Just one careless move —tossing them into your purse or onto your car’s dashboard— can scuff up your beautiful pair of glasses or those sweet designer shades. If you’re not ready to part with that pair and don’t want to spend funds on replacing the lenses, there is something you can do to salvage them.

Here are some DIY tricks to remove scratches from glass and sunglasses.

But before you have at it make sure wear gloves and read the manufacturers instructions before using any of these remedies. You may even want to try them out on a spare set of lenses first. Also, never use any abrasive solutions or cloth on your lenses.

Toothpaste

Gently rub some toothpaste on your lens with a cotton or soft wool cloth in a circular motion for about 10 seconds. Rinse with cold water and wipe your lens dry. Repeat for stubborn scratches or until the scratch is removed. This may take a while if you have an anti-scratch coating.

Baking Soda

Make a paste from some baking soda and water. Put some of the paste on your lens and rub it with a cotton or wool cloth in a circular motion. Rinse it off with cold water and wipe it dry. You may have to repeat to fully remove the scratch.

Armor Etch

There is a product called Armor Etch, which is a glass etching compound, that could be used to resurface your plastic lenses and remove scratches. NEVER USE THIS REMEDY ON GLASS LENSES, plastic only!

Paint a thick coating of Armor Etch onto each side of the lenses and let it sit for five minutes, then rinse and wipe dry. Make sure you don’t rub the compound into the lenses. Armor Etch will get rid of the outer coating and the scratches that were on it.

Car Wax

You can also use car wax to get scratches out by applying some to your lens with a soft clean cloth and gently buffing the scratch away.

Windshield Water Repellent

Apply some windshield water repellent with a cloth and gently rub it in for a few seconds. This works best on superficial marks and will also help to repel dirt, moisture, and will prevent your glasses from fogging up.

Brass/Silver Polish

This is another method you should NEVER use on glass. It will, however, work on plastic lenses. Use a cotton ball to wipe the metal polish on and buff out scratches. Use a cloth to remove excess polish.

Petroleum Jelly

Place a thin coat of petroleum jelly to your lens and use a cloth to polish it in circular motions for 10 seconds. You can repeat if you need to. Use some water and a fresh cloth to remove the excess jelly.

Furniture Spray

Spray your eyeglass lenses lightly with furniture spray, like lemon Pledge. Use a lint-free cloth to rub the lens in a circular motion until your scratch goes away. The only problem with this method is that you may have to repeat the process every few days.

Cigarette Ash

Sprinkle some cigarette ash (make sure it’s cooled and not fresh off of a cigarette) only your lens and rub it in gently. Wash off your ash and repeat if necessary.

Liquid Bandage

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By D.G. Sciortino

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D.G. is a contributing writer in Shareably. She's based in Connecticut and can be reached at [email protected].