New mask coming (Yay!) Cleaning question

[T Bone]

Ordered a new mask a couple days ago (Scubapro Frameless) and am wondering, do the "old standby" methods (Softscub or toothpaste) really get the job done, or do I need to spend the five bucks on one of the various magic potions available for cleaning a new mask? (My last mask, I used the magic stuff from the LDS I bought from, can't recall what I did before).

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Toothpaste. I don't use the whitening type just regular paste.

 

[Belmont]

Flame...the flame from a lighter on the glass will burn any residue and it can be removed after with toothpaste.

I did that on my scubapro mask after many good scrubbings and 25 dives, the flame showed there still was a film left on the glass.

Since then no more fogging issues, I use some baby shampoo that I apply in advance to let it dry, a little rinse before jumping in and voilà.

 

[Scuba-Jess]

I agree with Submariner... Toothpaste... but use the most basic paste style toothpaste... all the new toothpastes just don't work the same. And you may need to do it 2-3 times to get everything off... the way I check mine to see if it's clean enough is put the mask on, fill the tub with water and stick my head in for a few seconds... seriously

 

[foles1972]

I've had a couple of new masks over the last couple of years and the toothpaste trick worked just fine for me. I have heard that the best is the plain white kind.

No offense, Belmont, but I wouldn't trust myself with an open flame around any of my SCUBA equipment. I would probably end up melting something that shoudn't be melted!

 

[Belmont]

I was afraid myself but tried anyways.
You can try on the centre of the glass and you move carefully to the sides.
You don't stay long in the same place, you'll see the film darken and start peeling.
The glass barely warms up and the silicone can stand a lot of heat, more than you can
apply to it. Silicone kitchen utensils are available on the market, they are used under much
higher heat than you could ever apply on your mask lens.

I found that trick on a previous thread, here on scubaboard.

 

[spectrum]

Soft Scrub, abrasive (not gel) toothpaste, whatever you have. The most important thing is to test it at home before it ever goes diving so you don't mess up a dive or 2 getting it right. More about it here.

Pete

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I used toothpaste on my last 3 masks with great results. wet the lens, scrub it with toothpaste applied and rubbed (hard) with your finger, rinse and repeat. Be sure to get all the way out to the edges. Then rinse the mask again very thoroughly scrubbing away any remaining toothpaste.

 

[AtomicZ]

Put that bad boy in the dishwasher and then scrub with toothpaste or mask scrub from your LDS. You have to make sure you get a particular kind of toothpaste or you can scratch up your brand new mask so I always use the mask scrub. This worked like a charm on my Atomic Sub-Frame after I had tried cleaning it various other ways and it still fogged up. After the dishwasher did its magic and I scrubbed it, I haven't had any problems.

 

[texas-buzzard]

Congrats on your frameless, they really fit ugly old mugs like mine.