How to Defog a Snorkeling Mask
Snorkeling is much more commonly done than scuba diving, thanks to the fact that a person does not need to be trained on any equipment to be able to snorkel. Despite the fact that no training is needed, this does not mean that a person should not be prepared before going snorkeling. Learning to properly use the snorkel is worthwhile, as is understanding how to defog a snorkeling mask.
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Instructions
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1
Prepare a sink or a bucket full of warm soapy water. Make sure that the water is warm enough that it will be effective, but not so hot that it could harm the mask. As long as it is comfortable to the touch, the water shouldn't be too hot.
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2
Remove the silicon layer on the cover of the mask by peeling away at it as it becomes loose in the warm water. Use a fingernail to find the film around the edge of the mask. Once this is found, the rest can fairly easily be peeled off. It is this film that makes the masks fog up.
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3
Scrub the inside of the masks using a washcloth and the soapy water in the sink or bucket. The lens of the mask should be cleaned very well to ensure that no further fogging occurs.
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4
Use a small drop of toothpaste and rub it around the mask lens. A gel-based toothpaste is abrasive enough to remove the rest of the film that may still be stuck on the mask. Rinse the mask after using the toothpaste.
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Wash the inside of the mask on the day of a dive, and rinse it before you enter into the water. Apply defogging drops to the lens to reduce the risk of fogging.
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6
Clean and rinse the mask after each snorkeling trip. Any kind of sand or debris that is left on a snorkeling mask after a dive can contribute to the mask fogging up the next time it is used.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't allow a mask to become dry in between dives unless it has been thoroughly cleaned. A dry mask is a gritty mask. Any leftover grit on a mask will quickly become fog during the next dive.
Don't use abrasive cleansers to clean plastic masks or the masks will end up scratched.
