The age-old problem: mask fogs up!

[woodsandwatertoo]

JAWS products have worked fairly well for us.

Before JAWS, we used DAWN dishing washing liquid (works good), Sea Drops (works almost as good as JAWS) and some other things.

Some of the folks that goes with us uses Baby Shampoo and swear by it.

All a choice.

JAWS masks a SCRUB and SPIT and QuickSPIT. Scrub to clean, SPIT to defog or QuickSPIT is spray defog.

To clean mask I have used ToothPaste and have used Comet to clean lense works good too.

 

[knotical]

told me to just use a mild soap, something about the lens, but I don't remember.

Perhaps you've bought a Seadive mask with the anti-fog lenses. The scrubbing methods mentioned in this thread remove the anti-fog coating, and you'd be left with normal, plain glass lenses.

edit – just found this on Seadive’s website:

Use in treated pools will eliminate the water resistant compound, after which the standard anti-fog drops may be used as with untreated standard mask lenses.

If you did your pool training in a “treated pool”, you might already be beyond the point of no return – and can use the scrubbing methods mentioned by others.

 

[jsado]

My new mask fogged like crazy.... along with all the other students in my class, their masks were fogging like crazy too. The instructors only recommended the no-fog, nothing else. I posted the question on scubaboard, got the standard "toothpaste scrub your new mask" answer.... Never had a problem again. Went to my next class and was just about the only one in the pool with a clear mask on....

 

[Scott M]

This topic should really be put at the top of the mask section as a sticky.

First thing we have to understand is that everyone is different and every mask is different. Some can grab a new mask give it a little spit and off they go never experiencing a fogging issue. Others like myself have tried everything and I do mean every thing with mediocre results at best. I guess I am just hot blooded or full of hot air the later being the most probable. The only solution that works for me and it works every time (I know this because I have way too many masks laying around trying to find one that fits right). My most recent purchase was a Halcyon mask (this one fits, finally).

The method I use is the burn method. I just take a bic, turn the mask so the lenses are facing down and move the lighter around until there is a good carbon film on the whole lens. It is hard to over do it because the flame will run out of air before it can damage the mask. I do not stay near the edges too long just to be safe. Sometimes depending on the mask I have to do each side a few times before I can get a good carbon film. I wipe the carbon off and run the mask through the dishwasher at the hottest setting I can (picked that up from a mask manufacturer a while ago on the forums here). Once the mask is done and cooled I give it the test. I just breath one good deep breath directly on the inside lens. If it fogs in the least it is going to fog under water so I repeat the above process until I can get it to not fog. I have found I can get any mask to fog if I keep breathing in it long enough but one good deep breath will typically give enough feed back to know it is going to dive ok for me. Typically it never takes more than 2 runs through the process but this mask took three times through. None of this harms the mask in any way and it looks brand new still so your not going to harm your mask. I used it last night in pretty cool water and intentionally did a lot of exhaling though my nose. I could get it to fog but it was a lot of work, maybe 7 or 8 good exhails in a row and the fogging was there but not real bad and went away immediately after stopping this exercise. I also use just a drop of the no fog. I will put a drop on each lens and rub it in, rinse and go diving.

 

[NTSilver]

Like Scott M said - everyone and every mask is different. If I use any of the above mentioned commercial products - I get fogging. The ONLY thing that works for me is spit. You should try different methods and see what works best for you.

 

[Puffer Fish]

This topic should really be put at the top of the mask section as a sticky.

First thing we have to understand is that everyone is different and every mask is different. Some can grab a new mask give it a little spit and off they go never experiencing a fogging issue. Others like myself have tried everything and I do mean every thing with mediocre results at best. I guess I am just hot blooded or full of hot air the later being the most probable. The only solution that works for me and it works every time (I know this because I have way too many masks laying around trying to find one that fits right). My most recent purchase was a Halcyon mask (this one fits, finally).

The method I use is the burn method. I just take a bic, turn the mask so the lenses are facing down and move the lighter around until there is a good carbon film on the whole lens. It is hard to over do it because the flame will run out of air before it can damage the mask. I do not stay near the edges too long just to be safe. Sometimes depending on the mask I have to do each side a few times before I can get a good carbon film. I wipe the carbon off and run the mask through the dishwasher at the hottest setting I can (picked that up from a mask manufacturer a while ago on the forums here). Once the mask is done and cooled I give it the test. I just breath one good deep breath directly on the inside lens. If it fogs in the least it is going to fog under water so I repeat the above process until I can get it to not fog. I have found I can get any mask to fog if I keep breathing in it long enough but one good deep breath will typically give enough feed back to know it is going to dive ok for me. Typically it never takes more than 2 runs through the process but this mask took three times through. None of this harms the mask in any way and it looks brand new still so your not going to harm your mask. I used it last night in pretty cool water and intentionally did a lot of exhaling though my nose. I could get it to fog but it was a lot of work, maybe 7 or 8 good exhails in a row and the fogging was there but not real bad and went away immediately after stopping this exercise. I also use just a drop of the no fog. I will put a drop on each lens and rub it in, rinse and go diving.

Ok, that is one I have not heard before... interesting...

Regarding the dishwasher... most dishwashing liquids contain flouride salts... which can etch glass.. running one thru a dozen times would most likely not hurt anyting... buy you might want to avoid doing it very often.

There is nothing magical, unbelievably complex about this..actually some might be surprised that having a clear mask is one of the skills one needs to safely dive.

Yes... cold water makes this harder.

Yes... some peoples spit does not work.

But I have never seen anyone or any glass mask that cannot be easily be kept fog free (regardless of the user).. but it does take both a method and timing to work.