How to Remove Scratches from Sunglasses

Most sunglass lenses are made of plastic, so they are prone to scratches. These scratches are probably from using the wrong material to clean your glasses, dropping them or contacting any flat surface. Buying another pair of new sunglasses is not a good deal, but wearing glasses with scratches can be distracting and obscure your vision.

If your screws on the hinge are loose, repairing your sunglasses may be a good option. You can buy universal eyewear sock kits that fit in your sunglasses from some brand shops and repair them yourself. If the lenses are scratched up, here we have a few hacks and tips for removing scratches from lenses, but it is recommended that you try them on a small scale first so you don't make a mistake and cause more water damage. While we can't guarantee 100% success with these methods, it's worth a try, right?

Method 1: Lens Cleaners

Do not treat your lenses with liquids that contain abrasive materials or high concentrations of acids. The best way to clean your lenses is to use an alcohol-free lens cleaner made specifically for your lenses. Lens cleaners are so gentle that they will not damage your lenses and will keep them clean and free of dirt and oil. Plus it is very effective at removing minor scratches from your sunglasses.

Method 2: Toothpaste

If a lens cleaner does not work, then toothpaste is a viable alternative. Toothpaste contains tiny abrasive particles that polish and sharpen the outer layer. The toothpaste used to clean the lenses should preferably be non- abrasive, non-mentholated, non-gelatinized, white toothpaste without whitening agents; toothpaste with special properties can further damage the lenses.

Firstly, rub the non-abrasive toothpaste into the scratches on the lens with a cotton ball in a circular motion, then massage the lens for about 10 seconds, rinse with cold water until the scratches disappear, and dry with a lint-free cloth. If the scratches are deep, you may need to repeat this process 4 to 5 times.

Method 3: Baking Soda

As with the previous methods, there is no guaranteed effect of toothpaste. And yet, since baking soda is one of the most common items you can find in your home, there is no harm in trying anyway. Just prepare some water and baking soda aside, put an appropriate amount of edible baking soda into a bowl, and add a small amount of water to make a baking soda paste; next, apply the mixed baking soda paste to the sunglasses lenses rinse them off with cold water. Repeat this process if necessary, until the scratch is minimized.

Method 4: Brass Polish or Car Wax

You may not have thought these would work too! Gently rub the scratched lens with brass polish, a silver polish or car wax for up to 5 minutes, then wipe off the excess polish or car wax with a cloth. They are designed to fill in scratches and make them less noticeable. However, be careful not to use brass or silver polish on glass lenses. Then use your thumb and index finger to gently erase any remaining traces of polish or wax from the lenses.

Then place the sunglasses in the light and check for any remaining scratches. Finally, put the sunglasses back on your face and make sure they are clear in your field of vision. If there are still scratches on the lenses, re-apply the wax/polish with a cotton ball or cloth and gently clean the scratches again until they are completely removed.

Method 5: Furniture Spray

Just like car polish, the wax in the furniture spray will fill in the scratches, but this method must be repeated every few days to control the scratches. In any case, if you already have some furniture polish on hand, you may want to give it a try.

Spray Wood Cleaner for polishing wood surfaces onto a clean microfiber cloth and wipe it on scratched sunglass lenses. Next, wipe the lens with a lens cleaning cloth and repeat two to three times until all scratches are gone. Finally, wash the wood cleaner in warm soapy water and dry with a lint-free cloth.

Method 6: Glass Etching

Glass etching is arguably the riskiest and rarely effective method of removing scratches from eyeglasses. If your lenses are badly scratched, this method can remove the damaged coating from your lenses. But as you may hardly imagine this method is not to be used on real glasses, only on plastic or polycarbonate lenses. Otherwise, it will ruin your lenses so completely that you may not be able to use them anymore.

You can apply a small amount of glass etching cream to the lens while making sure not to rub any etching paste on the frame as it is very corrosive and may damage the structure of the frame. Simply let it sit for two minutes and then rinse off the paste with warm water and dry with a lint-free cloth.

Note: If you still need your sunglasses to be well polarized, it is not recommended to use this method.

Method 7: New Lenses From MRY

You may not know that buying a pair of replacement lenses is also a way to go. If none of the above methods can handle the scratches on your lenses or you just don't have the time or energy to try them, then you can always buy replacement lenses at MRY. Here at MryLens, we offer high-quality polycarbonate lenses for almost all Oakley frames and other brands on the market, and our service is second to none. We look forward to helping you resurrect your favorite sunglasses!