Is it Better to Clean your Glasses with Soft Water?

Eyeglass wearers know, keeping your lenses clean and scratch-free is a priority that people who don’t wear glasses don’t understand. Even scratch-resistant lenses are bound to get scratched eventually. You want to let that pristine clarity stay at its best for as long as possible. But could the slow deterioration of your lenses be caused by hard water? If you wear eyeglasses and clean them with tap water, it’s a topic worth learning more about.

Can I Clean My Eyeglasses with Tap Water?

Tap water is accessible at home, work, school, and many other places, but it might not be the best water source to clean your glasses. Tap water is usually hard water in most of the United States, even in some of the biggest cities with the most comprehensive municipal water treatment systems. Hard water carries extra calcium and magnesium from the ground, which is why shower doors and glassware get that ugly white buildup on them. While this staining—scale buildup or limescale—won’t gather on your glasses the way it accumulates on shower doors, hard water will still leave hard water marks if it isn’t dried off entirely by a clean rag.

People who wash their cars with hose water know that letting your car dry in the sun is a bad idea, as that final rinse from a hose will leave hard water marks behind, ruining the luster of a freshly washed car. Why should your eyeglasses be treated with any less care?

Will Hard Water Scratch or Etch Glass?

The particles of calcium and magnesium in hard water can cause a lot of problems, but a quick rinse to get you through the day isn’t going to scratch the lenses of your glasses. But depending on the severity of the minerals in your water, constantly using hard water to wash your glasses can lead to minute damage to the surfaces over time. The calcium in hard water comes from the bedrock; the water eroded as it traveled through the ground. If enough of these tiny rock particles hit your lenses regularly, it acts like a miniature sand blaster slowly hitting the glass. Other contaminants in tap water might be able to damage your drinks as well, especially if the water comes from a well source instead of a municipal water supply. Dirt and sediment could be an issue in many parts of the United States that come with using groundwater that could cause microscopic knicks and scratches and make your glasses always appear cloudy.

The cloth you use to rub and dry the lenses is essential too. Microfiber cloths washed clean with soft water are safer than those washed with hard water. Laundry washed in hard water is stiffer and scratchier, especially if they don’t dry properly, because the calcium minerals get caught and embedded between the cloth fibers.

Can I Clean My Glasses with Bottled Water?

Bottled water claims to be exceptionally pure and clean, but top beverage brands often just put ordinary tap water in bottles and sell it to you so that it won’t be much better. Others promote “Natural spring water” in their bottles which receive very little to any filtration before packaging. Water isn’t the best liquid to use to clean your glasses anyway.

Is Soft Water Better for Cleaning Eyeglasses?

In a pinch, soft water and a clean microfiber cloth will clean off a pair of glasses well enough, but if your glasses are dirty with greasy spots, water doesn’t do much to clean the lenses. The cloth will still pick up grease and oily stains, but not without spreading it around first. Lens cleaning sprays combine distilled water and a cleansing solution formulated to break down grease, so it stops clinging to the glass and wipes off without leaving a residue. Even the best cleaning solution in the world isn’t going to keep your eyeglasses scratch-free and clean if the cloth you use is dirty or holding onto harsh, hard water minerals.

How Can I Get Soft Water in My Home?

If you want access to soft water in your home, a water softener can help. A water softener comprises a media tank with a valve and controller on top and a brine tank. Your local Evolve^® dealer can evaluate the hardness you are dealing with and recommend the right size water softener for your home, based on your family’s water usage needs. Our authorized experts will install a water softener in your home, for a completely worry-free experience. Once this is done, all the water in your home can be free of excess calcium and magnesium, including your washing machine, kitchen tap, shower or bathtub, and other water-using appliances.

Why Should I Choose Evolve^® Water Softeners?

Your local Evolve^® dealer is a professional, authorized, and factory-trained expert to test your water, build a custom water treatment system, install it, and service it. Evolve^® water treatment products are some of the most technologically advanced on the market, using proprietary materials and parts. But Evolve^® makes more than just water softeners. Your local dealer may recommend any of the following:

• Evolve Series RC Water Softener with a carbon filter for additional taste and odor improvement.
• EV1 Water Conditioner for softening, iron filtration, and neutralizing acidic water with exclusive Crystal-Right™ media.
• EV2 Water Conditioner for more robust softening and iron reduction with exclusive Crystal-Right™ media.

What Kind of Water Softener Do I Need?

Your path to better water begins when you call your local Evolve^® dealer to set up a free water testing appointment. Water testing identifies the hardness level of your water, which lets your dealer know which water treatment system is best considering what else might be in your water. Your dealer may recommend a water softener, a water filter, a water conditioner, or even a twin tank model to provide consistent quality water all hours of the day (great for big families!) You could be on the way to softer laundry, cleaner glasses, and tastier water by contacting your local Evolve^® dealer today!