Sanitizing and Cleaning Safety Eyewear

Time-Saving Tips That Work—and Some That Don’t

You probably have 8 minutes or less between classes. In fact, an 8-minute passing period would be a luxury for most teachers! How do you squeeze goggle sanitizing into that tiny window of time?

It's an important concern. All students must wear protective eyewear in lab for safety, but sharing unsanitized eyewear can transmit disease and infection from student to student—a problem worsened during cold and flu season. What's the best way to quickly clean goggles and safety glasses for safe sharing? Search online and you'll scroll through dozens of suggestions for DIY cleaners and techniques that aren't appropriate for your school schedule—and that may damage eyewear and possibly expose students to potential irritants.

Ideas that don't work:

• Washing, rinsing, and drying goggles after each class, every day, is obviously not practical. Let's be realistic. Once a semester, maybe, but for every class, every day—no way!
• Using household disinfectant wipes or cleaning sprays is easier than washing, but still time consuming and not without problems. Household wipes and sprays, if not intended for optical use, may damage protective lens coatings. In addition, the disinfectant and cleaning chemicals and fragrances might be irritants for some students.

Another commonly considered option is to have students purchase their own personal eyewear and bring it to class every day. If that is the expectation, what is the reality? Goggles may be lost or forgotten—and students might put off replacing damaged, scratched eyewear rather than spending money to buy replacements. If you keep extra eyewear on hand, you still need to sanitize those spare goggles. Whether this buy-your-own strategy could make your life easier or add "goggle store manager" to your responsibilities likely depends on your students' ages and abilities.

Goggle Sanitizing Cabinets: The Time-Saving Solution

Ultraviolet light is a proven, fast-acting sanitizer. A 5-minute exposure kills 99.5% of bacteria on goggles. When a UV light is built into a cabinet that holds enough goggles for an entire class, you've got a workable solution! During each end-of-lab cleanup routine, have students put their eyewear in the cabinet. Set the timer for 5 minutes and the goggles can be safely shared with the next class!

For the complete selection of Flinn Goggle Sanitizers, including new digital models, visit: https://www.flinnsci.com/products/apparatus/laboratory-equipment/product-12157/

Please contact us if you have any questions about Flinn Goggle Sanitizers, our complete selection of safety eyewear and accessories, and care tips.