Proper mask cleaning

[RobPNW]

Doesn't seem like you could eliminate breathing from the nose because isn't that how to equalize the mask on descent? I guess maybe some people do it excessively.

 

[b1gcountry]

I’ve found Dawn dishwashing detergent works well to clean masks.

What part of great lakes are you from Marie? The last I was active here, there weren't many great lakes divers?

 

[Marie13]

What part of great lakes are you from Marie? The last I was active here, there weren't many great lakes divers?

Mitten state native (suburban Detroit), been in the Chicago area for quite a while.

 

[b1gcountry]

I grew up in Chicago and still have family there. I did a lot of diving with Greg Such, Capt Dale, and dove off the RV Aquatica when I was in Chicago. I did a few dives with Jerry and Jitka, but not as many.

I know Greg is still around, who else is still running charters?

 

[mridude]

Maybe I wasn't clear in my post. I have been diving and cleaning masks for almost 20 years. I have never had an issue preparing a new mask or maintaining a mask on a regular basis. My mask rarely fogged up in the past. I live in Cozumel. I dive once or twice a week. My masks are not stored in between dives. I clean them with soapy water, rinse and towel dry them, and they sit on my scuba bench until I dive again.

The reason for my post is I am questioning whether axion soap paste is truly a good idea, especially in light of advancements in mask technology and new lense technology. I hesitate to question a cleaning product that at least 4 dive instructors, various dive masters, many advanced divers, and myself have been using for years. But if indeed it is a bad product to use, I should bring this up on the boat..although I am sure there will be considerable resistance if I do considering the track record of success...

I don't expect a magic bullet or instant resolution, but just hoping someone has some good insight. The post by DiveGearExpress was actually quite good and I thank him for that. But then again, he is going against a practice that was/is used successfully by hundreds if not thousands of divers...tooth paste. Are we now going to say no tooth paste as well? Hard to believe...but he may very well be correct! If there is one thing I have learned over the years, I dont know everything and I am always learning new things.

 

[Jcp2]

Anti-Fogging Treatments for New Masks. (a comparison of techniques)

As simple as it seems that it should be, treatments to alleviate mask fogging remain a subject of hot debate. I remain surprised that one definitive answer has not been found long ago. So, I would like to investigate this in a scientific way. This thread is a spin-off of Glass lens frameless...

scubaboard.com

Monster thread from lowviz.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Modern toothpaste is not abrasive enough to clean glass. The stuff I use from the dollar store is like the old fashioned cheap paste that used to be available. It's made in China so I wouldn't put it in my mouth, but it works great on masks with standard tempered glass lenses. The ultraclear and other coating masks I've never tried. Because I have to have prescription lenses bonded into mine.

 

[tridacna]

Modern toothpaste is not abrasive enough to clean glass. The stuff I use from the dollar store is like the old fashioned cheap paste that used to be available. It's made in China so I wouldn't put it in my mouth, but it works great on masks with standard tempered glass lenses. The ultraclear and other coating masks I've never tried. Because I have to have prescription lenses bonded into mine.

You gotta use the “right” toothpaste.

https://www.williamsonperio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Toothpaste-Abrasiveness-Ranked-by-RDA.pdf