Prevent mask fogging...

  • will any sponge work?


    I generally burn the lenses, then scrub with toothpaste, and just use mask defog for a couple of dives, then saliva generally works after the mask is broken in.


    Ill definitely try this before I dive though.

  • will any sponge work?


    I generally burn the lenses, then scrub with toothpaste, and just use mask defog for a couple of dives, then saliva generally works after the mask is broken in.


    Ill definitely try this before I dive though.


    This is after the toothpaste or burning treatment of a new mask.
    In my trials on this, saliva works just as good, but sponge keeps it fog free for a bit longer. you know how you get the inside edges of the mask starting to fog a bit? When i use the sponge, I don't get that. But there's not a lot of difference and if I don't have any sponge, which I usually don't, unless DuQuesnay is on the boat...:D...no worries.

  • My uncle used baby shampoo :D . You put a few drops, then rinse them out and that should keep it from fogging plus it smells nicer. Rubbing a cut potato should also help or at least thats what Ive heard, never tested it :D

  • OMG no way would I personalty use baby shampoo.;):D


    Motherocean= Peace, tranquility, dream like bliss,mermaids..:)


    Baby shampoo= Baby smell....Are you sure it's mine? Does he look like me:@ Will I need to dive safer now?
    '' Honey you need to sell the boat''. :@:@


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.


  • When it gets cold my boat already smells like the girl's bathroom at home. All that damn hair conditioner to get the open cell suits on....hell, might as well add the baby shampoo and some pink panities hanging on the bimini. :laughing:

  • From the early days: you spit in a mask with your saliva, swirl some seawater around inside the mask, then tip it out and put on the mask and you will never have any fogging problems. New masks often have mold release agent on the glass which promotes fogging, to remove it you use a dob of toothpaste and rub the glass on the inside all over with your finger. The slightly abrasive toothpaste removes the agent and running tapwater removes the toothpaste. You only need do this once unless you use silicone spray on your mask to preserve it. The solution here is don't do it, silicone spray will rot out a rubber mask as rubber thin flange sections go gooey prematurely. Silicone rubber masks don't need anything but washing or rinsing in clean water.

  • If you have a new dive mask without a glass lens such as plastic (e.g. Aqualung “Sphera” mask), then don't use toothpaste as it is too abrasive and will render the surface dull and slightly opaque which would be disastrous. Instead use car polish which has a milder cutting compound or a mild dishwashing detergent which will remove the invisible scum on the lens. Normally detergent will do in neoprene rubber, but silicone rubber is not affected. Coated lenses with reflective materials or tints you don't want to mar or remove, hence a detergent action will be best, but make sure it is a mild one and not some heavy duty grease remover. You don't want to stuff up a $100 plus mask if you can avoid it and you can do so by choosing the right cleaner. Toothpaste was used in the past as it is usually close to hand and has a rapid cleaning action which will not damage glass.

  • I was told by a major mask manufacturer once that new masks can "offgas" for a year or more. I have no reason to doubt this claim since it seems that any new mask I buy needs to be "scrubbed" or burned before every trip until they settle into less aggressive (baby shampoo ,spit, defog liquid) methods of staying fog free.

  • The reason why mask plates fog up is the water micro-beads on the inner stuff on the lens rather than wetting it as the lens surface is not super slick as it would if there was absolutely nothing on it at all. To get the mask lens to wet you can either rub it with a cut potato or spit in it and then add some water to swirl it around inside the mask and then only tip the excess out. This fluid coating thus formed remains in the mask and keeps the mask lens wetted and it will no longer fog. Moisture cannot get out as the mask is clamped against your face sealing that moisture in. Every time I commence a dive I go through that same routine and my mask never fogs, plus spit is something we have on hand all the time. I am just changing over from a black silicone rubber Scubapro "Visa" mask which I have had for longer than I care to remember because its rubber mask strap can no longer be replaced and I have an Aqualung "Sphera" and a Scubapro "Frameless" to replace it, so there will be plenty of spitting going on with those two. From new the "Visa" never fogged because I gave it that initial toothpaste rub and only did it once. The "Sphera" has a plastic lens so I only gave it a quick wash with liquid detergent by putting a few drops in the mask, added water, swirled it around and that was it as toothpaste would damage the plastic lens it not being as hard as glass which in a sense is a form of quartz.


    As for outgassing I read the article, but the concern there is outgassing causing other problems rather than film deposition, so although interesting it is of no concern to divers. Rubber "old skool" dive masks smell of rubber for years, but that is not a cause of fogging which can happen in cold water when your warm face makes water vapor condense on the face plate interior. Again spit comes to the rescue and has done so since the earliest of dive masks in the 1930's.

  • There are some masks that are very difficult to get rid off the fog. I found out that throwing it a couple of times into the dishwasher (when you do the dishes) cleans them very well.

    Marco Melis

    A bad day fishing is ALWAYS better than a good day at work.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member to leave a comment.