How do I disinfect my glasses and how do I prevent them

Thanks to the pandemic of the disease COVID-19, the whole world has realized the importance of washing hands. But this is not enough to maintain good hygiene. To prevent the spread of harmful bacteria, you must follow general hygiene rules. BETTER VISION explains why and how you should disinfect your glasses, smart devices and other items you touch frequently, and how to prevent your glasses from fogging up when wearing a mask.

Germs are everywhere – on various surfaces in our homes and on the objects we use every day. But there is no need to worry, because most of them can be removed with the help of a few simple hygiene procedures.

Hand washing is a proven method to ensure cleanliness, but it is not the only protective measure against the spread of harmful bacteria. To prevent their spread, it is recommended to carefully clean surfaces such as door handles, switches, taps and counters in the home.

Other things we often forget about with hygiene and disinfection are the personal items we use and touch all the time. We refer to these items as things we often touch, and they include:

• Smart devices (mobile phones, tablets and smartwatches) and computers (laptops, monitors and keyboards)
• Glasses
• Credit cards
• Car keys, wallets, purses

• Table of Contents
  • Why it is important to clean objects that you touch often
  • The best methods for cleaning frequently touched items
  • How to prevent glasses from fogging up when wearing a mask

Why it is important to clean objects that you touch often

Things you often touch are contaminated by direct contact with improperly washed hands. Even if you wash or disinfect your hands after visiting public places such as shops or traveling on public transport, personal items that you may have touched and contaminated must also be disinfected before you have properly washed your hands.

Frequently touched objects have been shown to play a key role in the transmission of pathogens, either directly from a surface to the face or through body contact, or indirectly by contaminating hands and subsequent contact with any susceptible site on the human body (depending on the type of virus), including the nose and eyes . ^1,2 Pathogens include bacteria, viruses or disease-causing microorganisms. If they are not properly disinfected, these pathogens settle on surfaces. Scientific studies have shown that viruses such as hepatitis A and rotavirus are able to remain infectious on surfaces for 2 months and more, while respiratory viruses survive for hours to days. The virus that causes the disease COVID-19 can also survive on surfaces. World Health OrganizationWorld Health Organization(WHO) states that according to recent studies, this virus can survive up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel, less than 4 hours on copper and less than 24 hours on cardboard. This time depends on several factors, such as the type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment.

A number of studies have been conducted on the topic of bacteria content on surfaces that we often touch. From these studies we learn how contaminated such objects can be:

Smart devices

We all use our smartphones constantly throughout the day. From the research of a global technology companyAsurionfound that the average American touches their phone 96 times a day. ⁵ This means there are many opportunities for germs to transfer to your smartphone.

Germany’s Hochschule Furtwangen University conducted a study in which they analyzed the growth of bacteria on 60 examined smartphones. All phones that were not cleaned showed signs of small concentrations of bacteria. ⁴ Research has shown that there are approximately 60 microorganisms on an uncleaned touch screen (diagonal 4 inches). It is important to note that not all of these microorganisms were harmful and/or dangerous. However, the study showed that small numbers of potentially dangerous bacteria such as Escherichia coli were found on touch screens. And 50% of the bacteria were identified as potential pathogens.

If this presence has been demonstrated for smartphones, it also applies to tablets, smart watches, computer screens, keyboards or laptops. For this reason, it is important to disinfect smart devices as well.

Glasses

According toAmerican Academy of Ophthalmologycertain harmful pathogens, including the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, can spread through the eyes, just as they can through the nose and mouth. Although glasses and sunglasses do not offer complete protection against droplets that can carry pathogens, they can provide an additional layer of protection. If you frequently touch or rub your eyes, glasses can prevent you from doing so and reduce the transfer of germs between your hands and eyes.

Although glasses provide you with an additional layer of protection, they are exposed to external influences and in close contact with your skin, eyes, nose and mouth. In addition, you put your glasses on and take them off with your hands, which means that you often reach for them.

One research study examined the bacterial content of worn prescription glasses and analyzed the effect of using different cleaning methods. All prescription glasses were found to be contaminated with bacteria ^.3

Because of this, it can be assumed that your glasses lenses and frames can carry bacteria – and therefore you should definitely disinfect your glasses regularly with a lens cleaner.

Credit cards

Banknotes and payment cards are also often touched – and these items are still exchanged daily between several people. As you are not the only person touching banknotes or cards, remember to wash your hands after handling money (including coins).

You can avoid exchanging these items if you pay contactless, e.g. with a contactless card or by using payment QR codes.

Car keys, wallets, purses

Think about how your visit to a supermarket or department store usually goes. Before and after payment, you touch your wallet and possibly also your purse. The payment process usually involves a banknote or credit card contact made by a store employee. Then if you drive home, you touch the car keys.

This involves a lot of touching and handling of various surfaces and items, which calls for subsequent hand washing and sanitizing of items.

The best methods for cleaning frequently touched items

The good news is that soap, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and most common household cleaning products can usually be used to wash and disinfect hands.

The best way to minimize the spread of germs is to clean regularly. Clean all frequently touched surfaces and objects daily. And if they are visibly dirty, clean them immediately.

How to clean smart devices

Digital devices can be easily cleaned with wet wipes that are designed for this purpose.

Clean smart devices with screen wipes designed for this purpose, e.g. ZEISS smartphone wipes. Quick-drying alcohol-free wipes remove fingerprints and dirt from your smartphone or other devices. You should clean your smart devices daily or more often depending on the risk of exposure to pathogens. Before you begin, read the manual for your device.

Here’s how to clean the screen of your iPad, mobile device, smart watch, and other digital devices:

1. Remove the device from its packaging.
2. Remove the folded ZEISS smartphone wipe from the packaging and gently wipe dust and dirt from the screen with the folded wipe.
3. Then unfold the tissue and clean the screen and body of the phone/tablet or smart watch in a circular motion. Clean the entire surface of the device.
4. A lot of dirt gets stuck in the charging ports. Use a tissue to clean the surface around these ports, and then use a small brush, dry foam pad, or cotton bud to remove dirt from the area.
5. Also, don’t forget to clean the cover, packaging or case (depending on the material). Warm water and soap can be used on most plastic or hard containers. Wait for the case to dry completely before putting your phone back in it.

Proper hygiene of glasses

A lot of sebum and dirt stick to your glasses, so you should clean them every day.

You should clean and disinfect your glasses at least once a day and after every visit to a public place. If you work in an office with other people, clean your glasses regularly.

Glasses are best cleaned with a lens cleaner such as a lens wipe or lens cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth. A recent study found that cleaning lenses with an alcohol-based cellulose wipe, even without alcohol, can reduce the number of dominant bacteria by 99 to 100%. ⁵ Optical surfaces, including coated lenses, are effectively cleaned with wet wipes such as ZEISS lens cleaning wipes. Alcohol-based wet wipes do not leave streaks and do not risk scratching the cleaned surface.

How to clean glasses:

1. Open the package of ZEISS lens cleaning wipes with clean hands, remove the wipe and unfold it.
2. Hold the glasses carefully by the frame.
3. First wipe the dust off the surface with a folded napkin.
4. Unfold the napkin and start cleaning the surface in circular motions until it is clean.
5. Store your glasses in a protective glasses case that is clean and free of dust.

Cleaning agents for objects that you touch often

How to prevent glasses from fogging up when wearing a mask

Institutions such asCenters for Disease Control, recommend wearing masks in public places to limit the spread of germs and disease. But if you wear a mask and glasses at the same time, it can be quite uncomfortable and even stressful. When you breathe or talk, hot air escapes through the upper opening of the mask and fogs up your glasses. If you don’t know how to prevent your glasses from fogging up while wearing a mask, you have to unnecessarily touch and handle your glasses, which you can contaminate. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem and fogging of glasses can be prevented.

First, make sure that the mask fits you well and that you have it on correctly. With clean hands and before entering a public space, firmly fit the flexible metal strip around your nose. If you are wearing a mask made at home, you can use chenille or soft wire, which you sew into the fabric so that the mask can be shaped around the bottom of the bridge of the nose. Correct fit allows less air to pass through and reduces condensation on the lenses. However, the most effective way to prevent foggy glasses is with an anti-fog spray or kit.

How to prevent foggy glasses when wearing a mask with the help of the ZEISS AntiFOG kit:

1. Clean your lenses with lens spray or wipes to remove dust and dirt.
2. Dampen a special anti-fog cloth with one or two sprays of anti-fog spray.
3. Wipe both sides of the lens with a cloth so that they are evenly coated and completely dry.
4. Apply a new coat of AntiFOG spray every 72 hours to ensure optimal performance.