Mask, cleaning, fogging, etc.

[WillAbbott]

So I did my first confined water dive last night, and one thing I noticed it my one lens especially (could have been left lens also, but I dont see well enough out of that eye to know) was fogging up big time, now I know they will fog, but it was like fogging as soon as I put it back on my face, and I couldnt see the instructor about 1/2 the time. I did clean my lens's with toothpaste as your supposed to with a new mask, but I've noticed now that they've dried that it looks like theres still some toothpaste on the lens (which I cant seem to get off) also how do you know for sure you got the factory film off? I'm wondering if I dont still have film or toothpaste in the one spot that fogged so fast (cause it seems to be in one spot)

Also how well does that ani-fog stuff work, cause I might just have to get some, because it was rediculous how fogged I was, I've never seen a mask fog so bad before.

Also how would you reccomend I clean it, because there are like smears and filmy (toothpaste I think) all over each lens that no matter how much I rinse with water and wipe with my finger (while in water) it wont come off... I was going to pull the lens's out and see if I could do a better job but I can't figure out how to get them out, so I'm not going to cause I dont wanna break the mask.

Sorry for the long post, I appreciate any and all suggestions...

Thx

 

[WreckWriter]

Use non-gel toothpaste. Use a corner of an old t-shirt to polish lens real well with the paste inside and out. Use an old toothbrush or a Q-tip to get the paste out on the edges afterwards (under running water).

Defog works, I like Sea Drops.

Tom

 

[PnL]

My wife and I used tootpaste a few times and Soft Scrub. You'll have to do this a few times to get it all off. As far as anti-fog, we've successfully used dishwashing soap, but we prefer 500 PSI - just put it on the night before, let it dry and rinse before hitting the water.

There's lots of anti-fog methods ... this is just what we find convenient.

HTH

 

[SDAnderson]

Best cleaning material: Non-gell toothpaste, I don't think it matters what brand. Do not wet lenses, rub vigorously with your finger, then rinse thoroughly. If you see "residue" you either didn't rinse well enough or didn't scrub well enough. Repeat as necessary.

Best anti-fog material: Spit works, so does baby shampoo, but a little bottle of 500PSI works better and will last a long time. Stow it in the bag-box that you keep your mask in.

Steven

 

[redseal]

I have to agree with using 500 PSI (got it at Leisurepro). I have not had a fogging problem when I use it, have had problems with spit or Sea Drops. Whatever works, use.

Also, we try to wash and dry our masks after use using a soft hand soap like Dial or Softsoap.

Hope this helps!

 

[SubMariner]

There have already been lots of posters talking about cleaning mask lenses.

I'll just add my $0.02 about anti fog stuff: baby shampoo.

Yup. A couple of drops on the clean lenses. Rub it around with your finger, rinse lightly, and voila! Ready to dive.

~SubMariner~

 

[PnL]

The baby shampoo works (I actually used dishwashing soap, but the same principle) but I experienced a slight problem when I didn't rinse it thoroughly enough. The mask didn't fog, but it didn't seal very well against my face either . Leaked a bunch throughout my first dive! Easy fix is to make sure you rinse it enough. I just feel more comfortable using 500 PSI now where I don't have to worry about rinsing it enough but not too much

 

[detroit diver]

The fun thing about baby shampoo is that if you exhale thru your nose, you get really neat bubbles inside your mask! And it smells good too!

 

[Aquamaniac]

I second the Johnsons Baby Shampoo (actually I fifth it)

Works great, its cheap, and if you over do it, it doesnt sting.
And my nostral hairs are so soft and clean

 

[WillAbbott]

Thanks for the ideas. I'm going to try cleaning it again today, because I think thats what my problem was, the fogging seemed to be centered just on one part of one lens, so I think I just didn't get it clean. I'll probably run to my nearest dive shop (dunno if its any good never been to it) and see if they have any of the 500psi anti-fog, sounds like its the easiest to use, if I have to worry about not rinsing the shampoo out enough I'll mess up every time