simply clean my lens with a professional lens cleaning solution that my optometrist provides and wipe clean with a microfiber cloth. That reduces the fogging.
By the way, I wear corrective lenses so cycling glasses are a no go. Instead, I wear an aero helmet with a magnetically attached lens (Giro Air Attack Shield). The lens shield that attaches to the helmet blocks the air turbulence that would normally hook around the edges of my eye glasses, blowing dust into my eyes. And when I don't need it, I simply flip it and re-attach it to the helmet where it's out of the way.
Saliva as anti-fog repellent is an age old trick used at least among swimmers and divers. As I did both as a junior before switching to cycling, I can vouch for the method. It's not really as gross as it sounds, either ;)
We have a product in Australia called RainX. It is used for the interior of an automotive windscreen...works wonders.
riding faster will take care of fogging up as well
Damn I came here just to make that comment... ;)
No WD40? I shocked!
ikr nor is there duct tape involved. I have it from good authority that if you put a strip of duct tape (or just about any other tape really as long as it's not clear) over a scratch it will effectively disappear from sight.
I use Pledge furniture polish on the outside to repel water. We've always used it on motorcycle helmet visors.
Saliva is a SCUBA diving thing.
Love some tips to keep Rx inserts from fogging up (other than keep moving), especially in the rain when the antifog/dish soap/soap bar/shaving cream wash away.
Bit of a bugbear inserts, last longer since if your external lenses scratch you can just replace them, plus you can have a variety of lenses for different conditions, but these lenses scratch more easily and fog up (even if they say antifog).
When skin diving we always spit on the inside of the lens goggles - it works
David Stihler wtf is skin diving... Jkjk
Diving with a scuba tank or even snorkeling - the diving mask gets fogged up and spitting on the inside of the mask helps keep it clear
David Stihler agreed
Indeed it stays fog free but from my experience it doesn't really leave you with a super clean lens to see trough (remarkable how being underwater negates that a lot). And well the only reason they don't fog then is because they are already wet, the moment it dries up they start fogging again anyway.
Spit does work, but in my experience is better on actual glass than polycarbonate or other plastics ( I used to dive a lot). Our diving instructor kept a small bottle of dishwash liquid, called it "Jacques Cousteau saliva".
Believe it or not, paper containers wood, cheers Jon!
Next thing he'll be telling us ice is made of water or some nonsense.
Shocker!
I clean my regular glasses only with one thin cloth tissue and distilled water as there is always left calcium marks from tap water. Firstly I wet glasses with distilled water then clean it and finally remove distilled water from glass with dry part of the tissue. Result is great, much better than using only tap water and soap for example. For better results, thin rubber gloves are also helpful as they prevent hand grease to transfer to tissue.
Have not tried dribble yet on my cycling glasses, but it works a treat on diving goggles.
When talking about sunglasses, we definitely need a "Magnificent ways to wear/store your glasses"
I'm in love. It's easy to set up
There are several polishing compounds that can be used to reduce the scratches in your plastic lenses. Toothpaste doesn't have enough of this fine abrasive in it to do much unless you rub for a week. Glass cook top polish that many people have in their kitchen will do a decent job. Try it on an old pair first before your good glasses. There are better things to use, but for something that is commonly available, it's a decent choice.
I've heard the warnings about paper towels and cotton before but it's never been a problem for me. But I'm extra careful to dab, and not rub dry. I have a nice pair of Smith from SportRX that get washed with a couple drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid, rinsed with RO water and dabbed dry with a paper towel or clean cotton towel.
That said, I routinely use a cotton shirt I'm wearing on my normal prescription glasses without scratching. I do make sure to use the inside next to my skin to avoid any particles that may have fallen on it.
My sunglasses came with a soft bag for storage and polishing. They said ONLY polish with the soft bag that it comes with and to definitely not use any paper products or other fabrics. So, I rinse my glasses off with water really well and then buff/clean the lenses with the bag.
These are the same hacks we use on our open water swim goggles to keep them from fogging up. Did you talk to the GTN folks?
We will have to share our top tips with GTN!
Great Video!! 👍 Didn't like the water tap running when not in use. 👎
6:09 higher end auto detailing fare will contain some plastic polishes of varying degrees of severity. The finest of those polishes (again, the ones made for plastics) will likely work better than a random toothpaste. Having said that, a lot of lenses are polycarbonate with one or two films or coatings. And if the scratch is deep enough you may be out of luck.
Could you do a video on the best way to clean shoes please. I have some white sidi's and would like to get them looking tip top again. The cuff if looking a little scruffy now. Thanks
Blinding! Thanks JonnyTech.
Cheers Gethin 😎
Also a good idea to maintain sunglasses or eyeglasses is to use some machine oil on the hinges. Some oil similar to that that it is used on electric shavers will do the trick and avoid any rust since washing the sun/eyeglasses is must.
I’m just curious since you’re using soap and dishwashing liquid, What if you ride in the rain with those applied to your shades, Won’t it bubble up?
Why don't you make a video about prescription cycling sunglasses? #TorqueBack
Andrey Pimentel I use BBB SelectOptic. Check them out.
I would also much appreciate this. Seems like there is a real gap in the market for prescription.
Jin Ngee Chia Do you have any problems with the prescription lenses in front on the main lens e.g. water between the two lenses, fogging up
That would be nice. BTW: Uvex and Adidas offer a wide range of sun glasses with optical inserts available. Just ask your local optician.
Brendan O'Regan yes as with any lenses. You need to apply same tips Jon describes.
Dawn Dish Soap works really well...
What are the symptoms of weak eye muscles?
I wear prescription glasses all my life. Get a cleaning cloth from optical shop. They are likely free!!! With their shop details on them...
Apparently, rubbing a potato peel on the inside of the lens helps keeps lenses fog free. Works with diving masks too.
Wouldn't that leave a bunch of blurry/nasty spots?
rinse.
I’ve also heard this..
Very handy tips thanks mate. I will use some of the tips on my Oakley sunglasses 😎
Hey guys! Love your channel.
Please turn off the water while you're washing the glasses!!! Don't waste water 🙄💧
Cheap toothpaste? That'll be the hydrated silica in it then. A fine grinding paste. It's long been a 'hack' for removing minor scratches from polished plastics, but on optical lenses? More of a 'bodge'.
You really stepped in it with this one. I am pretty sure all of the major manufacturers of high end shades are licking their lips at how many new pairs they're going to sell since your suggestions are guaranteed to thrash their existing ones.
Great tips Jon. thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching Bert
Using optical wipes is a quick way to clean lenses.
I've been using shampoo/washing gel for swimming goggles, but never imagined using it for cycling glasses. Nice stuff.
Now you can! 😎
When it comes to spitting on the lens, The greener the cleaner
I just threw up a little, does that help?
best use Pledge furniture polish - smear free with microfibre cloth. no fogging and gentle on the lens coating - been using this on my motorbike visor for years no issues
Isopropyl alcohol sprayed onto lens and polished will help remove water in rain its what race car teams use on there windscreens for wet races
Biggest problem for me if sweat getting on inside on the lenses. I have to clean my lenses with water every ride. Any hacks to stop the sweat going on the glasses quite so much would be great! I know it's inevitable eventually
Dish washer soap is okay, but please don't use this rough microfiber! These MF are for abrasive usage, there are smooth MF towels like you get from your optometrist or it comes with your glases!
Washing up liquid on the lenses...? But that will just leave a "distorting" coating to the lense. Even how much you try to get it off with a dry cloth.
I thought you were suggesting bottled fairies for fog prevention...
I've worn prescription glasses for over 30 years the same prescription cycling for the last 7 years. I almost always dry them with paper towels and they have never caused scratching. Using paper towels scratching lenses is a myth.
Prescription glasses tend to be made from glass which is a lot more scratch resistant than polycarbonate, which most sports sunnies are made from (for the lightweight/impact protection benefits). I have scuffed sports glasses with a paper towel before.
Could have done with this last week. In Dubai it was 33 degrees with 89% humidity at sunrise and my lenses were opaque. With the dust being extreme and a contact lens wearer it was a miserable combination.
That doesn't sound fun, at least you will know for next time!
I chewed some soap and sprayed shaving foam in my mouth (like you would with whipped cream) and gargled some dish soap then I spit all of it on my lenses and my sunglasses are now fog free!!!
Ernest Paul that's the best and easiest method mate.
Might be wrong here, but won't any of the soap based hacks wear off pretty much as soon as the lens gets wet? Soap dissolves in water, right? So one use only, and maybe not even good for a full ride in the wet. Or perhaps I'm wrong...
So when it rains while you're riding, you get soap suds foaming up!
The soap trick works well for bathroom mirrors too.
0:52 does this scratch the lens of your shades or no? I have 100% cycling shades
My Koo Cycling glasses has few scratches on them :( I forgot to read the precautions before using it.
So READ THE PRECAUTIONS that is included in the glasses.
Haha smart to clarify you aren't liable for damage
hi friend,
How can I contact you? I am kapvoe brand cycling glasses
Can I send you some glasses for testing?
what is the brand of this sunglasses ?? thx
Roka
There is ever slight chance under the rain that soapy product can harm the eye.
We used to use baby shampoo instead as anti-fog. (Scuba diving)
how many people have that much time? wash and dry with a towel just before your ride. job done!!
I used polywatch on my scratched up lenses, they were a cheap pair that I tried to save, but they are useless now
i would not do any of these hacks to my oakleys, rinse with water and wipe of with the bag you got with the sunglasses. Oakley has good service so if you have any problems just contact them and you will get a new pair of lenses, i even got to keep my old lenses
Yeeew the Rokas!!!
i just need to keep sweat off the lenses. only way i have found is to not wear them.
Have you tried riding faster? It truly is the best way to keep em fog clear.
I heard the same from GTN on pool goggles.
Tap water + dishwasher + microfiber cloth is all you'll ever need for cleaning (at home)
@@Bungle2010 I was working at an optical store. That was the way we cleaned glasses. They are not as soft you might think.
Of course if they have dry dirt on them you must be more cautious.
I sooo dislike looking through dirty sunglasses and I dread the day when I have to wear expensive corrective vision sunglasses as I always just use liquid dishsoap and water to clean my glasses. In a mud fest MTB race 25 years ago, my glasses got so muddy that I had to take them off, and then I got hit in the eye by front wheel thrown stuff and scratched the cornea in my right eye. Had to finish the remaining 10k with only one eye open. Sunglasses are key to protecting those two eyes of ours.
Why not... use actual rain repellent like the ones for car windshields?
The saliva thing works great on my swimming goggles! I do it before every swim though
Hi, can i have your roka model?!
It's the SR series!
@@gcntech Detail please - SR-1 or SR1-X ? thx
Can you do a show on cleaning the inside of a bike helmet? You know the straps get sweaty, stained with salt and other things.
Check this one out gcn.eu/helmet
my OCD is killing me looking at the tap running when Jon's soaping the shades :X
huangzy013 Not really OCD, but yes I agree with you.
That's not what OCD is.
Why not buy a pair of glasses that have hydrophilic coating and designed to "breathe"? Applying toothpaste is going to remove material if it removes a scratch, that material could be a specific layer applied to the lens which is not what you want to be doing.
Would there be anything wrong with putting helicopter tape on your lenses to help prevent scratches?
If Jon cleans and drys his sunglasses like this, I’m really curious what his shower routine is like! ;)
trbeyond it's awkward.
saliva works great on swimming googles and diving google
My saliva does have soap in it! At least that’s what I believe 😉
When I saw you rubbing regular soap on the glassess... 😨 Why not rub a little soap on the microfiber cloth and use it to coat the glasses then? Come to think of it, if any particles are stuck in the bar, they can transfer to the cloth too. I'd still stick to liquid soap.
PLexus. Best stuff there ix.
Looking at those glasses made me dribble all over my Oakleys..
lol I used to spit into my glasses to stop fogging xD didn't know you can use shaving foam ;/
Fell on a descent, break my wrist but worse I have a sratch on my brand new Oakley Flightjacket Orange wich I bought 1 week before the crash.. No way to fix it....
You realize how vain you are when you care more about your sunglasses than your broken wrist.
Know the feels though, few months back I bought 1 of those "life behind bars" with a MTB front silhouette (normal tee not a jershey) which I ripped up crashing into a wall when out on a trip with my mom. Heartbreaking as it was the first time I wore the shirt :(
I completely disagree using washing up liquid on the lenses. Using this can actually break down the coatings on the lenses. Nail polish remover would be best to clean the lenses.
Do not use an ultrasonic cleaning bath, especially if the lens has any sort of coating!
Anyone else feel Johns heart wasn’t in that one. Not sure they are hacks if they don’t work, or won’t be demo’d 😋
Bodges
Benjamin Woods there was no way I was going to spit. No way.
Actually Oakley reccomends to not wash your glasses with water, but I’ve noticed that cleaning the lenses using just the microfiber tissue is not super effective.....
Licking the lens is and has been famous among cameras
Non gel toothpaste. Favorite trick of scuba divers.
👍
Why do you waste water while pouring and rubbing in the soap...that is really not good
I find Rain x a great product for anti fog , but then again if you ride faster the fog naturally goes away....!
With tips like those, just take a shower with your sunglasses on.🚿
2 in 1
GCN Tech or you can wash your sunglasses and your kit all in the shower. Just jump in the shower with ALL your gear -- even the bike too.
Privacy of your home to apply spit to the lens, Give me a break, Obviously you've not used scuba gear, LOL
ryoiter nope. I find scuba mask too big for using on the bike
As you should. Dohhh
Washing up liquid should have no beads!!
Use a Ultrasound cleaner
Oh whatever next...the mind goggles
If you are a diver you know that spitting in your goggles and then washing them in the water works fine... or try toothpaste (a smooth one...) too....
washing up liquid contains salt which is abrasive on lenses a def no no.
one would expect that the salt is totally dissolved in a water based washingupliquid, which leaves no crystaline particles whatsoever..
I needed this😌
What happened?
GCN Tech i have about three and almost all are scratched up😅😅
Protip - Don't let Oliver touch your glasses, he likes to set them on the face, just check the Roka unboxing video, absolutely cringe-worthy when weighing them!
OMG! Jon should use sunscreen on his forehead