How To De- Fog Snorking Mask

[montana200024]

I can not get my mast to stay clear...how do you de fog, can someone tell me how..or what to buy...

(i heard you are suppose to spit in it..but i have my doubts..)

 

anything will help me..

 

thanks

[bruce-r]

First, if the mask has a glass lens, and it should, then you want to polish it with toothpaste not gel. Just put a little bit in the end of your finger and rub it around for a couple of minutes on the glass, then rinse.

 

As for a defog, there are commercially available products for divers. They are available at your local dive shop or online at places like http://www.scubatoys.com

 

For homemade defogs, diluted baby shampoo, toothpaste (gel is OK), diluted Palmolive dish soap all work.

 

Some people do spit in their mask and claim it works. My personal experience is that it doesn't work nearly as well as the commercial stuff or the homemade defogs.

[montana200024]

thank you so very much Bruce...very much helpful...

 

just to varify..homemade de foggers are one of those three..or all together..

 

here's to a happy snorkler!!!!!!!!!!:D

[bruce-r]

 

just to varify..homemade de foggers are one of those three..or all together..

 

individual solutions of the homemade stuff. You only need one of them.

[Wspinelli]

Scrub the interior lens with toothpaste, rinse well. If your mask is dirty, it fogs easier. commercial defog solution is a couple bucks a small bottle. a few drops in the mask rub it around and rinse it out just before you get into the water.

If you want to make your own, baby shampoo diluted with water, Use a non tearing shampoo. Mix it till it is a little thicker than water, squirt liberally into the mask, swish and rinse. I know some who use alchol instead of water to dilute the shampoo but I don't see it working any better.

 

Enjoy your snorkeling!

[tunseeker1]

Breate out your mouth not your nose!

[2112]

Spit works great for me. All you need to do it wet the inside of your mask with sea water (or any other NON-chilled water), then spit on the inside of the mask, rub with your finger until the lens is covered, then rinse it. Easy. I used to buy the commercial stuff, but then I found it was just another thing to bring along. Spit really does work fine.

[Capt_BJ]

Real divers spit :p (but I still have a two hose single stage regulator too)

 

When I first got certified no one was yet selling 'artificial spit'

 

ok - gross time here - but ya need a lil bit'a loogie....not just some simple saliva....and then don't over rinse. That's where many mess up. If you put spit - free or expensive - on the surface as a defog...then rinse it off ....wellll you rinsed it off!

 

But yes - the first thing is to ensure the inside of your mask is clean. In the old days it was easier to clean glass then it is now with plastics but toothpaste is the right tool. You are using it as an ultrafine rubbing compound which will not leave anything that should hurt your eyes....ever get Windex in your eyes? :eek: Again, with today's plastic lens' you need to be careful you don't trash your mask by chemical....toothpaste is safe.

 

Spousal unit feels more dignified with something in a bottle but agrees, it doesn't seem to work any better :)

[simonv]

Yap, tooth paste for a new mask, then every once in a while when it get dirty, or before and after you go on a snorkeling trip. Spit and rub for everyday use. Works great.

[montana200024]

Thanks A Million..i Will Have The Cleanest Mask In The Caribbean..

[Pilot70D]

Everyone's advice about using toothpaste is correct.

 

Now about defog solutions. About a year ago SCUBA Magazine did a head to head comparison of five commercial antifogging products as well as spit and baby shampoo. Surprisingly only one of the commercial products lasted longer than baby shampoo and then by only a narrow margin. Spit didn't fare very well in this test.

 

The bottom line though is that baby shampoo works great, is VERY inexpensive and won't sting your eyes. A couple of the commercial products do have a tendency to sting if you happen to get them in your eyes.

 

We have used baby shampoo for years on both of our masks regardless of whether we were diving or snorkeling. We take a smaller used drinking water bottle with a screw top lid and fill it with baby shampoo. We put the bottle in a zip lock bag and then pack it in out dive gear bag. No leak, no fuss, no muss and a heck of a lot cheaper than the commercial products.

 

I hope you can see clearly now. *LOL*

[Scuba Laura]

Because the mask skirt is made of silicone there is a silicone film on the inside of the lens. Before any kind of defogger can work, you have to get the film off. Depending on the mask, you may have to clean it with toothpaste or softscrub 2, 3, even 4 times to completely get the silicone off.

 

Oh yeah - I'm a spitter.

 

:rolleyes:

[jandar0721]

I like various commercial products but the key, as mentioned earlier, is to have a mask that has been "toothpasted" -- once when it's new and then from time to time afterward. I usually toothpaste my mask every couple of years (I dive/snorkle about 30 times a year during our two trips to the Caribbean.)