how do you keep your mask from fogging up?

[WVDiver]

Ever buy a $4 bottle of Sea Drops use it once or twice lose it or loan it and never get it back then go buy another. It's a vicious circle isn't it.

While diving in the Florida Keys I came across a cheaper method that works just as good and costs almost nothing.

Go to Wal-Mart in the travel section where they sale small travel things like tooth paste, asprin, shampoo, shave cream and the like and pick up one of those small 50 cent bottles with the pump spray tops and lid.

Then grab a large bottle of Johnson's Baby Shampoo for a buck at the dollar store and you have a supply of sea drops that will last for months or years.

Mix it to suit yourself. I put about 1/2 shampoo in the bottle and then fill the bottle with water. Shake well before use.

Pros:

Everytime you use it you clean your mask.
If it gets in your eyes it isn't harmful. Unlike Sea Drops and similar products. Read the Caution, Eye Irritant warning on the lable.
It is very cheap.
Use it to clean other equipment.
Spray it on, rub it around and Give it a quick rinse. Put your mask on and leave it on.

Cons:

If your mask lense isn't nice and clean it won't work very well until you use it enough that your mask gets clean. In this case mix it a little heavier with the shampoo. Also you may take some mild toothpaste (without a gritty texture) and clean your mask lense well to get off the factory film. This usually takes several to many scrubbings. If you're an old salt and have had your mask a long time you probably won't have a problem.

Make bubbles

 

[BlueDolphin]

Heyzoooooos guys.... cmon.

SOME MASK HAVE MORE OF A PROBLEM WITH FOGGING THAN OTHERS.

I have one mask that fogs no matter what I do. My others are just fine having used softscrub after purchase and defog.

And it IS The grit in the toothpaste that you need. Not the gel type. The grit etches the inside of the lens just enough to remove film used in the lens making process.

 

[RP Diver]

I'm curious why some people have fogging problems and others don't? I only did a quick scrub with tooth paste for a minute or two when new, and just spit/rub/rinse before each dive, and haven't experienced any fogging problems? I would think cold water diving would be more prone to fogging than warm. Do some people just have better spit or something?

FS: Jason's Spit, $50 ounce.

It is a puzzle. I think that some divers tend to exhale more through the nose, which maybe keeps the air in the mask warmer and moister? Then contact with the cooler glass lens creates a greater tendency to fog up? I know that if I don't treat mine, it will fog, and my spit doesn't do squat for it.

 

[Danny D]

To clean a new mask I have always used toothpaste....works for me....To keep it from fogging a little spit and then rinsing it slightly takes care of it for me ,my father, and many people I know...thats how they have been doing it since the beginning!

 

[dbg40]

Fogging is caused by imperfections in the glass causing water vapor to cling to it. It should be cleaned out with toothpaste then rinsed out well. you can break the surface tension of the water by using de-fog I make my own as its really no more than water and baby shampoo (usually a 50/50 mix) And remember you have to clean a silicon mask fairly often as the silicon will continue to "sweat" into the glass for the life of of your mask.

 

[Uncle Pug]

I use genuine UPS (Uncle Pug Slobber.) Works like a charm and is now available in 1 oz bottles for $15. UPS with OCC added (Oreo Cookie Crumbs) is $20 per bottle.

Yesterday I tried smearing a banana inside my mask. What a mistake... it was very hard to rinse out with cold sea water!

From now on it is nothing but UPS or UPS w/OCC for me.

 

[BlueDolphin]

I think we should do a reality show starring UP. A banana....lmao!?

You are'nt hurting any small animals during testing are you??

 

[JasonH20]

I use genuine UPS (Uncle Pug Slobber.) Works like a charm and is now available in 1 oz bottles for $15. UPS with OCC added (Oreo Cookie Crumbs) is $20 per bottle.

Yesterday I tried smearing a banana inside my mask. What a mistake... it was very hard to rinse out with cold sea water!

From now on it is nothing but UPS or UPS w/OCC for me.

I see UP is trying to undercut my business. But I have to add that while my spit is 2 1/2 times as expensive, I brush my teeth.

On a side note, someone told me this weekend that you can give yourself an eye infection if you have a cold sore when you use spit in your mask!?! I dunno, sounds like an old wives tale to me?

 

[ozarkjim]

Last Sat. I tried a paste that I got at Bass Pro for keeping eyeglasses from fogging. They've been selling it there for years and I thought "why not". Put it on at the truck and wiped it off with a cloth per directions. 15 minutes later I walked to the lake, put the mask in the water and emptied it a couple of times. Put it on and dove 27 min. in 46 degree water. Not a hint of fog. Got home that evening and held it over the hot tub...still no fog. Testing will continue.

 

[cyklon_300]

hock a loogie in the mask and swirl with your index finger, then rinse.

I can provide an instructional video for a small handling fee.