# What's in glasses cleaner? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540 "2011-10-23T15:13:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/1 "2011-10-23T15:13:31Z")
I buy little spray-bottles of lens cleaner to clean my glasses when I’m not near a sink. They don’t list the ingredients on the bottle, but I suspect they might be filled with something very cheap that I could just use to refill the bottles myself and save money, instead of buying new ones. Does anyone know what they put in these things? ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/2 "2011-10-23T15:24:46Z")
Water and rubbing alcohol. [How to Make Eyeglass Cleaner](http://www.ehow.com/how_4425334_make-eyeglass-cleaner.html). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/3 "2011-10-23T15:25:46Z")
I can’t answer the specific question on the ingredients of eyeglass cleaner, but if your goal is to save money you might look at these: [How to Make Homemade Eyeglasses Cleaner](http://www.glassescrafter.com/information/homemade-eyeglasses-cleaner.html) [Homemade Glass Cleaner](http://housekeeping.about.com/od/environment/qt/cs_glassclean.htm) . ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/4 "2011-10-23T15:28:29Z")
You can make your own very easily. A dilute solution of dish soap (1-2 drops per bottle) in water (or a mix or water and rubbing alcohol) does the job quite adequately. Still, I ended up with a free bottle of the fancier cleaner, and to my surprise it works much better than my usual mix of laboratory bench-cleaner (ethanol plus various detergents). ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/5 "2011-10-23T15:40:44Z")
I use this recipe to simulate Windex. It’s much cheaper and doesn’t leave nasty blue dye behind: 1/2 cup household ammonia, 1/8 cup vinegar, water to make 1 quart ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/6 "2011-10-23T15:43:41Z")
I’ve worn the same pair of glasses for 6 years now and clean them daily with soft soap, the stuff for my hands. As long as it doesn’t have any stupid gritty particles in it, it’s fine. Have zero scratches on my glasses. To be sure, I only use a very small amount, just enough to break up the grease. On the rare occasion when I use too much, I have to rinse the lenses for a long time to get it off. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/7 "2011-10-23T15:55:15Z")
Sorry for the thread jack but it’s sort of related. How about phone screens? Do the new ones have anti-grease protection and would this be rubbed off with alcohol or soap? I have a Samsung and they supply screens for the iphone so are probably the same. They sure look similar. I just use spectacle wipes - the microfiber cloths - but want to give my phone a good cleaning once a week. Would I be better off using alcohol or soap? I already have it in a hard case so there are no visible scratches. /thread jack ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/8 "2011-10-23T15:56:27Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I use this recipe to simulate Windex. It’s much cheaper and doesn’t leave nasty blue dye behind: > > 1/2 cup household ammonia, 1/8 cup vinegar, water to make 1 quart Ammonia can damage eyeglass coatings. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/9 "2011-10-23T16:01:00Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Sorry for the thread jack but it’s sort of related. > > How about phone screens? Do the new ones have anti-grease protection and would this be rubbed off with alcohol or soap? I have a Samsung and they supply screens for the iphone so are probably the same. They sure look similar. I just use spectacle wipes - the microfiber cloths - but want to give my phone a good cleaning once a week. Would I be better off using alcohol or soap? I already have it in a hard case so there are no visible scratches. > > /thread jack Generally, a slightly damp cloth is all that is ever recommended for cleaning screens. > [@"\[link](#): > > ([How to clean your Apple products - Apple Support](http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3226#iphones))"]Don’t use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, alcohol, ammonia, or abrasives to clean iPhone. The front and back glass surfaces have an oleophobic coating. To remove fingerprints, simply wipe these surfaces with a soft, lint-free cloth. The ability of this coating to repel oil will diminish over time with normal usage, and rubbing the screen with an abrasive material will further diminish its effect and may scratch the glass. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/10 "2011-10-23T16:09:27Z")
> [@](#): > > 1/2 cup household ammonia, 1/8 cup vinegar, water to make 1 quart Second or third the warning about ammonia. If your glasses are uncoated, it won’t cause a problem. However, if the glasses have a coating (usually to reduce glare), ammonia can gradually turn the coating into a foggy screen. Found out about this the hard way - required a trip to the store to get the coating completely removed. Was kind of a relief, actually, to find out I wasn’t in the advanced stages of glaucoma. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/11 "2011-10-23T19:06:53Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > Ammonia can damage eyeglass coatings. Perhaps, but I had the coating removed from the only glasses that ever had them. The benefits of coating were outweighed by the hassles. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/12 "2011-10-23T20:16:04Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > Generally, a slightly damp cloth is all that is ever recommended for cleaning screens. Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/13 "2011-10-23T23:50:02Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > Ammonia can damage eyeglass coatings. Yes. If you have glasses with, e.g., photo-chromic or some kind of anti-glare coating, the conventional wisdom is that conventional glass cleaners will ruin that. Ditto for any kind of computer screens with anti-glare stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/14 "2011-10-24T01:28:53Z")
Alcohol can also damage some plastics. I have never had any problem with the lenses, but I used to swipe my glasses with the alcohol sponge I used for my injections. It ate my frames. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-in-glasses-cleaner/600540/15 "2011-10-24T08:22:45Z")
Vodka works perfect, but I assume it could be looked upon as alcohol abuse.