Anti-Fogging Treatments for New Masks. (a comparison of techniques)

[agilis]

To cure a mask I use toothpaste. If toothpaste doesn't work I flame it. After curing it's baby shampoo before every dive. I hope I didn't miss anything in the previous 250 posts.

Colgate Total Whitening or Pepsodent straight from the tube smeared forcefully against the glass will do the trick every time.

 

[Eyegore]

I've always given the mask a quick rinse after having spit in it. What's the deal with baby shampoo? Use it in place of spit followed by rinsing?

 

[FreeFlyFreak]

Use it in place of spit followed by rinsing?

Yep. I have seen most dive boats have it diluted in a spray bottle.

Never used it though.
I'm a window licker.
One less thing to carry with you and I have yet to run out of spit.
Plus spit is all but impossible to wash off easily. At least off my cat and dog food bowls it is.

 

[dmaziuk]

Chromerge was a 'rite of passage' for anyone dealing with clean glassware. Chemists would trade stories of holey clothes and lab coats. The stuff works...

Clothes, schmoses, do not try to scrape at the particularly stubborn bits inside a tube full of that stuff. Heated up for better cleaning action. I probably still have the scars, some four decades later.

 

[lowviz]

I probably still have the scars,

Same.

 

[Couv]

To cure a mask I use toothpaste. If toothpaste doesn't work I flame it. After curing it's baby shampoo before every dive. I hope I didn't miss anything in the previous 250 posts.

However fogging was an issue on my first shallow dive with it. I toothpasted it 3 times when I got it, and used spit as usual, which worked on my scubapro mask, but not on the frameless DGX.

Toothpasted it some more, then yesterday after reading this thread remember I had a Magic Eraser under the sink. Used dish soap and the Mr Clean Magic eraser, scrubbed until it was squeaky clean, rinsed thoroughly.

Hope it works.

The two post above are of the type that are most helpful in a thread like this. Most of us have had several mask that did not fog after standard cleaning with soap/toothpaste etc. It's not until one purchases a Mask From Hell, i.e. a mask that does not behave after standard treatment , that appreciation for out of the ordinary treatment processes becomes important.

Post that claim, "I've had a hundred mask and the only thing I've ever done is clean with toothpaste/Comet and never had a problem" do not address a Mask From Hell-they address most mask. Like @scrane , cleaning with toothpaste worked on every mask I had for 40 years...then one day a MFH showed up. Thankfully, I read about the flame trick and that solved the problem.

@lowviz This may sound backward, but is there a way to create a Mask From Hell? That is to say, apply the contaminants known to be the cause-then find a process that removes the offenders? I would prefer a solution that doesn't burn my skin and clothes. Something readily available in my kitchen or local pharmacy please.

 

[tridacna]

Colgate Total Whitening or Pepsodent straight from the tube smeared forcefully against the glass will do the trick every time.

They're good but not nearly as good as Colgate 2-in-1 Tartar Control / Whitening. That's the most abrasive one out there and will work best for mask cleaning.

 

[stuartv]

I think I posted this before, but I have the same mask that lowviz is using for testing - a Mako Minimus. For me, it has been my MFH. I tried toothpaste and burning, repeatedly, and it still wanted to fog.

After reading earlier parts of this thread, I ran it through the dishwasher, using a pod of Cascade Platinum detergent. Since then, it has been mostly fog-free (using diluted baby shampoo on it before each dive). I say mostly because sometimes it leaks. When it leaks, exhaling through my nose usually ends up causing it to fog after a few times of clearing it during one dive. I would say it is still a *little* more fog-prone than my other masks in the same circumstances. But, in practical terms, it is now fine for me.

 

[Johnoly]

..., but is there a way to create a Mask From Hell? ....

LMAO!! One of the donation mask sets I sent to @lowviz I think was $6.99 from the dollar store. It was sent to test the 'low-end' of the sample population. I'm pretty sure it's a leaking piece of chit, lol !!

 

[scubadada]

I think I posted this before, but I have the same mask that lowviz is using for testing - a Mako Minimus. For me, it has been my MFH. I tried toothpaste and burning, repeatedly, and it still wanted to fog.

After reading earlier parts of this thread, I ran it through the dishwasher, using a pod of Cascade Platinum detergent. Since then, it has been mostly fog-free (using diluted baby shampoo on it before each dive). I say mostly because sometimes it leaks. When it leaks, exhaling through my nose usually ends up causing it to fog after a few times of clearing it during one dive. I would say it is still a *little* more fog-prone than my other masks in the same circumstances. But, in practical terms, it is now fine for me.

Hi Stuart,

Why do you dive that mask rather than one that does not fog and does not leak? On the other end of the spectrum from the mask from hell, is the perfect mask. I have two and always dive one of them. I have a collection of other masks that just sit around, occasionally being loaned out. When someone tells me they love one of my loaners, especially a leaker for me, I give it to them.