How to Remove Scratches from Glasses [A Complete DIY Guide]

You’re going about your day as normal – and all of a sudden notice you can’t see as well as you should. There are scratches on your glasses – and it’s frustratingly obstructing your vision.

But how can you possibly remove those scratches yourself (without paying an expensive so-called ‘glass scratch remover’ to do it)? Thankfully, there are plenty of easy tactics you can apply to remove your glasses scratches yourself.

Nasty scrapes and scruffs on your lenses can occur for many reasons throughout our daily life. Placing them in your bag without its case, putting them face down on a surface or even accidentally scraping a sharp object (like your keys) on the lenses.

But do not fret. Whether you’ve got regular glasses, prescription glasses from your optometrist, glasses with coating, or specialist blue light glasses from Block Blue Light, there are several ways you can get those lenses back to normal without forking out hundreds of dollars.

Welcome to our complete DIY Guide to getting your vision back.

 

7 easy ways to get scratches out of your glasses

Below, we’ll outline 7 of the best glasses scratch repair methods you can do yourself (without paying a fortune for someone else to do it).

 1. Baking soda

Believe it or not, baking soda (with water) is a very effective way to remove scratches. It acts pretty much like your very own DIY glass polish.

Step-by-step guide:

• Combine one spoonful of baking soda with half a spoon of water. This will create a thick paste.
• Place the paste on your lenses, and rub it with either some soft cloth or a cotton ball. Make sure you rub in a circular motion. You should do this for up to 20 seconds.
• Gently rinse the glasses under cold water.
• Dry the water off with a soft cotton cloth.
• Repeat if you still see the scratch there.
  
  

 2. Metal polish

Can you polish scratches out of glasses? Absolutely!

You can use metal polish (and alcohol) to clean your lenses, especially if they’re blue light glasses.

At first, you may be cynical. After all, your lenses aren’t metal. But, trust us, this quirky method can still work. Glasses, after all, are not actually made of glass. They’re made from a particular type of plastic.

Step-by-step guide:

• Add some metal polish (such as brasso) to the lens, Only a small amount – not too much.
• Get a clean cloth or some tissue, and use it to buff away the scratches on the lens.
• Keep buffing. Don’t lose patience because this may take a while.
• Apply some alcohol to a cotton ball and thoroughly clean the lenses.

Don’t inhale the fumes once your glasses are fixed!

 3. Use toothpaste

Your toothpaste isn’t just amazing for making your teeth sparkling white. It also makes great ‘glass paste’! It makes for a cost-effective way to remove scratches.

All you have to do is:

• Place only a small amount of toothpaste on tissue or small amount of cotton. Make sure the toothpaste is non-abrasive.
• Be meticulous when buffing away the scrapes on your lenses.
• Repeat multiple times (especially if the scrapes are deep).
  
  

4. Car cleaning wax

While it may be great for cleaning your car, vehicle cleaning wax can work miracles when it comes to getting scratches out of your glasses. It’s perfectly safe and actually less abrasive than polish and toothpaste.

Here are the steps:

• Place the vehicle cleaning wax on your lenses
• Use a soft cloth to rub it (be gentle)

Follow those two steps and you should hopefully smooth over the scratches – making your glasses look brand new.

5. Glass etching cream

While this may be a little more work, you can purchase some glass etching clean to remove your glasses scratches. You should do this if the above methods aren’t working.

A special etching cream contains hydrofluoric acid. This is a powerful component that assists removing plastic coating on the outside of the lenses and is effective at buffing away those annoying scratches blocking your vision.

You should follow the instructions on the casing when purchasing one of these creams.

 

6. Furniture spray (seriously!)

Believe it nor, furniture spray acts like wax. However, it’s not really an instant fix. It can last a few days.

Step-by-step guide:

• Lightly spray your lenses with the furniture spray. Don’t apply too much.
• Find some lint-free cloth and rub the spray in circles on the lenses.
• Repeat until the spray and the scratches disappear.
• Continue to do so every few days to make sure the scratches go away.

 

 7. Nail polish

Again, this may take a little longer than you’d like, but nail polish is another cost-effective way to remove scratches from your glasses.

Follow the steps below:

• Clean your glasses first
• Spread clear nail polish onto the scratch (you should use the applicator brush that comes with the nail polish). It isn’t necessary to spread the polish all around it.
• Leave the polish alone for about an hour (so the polish completely fills the scratch on the glass)
• Completely wipe away the scratch with nail polish remover. You can also use acetone. Make sure you use a microfibre cloth to do so.

After this process, your glasses should shine quite nicely.

 

How to prevent your glasses from getting scratched (in the first place)

Once you’ve removed the scratches from your glasses, you should make sure that you don’t have the same problem again.

So you can stop your glasses from suffering more scratches, here are some tips you can follow.

 1. Use microfiber cloth to clean them

While that sounds obvious, you’d be surprised how many people don’t clean their glasses properly. This applies whether you’ve got regular prescription glasses or blue light glasses.

Clean your glasses correctly. Use microfibre cloths that are specifically designed to clean glasses, and use a circular motion to clean them. Don’t just use any piece of cloth.

 

2. Use lens cleaning solution

Always use proper eyeglass cleaner with your microfibre cloth. You can use water to clean them, but it is not as effective as the solution which is specifically designed to make your lenses shine.

When you buy glasses, most of them will come with a proper cleaning kit.

 

3. Be careful with your glasses

Again, it sounds obvious but many simply treat their glasses as if they were toys. Not only are glasses one of the more expensive things in life, they are the difference between your ability to live life in a blur and seeing a clear world.

Treat them with care. Don’t place them down on hard surfaces and always handle them using both hands.

 

 4. Use a protective glasses case

Failure to use a glasses case means you risk scratching your glasses. Sharp objects like keys, hard surfaces, pens and a whole raft of other objects can scape your lenses and cause those frustrating scratches to come back.

But don’t just choose any glasses case. Choose a hard case that features a soft inner lining and place it on your person in either your bag or car.

Be sure that the lenses of your glasses face downwards. This lowers the risk of scratching the lenses. You should also try and avoid placing anything else in the case.

 

5. Wear your glasses more!

A simple solution is to keep your glasses on your face. If you do want to remove them, wear a strap around the stems. You can therefore have the glasses hanging down from your neck, reducing the likelihood that a sharp object will scratch it.

If you’re new to glasses, this can be particularly difficult. It is, however, important to get into the habit early so you develop a habit of keeping them on as much as possible.

 

6. Get yourself some anti-scratch lenses

The most obvious way to prevent scratches from appearing on your glasses in the first place is to buy yourself a set of anti-scratch lenses. There are a great deal of lenses that come with this option, but sometimes it is an addition you can buy.

All of our blue light glasses here at Block Blue Light have anti-scratch lenses. You can therefore be sure that all lenses on the glasses purchase from us won’t suffer from the scratches, scrapes and lines that lenses on regular glasses will experience.

 

Some final words

Stopping your blue light glasses from suffering frustrating scratches is always the best thing to do.

Although, we understand that your glasses can become scratched in circumstances beyond your control. If that happens, follow the steps above and you'll get back to having amazing vision in no time.

As stated above, all the blue light glasses we have here at Block Blue Light are anti-scratch. To get yourself a pair, please browse our website today and reach out to us if you’ve got any questions.