Why do my glasses turn mouldy? 1 year old metal frame.....

[mumznet]

I noticed my glasses frames were getting very mouldy. I used to wash the glass with water and soap, fairy liquid or any other handsoap. I thought that what made my frame moudly, green colour developing inside the glass inside the frame. With my most recent frame, I stopped washing it with water and have only been using a dry cloth to clean it, but they still have green mould spreading inside on the frame, near the glass edges of the frame, the two things that sit on the nose, they are also a bit green. Is it time for a new frame, can I clean thos frame and also if I buy a new frame how to stop it from turning green mouldy? Thanks

Mine get this on the nose pieces. I think it’s just a build up of moisturiser etc etc.

is it not just oxidisation? (like rust but not iron/steel, what you get on other metals like copper etc?). I haven’t worn glasses for over ten years since I got lasered but I always got oxidation on metal frames. For the nose bit you can clean/pick it off with cotton buds and cocktail sticks if you can be bothered. You can’t get to the frame behind the glass so I never did sort that.

Are you actually sure it is mold?

It’s a build up of dirt. Grease and oils from skin/makeup/your fingers. Washing hands and face and not wearing make up will stop the build up.

As for dealing with it once you’ve got it - nose pads can be replaced and so long as you double check first (with the dispensing optician) you can put glasses in those jewellery sonic cleaning baths.
Be warned : some coatings on lenses and some on frames do not react well to a sonic clean.
If you are brave, and don’t have perfectly round glasses, you can unscrew the frame and really clean all of the lenses and frame before drying and reassembling. Do not use anything abrasive, just glass cleaner and a lens cloth.
Oxidisation - you cannot do anything about once it’s happened. But you may have some luck in preventing it, by applying clear nail varnish to the metal where they touch your skin before wearing them. (Like a lot of women do with earrings).

Hi, thanks @adagio you're right it's not mould but oxidation of the metal. I thought it was mould because it looks green

@Alphabet1spaghetti2 thanks very well explained. I will see what I can do, if I can open it to clean it

Doesn’t help you right now but I don’t buy glasses with the nose pieces anymore for this same reason. I get the moulded plastic ones now.

@Mol1628 does this kind if glassses leave a mark on the nose? thanks

No they don’t they’re very comfy

Same here