How to Disinfect Safety Glasses: Sanitation Tips for Eye Protection

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Learn how to disinfect safety glasses the proper way here!

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Personal Protective Equipment or PPE has become part of our new normal. Most of these protective gears were not in high demand for general use until the pandemic. For example: face masks.

But some have been around and generally used prior to the global crisis. Safety glasses make an excellent example — PPE worn by workers, e.g. lab staff, for eye protection.

Like any personal protection item, safety glasses should be cleaned regularly. However, with possible contamination, disinfecting is more important than ever.

How to disinfect safety glasses comes in steps and cleaning considerations. For one, doing it the right way without causing scratches or leaving bacteria behind.

In this post, we will give you some helpful tips on sanitising your protective lenses with extra care.

Wearing Safety Glasses in General

Safety glasses are an important part of personal protection equipment. They are required for certain tasks in many workplaces. Such as those involving hazards, fumes, fine particles, and similar risks.

You may wonder why they are so crucial. Chances are you have never had an eye injury or incident before. Or simply, your daily work does not involve any threat to your eye.

Nonetheless, eye injuries are common. This is particularly true when working in or around hazardous areas.

And little did many know that eye injuries also happen at home. For one, during home improvement projects involving screws, nails and hand tools. Plus, during yard work with mowers, trimmers, and shovels.

It does not matter if you are at work or home. You need to make sure you wear the right protective eyewear for the task at hand.

The risk of not wearing safety glasses is not worth it.

Why Should You Disinfect Your Safety Glasses?

Why is it necessary to disinfect safety glasses, and why not just clean them? One of the main reasons is the potential for cross-contamination between users.

This can happen when the glasses are shared between people. Cold, flu and other germs can be transmitted. Blood and other bodily fluids also may contain bloodborne pathogens that carry viruses.

Thus, cleaning and disinfecting safety glasses make more sense. This practice promotes good health and safety hygiene.

Cleaning before disinfecting routine

It is always best to clean your safety glasses first with mild detergent. A cleaner also works to remove any dirt or debris.

Either way, this will remove most of the contaminants from the glasses. Be gentle when cleaning and scrubbing the lens surface, as they tend to scratch easily.

Do not use abrasives for cleaning, and the water temperature should be at least 43 degrees Celsius (110 Fahrenheit).

How often should I disinfect safety glasses?

If shared between two or more users, it should be disinfected after every use. This will help reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

If you are not sharing glasses, disinfecting is also a must but only as necessary. But make sure to inspect the equipment before each use.

Look for scratches or any damage that may interfere with the safety performance. Discard and replace when necessary.

How to Disinfect Safety Glasses: Helpful Tips

Extra care should be taken during the cleaning process. This is to ensure lenses are not scratched.

For fingerprints, use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe them off. Use the following tips below to care for your safety glasses.

Note: These steps apply to most prescription and non-prescription safety glasses and goggles.

1. Remove debris

A common mistake many tend to make when cleaning safety glasses is wiping them with just any fabric. It could be a shirt sleeve or handkerchief, to name a few.

This causes scratches and worn-off anti-fog coating. Even a microfiber cloth can scratch your glasses when attempting to move sand, mud and other grit.

And these are not the ideal way to remove the debris around the lens surface. Instead, blow off any dirt or debris before attempting to clean/disinfect.

If your glasses only have minor smudges, feel free to skip this step. But if it is routinely exposed to mud and dirt, this should always be your first cleaning attempt.

2. Rinse, then start to disinfect safety glasses

Once the debris and dirt are safely removed, rinse the glasses with water. This helps remove the leftover grime and grit that may damage the lenses as you wipe them.

After wiping the water off the glasses, it is time to disinfect them. There are cheap and easy-to-use household products that will do the job quickly and safely.

For one, dilute a household bleach with water for disinfecting. A ratio of 1 bleach per thousand is enough to use.

The same ratio can be used for ammonia and water or even tinctures of iodine and water. Completely immerse and soak the glasses in the solution for at least two minutes. Then, rinse off with cold or warm water to remove any soap, cleaner or disinfectant solution.

Failure to remove the disinfectants could cause film, haze, and discolouration. Eventually, this could affect the integrity of some forms of plastic. So be sure they are rinsed off completely and dried with a lint-free cloth.

3. Alternatively, use a lens-safe cloth and approved cleaning spray

Use a lens-safe cloth and approved cleaning spray to clean your safety glasses. The cleaning spray should include a disinfectant.

Only use approved cleaners, such as wipes, as other products may scratch the lenses. Some may even compromise the anti-fog properties.

Disinfecting with a safety glasses cleaning station

If a safety glasses cleaning station is available in your workplace, here are some tips below:

• Clean your safety glasses regularly to ensure you are seeing your best.
• Rinse under cold water before any washing to remove dust and debris.
• Use a clean microfiber cleaning cloth to dry the lenses.
• Always carry and store your safety glasses in their protective case or pouch.
• Safety glasses, goggles or face shields that are scratched/damaged must be replaced.
• When you put your safety glasses down, always make sure that the lenses are facing upwards. This will help keep them scratch-free.

Things you should not do:

• Do not clean your lenses with your tee, an old rag, napkins, tissues or paper towel. These materials are infused with abrasive fibres and debris. Over time, your lenses will get scratched. Only use microfiber cleaning cloths or other safety glasses cleaning products.
• Do not use hot water or any abrasive products for cleaning. This can alter and damage the lenses, their anti-fog, anti-scratch and anti-reflective coatings.
• Avoid using any solvent, harsh detergent or alcohol-based cleaning product.
• Do not place your safety glasses in your pocket, bag or somewhere unprotected when not in use.

Get Your Safety Glasses and Cleaning Wipes Here!

These glasses will protect your eyes from debris that may cause irritation or injury. We also offer approved cleaning wipes available in tub and individually sealed.

 

1. Safety Glasses Adjustable – Prosafe Tomahawk

Product code: LS0510

Prosafe Tomahawk safety glass provide wide coverage medium impact eye protection. The adjustable temple arms and inclination allow for maximising cover.

This safety glass also features an exclusive Duramass for scratch resistance. The curved brow bar also provides further protection from falling particles.

 

2. Safety Glasses Economy – Prosafe Yukon

Product code: LS0500

This safety glass provides full and wide brow coverage for overhead protection. Suited for over-spectacle protection and can be worn over some prescription spectacles.

 

3. Safety Glasses with Wrap-Around Design – Prosafe Checkmate CK2

Product code: LS0515

The wrap-around design provides increased levels of comfort and safety. It features Duramass AF anti-fog lenses with soft non-slip gel nose and temple inserts.

Designed for precise ocular cover. The Prosafe checkmate CK2 represents excellent value for money and comfort.

 

4. Safety Glasses Cleaning Wipes – Tub of 60

Product code: LS0592

A handy pack of impregnated wipes for cleaning personal protective/safety glasses equipment. Designed to target grease and dust on work environment-based equipment.

 

5. Safety Glasses Cleaning Wipes 50 Individually Sealed

Product code: LS0594

A handy box of 50 single sachet wipes for cleaning personal safety glasses equipment. Designed to target grease and dust on work environment-based equipment.

The Bottom Line

Cleaning and disinfecting should be part of your maintenance & care for your equipment.

Whatever you are doing, consider your surroundings and the potential for eye hazards. It is important to keep your eye protection disinfected and sanitised.