Removing stubborn white residue off mask

[Dan]

After > 1000 dives, my mask develops this stubborn white residue as shown in the picture above. I tried flaming it with butane lighter, scrubbing it with toothbrush and toothpaste as scrubbing media, also baking soda as scrubbing media to no avail.

If anyone has successfully gotten rid of such residue off your mask, please share the info.

Thanks!
Dan

 

[Subcooled]

I do not know what those deposits are. Could they be calcium?

You have tried baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) with pH 8.3 = alkaline
How about vinegar, pH 3 = acidic?
Or lemon juice?

Note that
"To remove calcium deposits, use an acid-based cleaner like white vinegar to dissolve them, or use a commercial lime/calcium remover. For stubborn buildup, you can soak a cloth in the solution and wrap it around the affected area, or apply a cleaning solution to a surface and allow it to sit for a period before wiping it away with a brush or cloth"

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Bon Ami

 

[bradlw]

I'll bet that the glass is etched.
cerium oxide glass polish
...but I doubt it's worth the trouble. It's had a great life. With that many dives, a better life than probably 99% of the masks in the world

 

[Dan]

I do not know what those deposits are. Could they be calcium?

You have tried baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) with pH 8.3 = alkaline
How about vinegar, pH 3 = acidic?
Or lemon juice?

Note that
"To remove calcium deposits, use an acid-based cleaner like white vinegar to dissolve them, or use a commercial lime/calcium remover. For stubborn buildup, you can soak a cloth in the solution and wrap it around the affected area, or apply a cleaning solution to a surface and allow it to sit for a period before wiping it away with a brush or cloth"

Thanks for the tips.

I tried brushing the surface with bleach. It’s not working.

I’ll get white vinegar tomorrow and let the glass surface soak on vinegar solution overnight and brushing the wet glass surface a few times before rinsing it off with water and report back the result.

 

[Dan]

Bon Ami

Isn’t Bob Ami an industrial version of Baking Soda?

 

[Dan]

I'll bet that the glass is etched.
cerium oxide glass polish
...but I doubt it's worth the trouble. It's had a great life. With that many dives, a better life than probably 99% of the masks in the world

I’ll try that next when the soaking with vinegar fails.

When I coat the glass surface with baby shampoo before diving, those white residues aren’t as annoying underwater as when the glass surfaces are dried or fogging.

Baby shampoo and not exhaling from the nose have solved the fogging problem.

 

[Dan]

I found this YouTube video that mentioned cerium oxide glass polish. Will try that as the last resort.

 

[Nemrod]

It is hard to tell but I bet that glass has been etched.