6 Tips to extend the life of your sunglasses

So you just got a pair of Rootz and want to show it off to your friends and family. You look great wearing your new sustainable sunglasses and it perfectly matches your favourite outfit. What could go wrong?

If you find yourself wearing it on a daily basis, it is important to know how to care for your sunnies and maximize the life of your pairs. A nice pair of sunglasses is not only a style statement, but it also protects your eyes from the harmful UV rays, heat, cold and glare. This protection enables you to perform your daily chores when the sun is shining at its fullest.

We want to make sure that besides looking good wearing our sustainable sunglasses, you also take proper care of it and maximize the lifetime of your shades (and your eyes), extending the usage of it for years without having to worry about buying a new one every six months.

That is why we have written this article with six tips about how to extend the life of your sunglasses with do’s and don'ts of sunnies care, as some small mistakes can significantly reduce the lifespan of your new pair of shades:

1. Always use the cloth or pouch

When you are out and about, it is best to clean your sunglasses with the microfiber cloth or pouch that comes with the sunnies. They also absorb grease residues from the lenses without leaving streaks. Special care products and sprays from specialist shops are recommended for heavier soiling. Some care products even have an antistatic effect - so dust and dirt no longer stick to the glass as easily. To ensure an effective cleaning make gentle circular moves until the lenses get completely clean, without any residue.

Avoid using your shirt or paper tissues. The rough cotton fibres absorb the dirt from the glasses and then distribute it over the entire surface. They act like sandpaper and destroy the protective coating on your glass surface and might scratch the lenses. Unfortunately, the same effect is created with the texture of your T-shirt when you clean your sunnies with them.

2. Clean it with running water

The plastic lenses in your sunglasses do not tolerate sand, salt, or chlorinated water. If contact cannot be avoided, rinse your sunnies thoroughly with water immediately afterwards. Please make sure that no grains of sand find their way into your sunnies case. It can damage your glasses immensely and scratch the lenses due to movement.

The best way to clean your sunglasses is under running, lukewarm water. Simply use a drop of washing-up liquid or another pH-neutral, liquid cleaning agent for cleaning. This gently rinses off dirt particles and loosens fatty substances. It is best to use a clean glass cleaning cloth or pouch to dry the shades.

3. Keep it safe

Despite the resistance of the lenses, we don't recommend you tossing your sunglasses into your handbag, on the table, in the drawer or into your pocket. Keys, pencils, scratchy fabrics, or other objects are all likely to harm your shades and can reduce their life to a great extent. That is why all our sustainable sunglasses come inside a microfiber pouch which comes inside our black bamboo case. If you don`t plan the wear your pair, just keep it in the case.

4. Do not leave it in your car

If you leave your sunglasses out in the open or on the dashboard of your car on a hot day, they will certainly get damaged. Long exposure to heat and sunlight can damage the plastic lenses or simply melt the frame rendering the pair unusable. If you need to leave your sunglasses in the car, make sure that you store them in the glove box. An even better approach is to store your sunnies in the case.

5. Avoid putting it on your head

This is a hard one, I know. But when we put our sunnies in our heads, the temples of the shades might get stretched out depending on the format of our skull. Besides getting our hair caught in the frames it also loosens the sunnies making it more likely to slip down the nose or fall when looking down.

Additionally, the chemical deposits from the hair might get on the lenses and eventually damage it. If not wearing your sunnies, we recommend keeping it inside the pouch and the case. Alternatively, you can use our sunglasses straps and leave them by your chest (as long as you don`t forget it and start hugging everyone around).

6. Use Both Hands

Though nothing beats the one hand move of putting on or removing your glasses and it looks very stylish, it can damage the frame and make it wobbly. Always use both hands to put on or off your glasses from your eyes.

We hope these tips will help you to take a better care of your sunglasses. If you haven`t got your Rootz yet, just check out our sustainable sunglasses. Besides planting a tree and donating 10% of our profit we offer a variety of options for men`s and women`s in different styles and colours for all the tastes.