new mask cleaning?????

[Ber Rabbit]

any suggestions before i go buy some paste?

Buy a sample size tube of non-gel toothpaste and keep it in your mask box or save-a-dive kit just in case you or another diver need it some day.

So, I've read about using soft scrub or plain white toothpaste to clean the mask and then using a mixture of half baby shampoo and half water as defogger. I did this and after the shampoo mixture dried it left a yellowish tinge on the lenses. Is this normal? Will it disappear when I rinse it, or did I use too much shampoo?

If this doesn't work, I'm going back to spit!

Don't leave the shampoo mix on the mask, use it just like spit--spray/rub/rinse once/put mask on. I've stopped mixing my baby shampoo, I use it straight out of the bottle, put a tiny dab in each lens add a bit of water and rub then leave the water in it until time to dive. Dump water and don mask.

Ber :lilbunny:

 

[74fencer]

Bon ami works well too.

 

[Gatistrufi]

You have to be carefull using a lighter to burn the lenses, in the old dive center i worked in they did that with all th masks.. but i've been told that it can ruin the lenses.. so jsut stick to the non gel toothpaste ,adn the old fashioned spit before your dive :=):

 

[Dave Zimmerly]

Another neat trick, when cleaning your mask with toothpaste; rinse well in cold water and breathe on the glass. Your breath will show where you still need to clean.

Dave (aka "Squirt")

 

[Semita]

Just make sure you wash out the toothpaste well.....unlike me.

Needless to say I had very "fresh" vision on my dive.

 

[Hoosier]

The cheapest toothpaste is less than $1.

3-3-3

1. Scrub the mask with a toothpaste and brush for three minutes
2. Wash and dry for three minues
3. Do it three times.

I didn't get any fogs inside even at the first dive.

 

[Aquanautchuck]

Hoosier, you forgot to mention to floss.

 

[CrazyScuba]

Don't forget to use toothpaste on the skirt also. If you don't it will leach silicone onto the lens.

Sorry to correct you but...
What causes the mask to fog is a releasing agent used on the mask in the manufacturing process, not silicone. You need to clean the lenses on both sides. You can use a mask scrub, which is the best because it is designed to get rid of the releasing agent. Next up, baking soda will work if you don't have a mask scrub but it may not be as effective.

http://crazyscuba.com/pd_mask_scrub.cfm

Some people use toothpaste or soft scrub also, as long as it's a paste style toothpaste and not a gel style. These alternative styles work sometimes, but not always because they weren't designed to deal with a releasing agent. If you try one of these methods but your mask keeps fogging it's time to try the mask scrub.