Remove scratches from your sunglasses

How do I remove scratches from sunglasses?

Sunglasses are an accessory that we carry around with us wherever we go. Even though most people only use them in the summer time, there are a lot of people that are extra sensitive to bright light and have to wear them as soon as the sun is out, even in the winter. Snow and water reflects bright light more than anything else and it does often seem to be brighter in the winter than it does in the summer. In fact, snow is more reflective than the ground under and is considered to be the most reflective natural surface on the planet.

The more we use our sunglasses, the more they have to endure as they are exposed to a lot of things that can harm both the frame and the lenses. Even if many lenses today have extra protective coatings for their outer layers, they are still vulnerable to dirt, sand and scratches from keys and other sharp objects that they come in contact with. No matter how careful you are with new things, people tend to become reckless in time and stop treating their products with the care that is needed.

As most of these tutorials, or hacks on how to fix scratched sunglasses, could be considered to be less than optimal, you should try them at your own risk. You should be aware that they may affect the quality of the lenses and coating and should not by any means be considered as a perfect solution for your sunglass lenses. If you don't want to go through with self repair, all of our foldable sunglasses are designed with an innovative lens changing mechanism so that you simply can get yourself a pair of replacement lenses and change into a new pair lenses.

If you rather keep the lenses you already have, and still want to try a method to repair your sunglasses yourself, we have collected the most common ways mentioned to remove scratches from your sunglasses lenses, using nothing but common household accessories.

Toothpaste

This require a standard toothpaste and not in gel form and a really soft cloth, preferably a microfiber cloth or a cotton ball.

1. Moisten the cloth slightly
2. Apply the toothpaste to the lint free cloth or cotton ball
3. Rub the scratch in a circular motion

When rubbing the scratched area of the lenses you should do this very carefully as the toothpaste contains small grit that potentially could create more scratches on your already scratched sunglasses. The deeper the scratches, the more pressure is needed while rubbing the glasses. The thin layers, or coatings covering the lenses are super thin and removing more than the scratched outer coating could harm the lenses even more.

By using this method you wear the lens down to the layer that is unharmed by the scratch. It does not repair the lens. If the scratch is deeper than the outer coating you just repeat the process until you reach the layer without the scratch.

Sunscreen lotion

Needless to say, sunscreen works best to prevent skin damage and not as a method to repair the lenses on a pair of sunglasses. Just as using toothpaste, sunscreen doesn't fix the scratched sunglasses, it removes the coating that has scratches on it.

Also, this method only works with mirror coating and by using it you will remove the mirror coating from the sunglass lenses. If the lenses aren't mirrored, or if the scratch goes further than just the mirror coating, you are just wasting time and effort on trying. And since you are removing a layer of the lens it will most likely affect the clarity of your vision as the tint colors and even the UV protection layer of your lenses could be removed along with it. If your lenses lack proper UV protection, your pupils are exposed to dangerous UV rays that might damage your eyes and you should think twice before using this method on other than glass lenses, made from materials such as plastic.

Mixing water with baking soda

This household item does the same thing as toothpaste and is could be used to remove scratches by making a baking soda mixture by adding water to it until you get a paste. This paste mixture is then supposed to be rubbed on your the sunglasses lens with scratches with a soft microfiber cloth. Wash off the baking soda mixture and repeat the procedure until you reach the result you're after.

Just like hacks as the use of toothpaste, the use of baking soda usually takes multiple tries when the scratches are deeper than the outer lens coating.

Furniture polish / car wax

Just like using sunscreen to remove scratches from sunglasses, using car wax or furniture polish and a lint free cloth or cotton ball to move a scratch on a pair of glasses will most likely affect the vision, potentially damaging your eyes instead of helping you to see better.

If you still want to try this method, use a small amount of car wax or furniture and rub your sunnies using a microfiber cloth. Wash is with water and watch the result.

Needless to say, most of these methods might do more harm than good. So again, think twice before trying them as they will take both time and effort, and will most likely have a result other than what was wished for. Consider checking out an extra pair of lenses for your sunglasses as it will save you a considerable amount of time.

Glass etching wax

This method is recommended only on plastic lenses for the same reason as for other methods that removes the entire scratched layer of your shades lens. The hydrofluoric acid that is found in glass etching wax, is highly corrosive and peels off the layers of the sunglasses lens, not only the scratch. You cannot select the area of the lens that you want to fix, or even which layer, as it removes all the layers.

Besides the glass etching wax itself you should also wear rubber gloves and cotton swabs. With the cotton swabs, you apply the etching wax but you do not rub it in. Since it is a strong acid you have to work quickly and only apply enough to cover the lens. Do not let this substance remain on the lens for more than 5 minutes, because it will damage your lenses. Then you wash off all the wax with water and clean off your glasses with a fabric cloth.

Once again, by removing the protective outer coatings from your sunglasses will not just fix scratches from sunglasses, it will potentially lead to damaging your eyes and vision in the long run. It's not all about fashion, using sunglasses is an health issue that is highly recommended against harmful UV rays.

Replacement lenses (recommended)

By reading the different hacks and tutorials on how to successfully remove a scratch from a pair of sunglasses you are most likely aware of the risks it may have on the shades. We understand that you probably have a pair of favorite glasses from a popular brand that you'd do anything to keep as long as possible, and are desperately trying to find hope that can stop you from throwing them in the trash bin. Then, by all means, give it try. We know how attached you can be when it comes to particular frames that have served you well for a long time and how hard it can be to let go of certain sunglasses and frames that have been with you through good times and bad.

On the other hand, if there are other alternatives such as getting a pair replacement lenses, we recommend you to consider it. The ones we offer to our foldable sunglasses are well worth both the time and money. They give you the option of changing up the look of your shades in an instant and makes your frame stand out in a whole new way. A scratch on a lens is no longer a problem, instead is opens up to a fresh new appearance and is a great way to get into the different moods. Not many brands can offer this as a solution (as well as high quality folded sunglasses of course) and we take pride in being one of the very few brands that has thought of a way to keep customers engaged by customizing their sunglasses with a mechanism that makes it possible and super easy.