So you’ve bought your brand new mask ready to go Scuba Diving, only to find it fogs up on every dive and you wonder why as your dive buddies don’t seem to have the same problem.
The issue occurs as the manufacturing process puts a very thin layer of silicon on the lenses to protect the glass. If you don’t remove this layer before diving any type of anti-fog solution won’t work as the silicon prevents the solution from working.
There are a number of techniques talked about online and we’ll run through the most tried-and-tested method we know.
It’s a very simple process using standard white toothpaste. Before getting going a couple of quick tips – don’t use any fancy whitening or stain removal version as it could cause tiny scratches) and this technique should only be used on glass lenses as plastic or specially coated lenses will scratch easily.
So once you are ready with the new mask and toothpaste – follow these steps:
- Wash your hands and make sure they are clean to avoid scratching the lenses.
- Put a pea or thimble-sized amount of toothpaste and rub it on both the front and back sides of your lenses making sure the lenses are dry first!
- With clean and dry fingers rub the toothpaste in a circular motion
- Now rinse the lens with cold water while rubbing away the toothpaste. The toothpaste may get into the edges of the mask so use a little extra water and a soft wet cloth to remove it
- Once you’ve cleaned off all the toothpaste use a clean towel to dry the lens
- Repeat the steps above 5-7 times, drying in between each application, to make sure all of the silicone residue is removed.
When done remember to give the mask a thorough clean to remove all traces of the toothpaste just to prevent any remnants from affecting your eyes during use.
Also, invest in a good mask defogger (we would recommend the Stream2Sea Reef Friendly Mask Defogger) as this technique only removes the manufacturing layer but doesn’t stop your mask from defogging!
