Clearing a steamed up mask

[Aqua-Fire]

dip your face in the water or rub water over your head/face before the dive. Never tried but heard it helps in keeping your face similar temp as the water.

 

[george w]

baby shampoo I was on a trip with 17 people and they all had there way of not fogging, by the end of the trip everyone was using my baby shampoo It works and dont burn your eyes if you dont rinse it all out

 

[Buoyant1]

I've found that a 50/50 mixture of J&J Baby Shampoo and rubbing alcohol does an even better job of keeping the mask clear. I use silicone grease to help seal my moustache and sometimes a bit of the grease gets on the glass.

Another trick I've found is to smear some baby shampoo on the mask after the post dive cleanup. It dries overnight and seems to do a better job of defogging than applying defog right before the dive.

Particularly with a backup mask, the OP might find that leaving a film of dried defog on it in between uses might solve your problem.

I've been using baby shampoo diluted with water and haven't had ANY problems, cold water, warm water etc.

I USED to use the stuff that came with the mask, but it gave me a chemical burn in one of my eyes....

When I get a new mask, I rinse it out, put the baby shampoo in it, and rub like crazy, then rinse it again and repeat (lather rinse repeat just like the bottle)

If it's a plain glass mask, then the toothpaste thing works also (I have SeaVision masks with the treated glass, and can't use anything mildly abrasive)


I use the same baby shampoo mix for diving, I spray it on, let it sit while I set up my gear, (and it dries) then rinse my mask before I descend...

 

[phaust]

we always have this problem with cold water VS warm face.. you may consider a different mask with less air volume in it.. it's worked for me very well

 

[Frosty]

Could it be something you are doing? Perhaps your backup mask is shaped differently than your primary?

The reason I ask is I was thinking that it might be possible that you are unintentionally blowing small amounts of air into the mask with your nose. Maybe your primary mask is shaped in such a way that it usually blocks you from unintentionally breathing out of your nose and your backup mask doesn't?

Yup --turns out you are bang on right-The mask just barely was a fit and I was breathing out a bit through my nose whilst equalising etc. Either way problem solved. It turns out its a perfect snorkle mask for my oldest son.

 

[Aardvark]

+1 for J&J Baby Shampoo. I don't bother diluting it and a thin smear after washup means it's ready for next day's diving. I usually flood and clear my mask at a few meters where we pause before descent, if my buddy sees foam I've used too much. Also, no messing about on the boat, mask overboard to the whole spit, smear and dunk/rinse routine could really ruin your day.

 

[Dive Bug Bit Me]

I'm checking the validity of my logic here folks.
I'm sometimes diving with my spare mask which is a Mares clearview.It seems to love steaming up for the first few minutes of a dive.
I've done the ol toothpaste trick,spitting in the mask and even the washing up liquid bit.
The "normal" mask clearing solutions-a bit of water in the mask etc only work for a short time
It seems the best solution is just to take the mask off and do a minute or two heading down with no mask. I can still clearly see the bottom and other divers within 20 feet of me.
Can anyone see anything wrong with this logic?

I had the same problem with a mask I bought, 2 different brands of toothpaste, some floor cleaner and some baby soap were tried. Each time I dived (both hot and cold water) it would fog up.

I was on a live aboard in Belize about a month ago. The captain told me it was because of a film of protective coating that is put on the glass when it is made. Sometimes this protective coating is just a little tougher.

I kid you not, he took a blow torch and burnt the glass both inside and outside for a few seconds (without damaging the plastic around the lens). He let it cool down to normal room temperature, then washed it with baby soap. I have not fogged up again!

So I guess the preferred solution is to book a dive trip on a live aboard in Belize. A less appealing alternative is to carefully burn the protective film off without damaging the rest of the mask.

 

[bleeb]

I had the same problem with a mask I bought, 2 different brands of toothpaste, some floor cleaner and some baby soap were tried. Each time I dived (both hot and cold water) it would fog up.

The OP already round a solution, but since others may come across this thread while looking for similar solutions, it's probably worth pointing out one detail, since previous posters using toothpaste didn't specifically say what they were using. It's been mentioned before here on SB that when using toothpaste, make sure to use stuff with an abrasive (i.e. white toothpaste) and not a gel. The latter apparently don't usually contain the abrasives necessary to peel off the protective coatings used during manufacturing.

 

[Frosty]

I had the same problem with a mask I bought, 2 different brands of toothpaste, some floor cleaner and some baby soap were tried. Each time I dived (both hot and cold water) it would fog up.

I was on a live aboard in Belize about a month ago. The captain told me it was because of a film of protective coating that is put on the glass when it is made. Sometimes this protective coating is just a little tougher.

I kid you not, he took a blow torch and burnt the glass both inside and outside for a few seconds (without damaging the plastic around the lens). He let it cool down to normal room temperature, then washed it with baby soap. I have not fogged up again!

So I guess the preferred solution is to book a dive trip on a live aboard in Belize. A less appealing alternative is to carefully burn the protective film off without damaging the rest of the mask.

HMM now I wonder if I could convince the wife that is a justified expense---half way round the world to fix a fogging mask?
better still -Cosumel --hmm maybee the invasion someone could fix it.

 

[BKSZEA]

I use Johnson's baby shampoo to keep my mask clear. (50/50 mix with water) works great, plus if it gets in your eyes, it doen't sting.