Defog formula

[merxlin]

Try using the Mister Clean Magic Erasers - all white version (or any generic/dollar store version- its all the same material) along with toothpaste or baking soda. Will not scratch the glass but really takes the coatings off. Also, you can keep a small 1" x 1" piece in your bag and give the mask a quick rub before diving. Works great! They do absorb a bunch of water so make sure you wring them out and let them dry. It also works very well on slates and dry erase boards.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Well - maybe there's something wrong with my fingers but when not using the toothbrush, I have failed to clean it well enough. Also, about ~10 minutes of brushing proved to be not enough for the last mask that my buddy purchased, but after another 20 minutes, it came clean.

Wow, that is interesting. I wonder if perhaps the toothpaste is not abrasive enough? I have had pretty good experience with soft scrubs. For that I recommend using rubber gloves, though, and make sure to rinse out any residue REALLY well, because it will sting your eyes otherwise. It's necessary to get everything out that accumulates in the little nooks and crannies where the rubber meets the lens, but if you do that, the mask will never fog again, at least in my experience and using baby shampoo before each dive.

 

[tridacna]

What's wrong with saliva? It's the best, always available in more than enough quantities (as long as you are well hydrated).

Because mine doesn't work!

 

[Walter]

Never dilute it. Always use it full strength. Start with a dry mask. Apply a small amount and rub it on the lens. Let it dry on the mask. Rinse it lightly just before (or after) getting into the water. Don't rinse in the mask bucket, it's been polluted with several different defogs, you need clean water. You can rinse in eith fresh or salt water. I usually use salt water on my descent.

 

[stairman]

Well Sunday I was tinkering around the house and remembered the Hibiscus trick. I got a leave off the plant and rubbed it in till the leaf fell apart and became a slime. I got excited and thought, this is gonna work. The ooze was long and stringy like clear snot.[sorry]. A light rinse in water and I breathed in the mask and it fogged. What a let down. My spit doesnt work either by the way. I had a Corona on the edge of the sink and tried some of that. I breathed hot air in the mask and no fog what so ever. Not sure how its gonna store in a squirt bottle but it sure worked better than the Hibiscus.

 

[marinediva]

Hi stairman
not sure what went wrong for you. I must admit I don't get snot like oooze from the leaves.
I simply break the leaves in half and rub on.
I don't let them get to slime they are quiet hard, but a clear film is left of the glass.
I dont wash off, just dive with it on.
If fact have my supply of leaves picked today for tomorrows dive.

 

[rockjock3]

I did the toothpaste on both my masks and use the $5 bottle of "PSI 500" after I clean/dry my gear. I bought this bottle of defog gel when I started diving. It is about the twice the size of a bic lighter and after 500+ dives it still has over 1/3 of the bottle left. I put a drop on the tip of my finger that is about the size of 1/2 grain of rice. That is enough to smear over my whole lens. You smear it so thin so that you can almost see through it as if nothing was there. Next, I put all my gear away till the next dive. When I go diving next I simply swish some water in my mask before I get in and it has never fogged. This is for long 3 hour+ dives or normal dives from 30min - 1.5 hours. Dive days from 1 dive to 5 dives and never have to reapply during the day. Never a bit of fog.

 

[Pacific Taco]

I did the toothpaste thing to a couple of masks with good results but the best mask defogger I've ever seen was done on my brand new Cressi Big Eyes Evolution. I jumped on the Humboldt for a trip to the Coronados and realized "hey, it's a brand new mask and I didn't clean it". Asked Capt Ryan if he had defogger and he asked if it was a new mask. Before I could even answer he snatched it out of my hands and went below decks. I watched in UTTER HORROR as he sparked a blowtorch and quickly touched it to the inside of each lens and then tossed the mask back to me. He explained that fire was the most efficient method for removing the silicone film that is sitting on the glass and that you can see it flame out (blue flame puff) when you use his method. That trip I didn't do anything else and had 3 perfect dives. Since then that mask has never fogged on me with saliva use.

Don't try this at home unless you're confident in your ability to buy a 2nd mask if you melt the first.

 

[Laustimus]

Toothpaste cleaning the mask was one of the best things to work for me, once I did that most dives I don't have to use anything anymore, worst case some saliva.

 

[SelkieDVM]

What's wrong with saliva?

How about it's a good way to give yourself conjunctivitis? The human mouth has some pretty nasty bugs in it. Having said that I still use it from time to time myself.