How to Polish Sunglasses Frames

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: January 12, 2021 Tested

Sunglasses frames are prone to accumulating dirt, oils, oxidation, and minor scuffs over time. Luckily, when your favorite pair of sunglasses starts to look a little dingy there are some easy home remedies and techniques you can use to clean them and restore their shine. Avoid using abrasive substances like toothpaste and baking soda that could get on your lenses and scratch them in the process. With just a few affordable supplies you can get that pair of sunglasses ready for another summer of use!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Cleaning Your Frames

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1
Wash and dry your hands to ensure they are dirt-free. Rinse your hands with warm water and lather them up with a lotion-free hand soap or mild liquid dish detergent to remove grime and oils. Rinse off all the soap and dry your hands with a clean lint-free towel so you don’t transfer any lint to your sunglasses.^{[1]
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- You can use this method to clean sunglasses frames made of any material including plastic, acetate, and metal.
2
Rinse your sunglasses gently in a slow stream of warm running water. Open up the hot and cold taps on a sink until there is a slow steady stream of warm water pouring out. Move your sunglasses around underneath the stream of water until they are wet all over.^{[2]
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- This will get rid of loose dust, dirt, and other debris that could potentially scratch your sunglasses while you clean the frames.
Warning: Don’t use hot water because it can damage certain types of lens coatings.

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3
Rub the frames gently with 1-2 drops of liquid dish detergent. Squeeze 1-2 drops of mild liquid dish detergent out onto the fingertips of 1 hand. Hold your sunglasses in the other hand and gently rub the detergent all over the frames to clean them.^{[3]
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- Make sure to get in the crevices where the frames meet the lenses. These areas often accumulate dust, debris, and oils.
4
Rinse the sunglasses thoroughly until all the soap is gone. Move the sunglasses around under a slow stream of running warm water again to wash off all the detergent. Inspect the sunglasses closely to make sure there is no soap left on them before you proceed to dry them.^{[4]
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- If there is any detergent left on the sunglasses when you dry them, it can leave streaks and smears on the frames and lenses.
5
Dry the sunglasses with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. Gently shake the sunglasses to remove any large droplets of water. Wipe the sunglasses completely dry with a microfiber cloth, like the cloth for cleaning the lenses that often comes with a pair of sunglasses.^{[5]
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- If you don’t have a microfiber cloth, you can use a lint-free cotton cloth or towel. Make sure it has not been laundered with fabric softener or dryer sheets, which can leave smears on your sunglasses.
- You can get replacement microfiber cloths for cleaning your sunglasses at a store that sells glasses or a photography supply shop.
- If your sunglasses have metal frames, cleaning them with soap and water and drying them off with a microfiber cloth will restore their shine and get rid of minor oxidation marks.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Restoring Shine to Plastic Frames

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1
Clean your sunglasses with dish detergent and water before polishing them. Use liquid dish detergent and warm water to clean dirt and debris off the frames, then dry the frames completely with a microfiber cloth. This is important to get rid of any dirt or grit that might scratch the frames as you attempt to polish them.^{[6]
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- If your frames are metal, cleaning them with the above technique is the best way to restore their shine. If you require further polishing, you can get them professionally polished. Don’t try to polish them using the following nail buffer method.
2
Use a 4-stage nail buffer to remove oxidation and minor scuffs. A 4-stage nail buffer is a small handheld block made for filing and polishing nails that has 4 sides of varying grits, called stages or steps. Purchase such a nail buffer to use for restoring shine to your plastic glasses frames at a pharmacy, beauty supply shop, or online.^{[7]
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- This method works to get rid of white oxidation marks and very minor scuff marks from any type of plastic sunglasses frames, including acetate frames. If there are any deep scratches or more serious damage to the frames, your best bet is to get new frames.
3
Buff the sunglasses frames using the stage 3 side of the nail buffer. Stage 3 is the side meant for smoothing out nails and will get rid of oxidation and minor scuffs on your frames. Rub the frames all over in back and forth motions, being very careful not to touch the lenses, until you remove all oxidation and minor scuffs.^{[8]
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- Don’t ever use stages 1 or 2 of the nail buffer because these are meant for filing and will scratch your frames.
Tip: Buffing your sunglasses frames can wear out the nail buffer very quickly, so it might be a good idea to have an extra one on hand if your frames are in need of a heavy polishing.
4
Shine the sunglasses frames with the stage 4 side of the nail buffer. Stage 4 is the side made for polishing nails, so it will restore the shine to your frames after you buff off oxidation and scuffs. Rub the stage 4 side of the nail buffer back and forth over all parts of the frames without touching the lenses until the frames look evenly shiny.^{[9]
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- If you can’t get the nail buffer into all areas of the frames, such as areas near the lenses, use a microfiber cloth to rub these areas and shine them up as much as you can. Don’t risk scratching the lenses.
5
Apply a thin layer of lanolin to the frames. Lanolin is a type of wax that is typically used to protect and treat dry skin, but also works to restore shine to plastic sunglasses frames. Dip a fingertip in a tin of lanolin, then lightly rub the lanolin all over the frames until they look uniformly shiny.^{[10]
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- If you get any lanolin on the lenses, immediately wipe it off with a clean, lint-free cloth. Lanolin can damage some types of lens coatings.^{[11]
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Warnings

Don’t use baking soda, toothpaste, or other abrasive substances to try and polish your sunglasses frames. These substances can easily get on your lenses and scratch them.

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Don’t clean your sunglasses with hot water as it can damage certain types of lens coatings.

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Avoid getting lanolin on the lenses of your sunglasses because it can hurt their coating. Wipe it off right away with a microfiber cloth if you accidentally get some on the lenses.

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