09/04/2026
Ever wonder why brand new diving mask fog up and need to be prepped before using?
During the manufacturing process, a thin film of silicone and mould release agents will develop on the glass lens. This film will cause rapid fogging that is resistant to conventional anti-fog measures. It is important to remove this film from the lens prior to your first dive.
The Best Way to Clean Your New Dive Mask:
-You will need to remove the film from the manufacturing process. There are several way of doing this.
-You can use toothpaste and a little water. This has to be done several times for it to be effective.
-There are commercial mask cleaning products similar to using toothpaste available.
-You could use hand soap or dish washing liquid, but if you leave any residue and it gets into your eyes you're going to be a very sore unhappy camper.
-Burn the lens. This can be done using a lighter but often takes several times and at risk of damaging your new mask if not done correctly.
However, we here at West Shore Scuba use a high heat torch to remove the film. Our staff is trained on how to properly prepare a mask and remove the residual release agent from the lenses.
We suggest you do this cleaning at least three times. In the dive shop we usually tell people to do it three times in the hope they'll at least do it twice. (If we said twice most would only do it once, and that's not enough.)
If you're going to keep your mask in the plastic storage box it came in, we suggest you also clean the inside of the storage box and lid the same way to remove the thin film on them as well. If you don't do this, it can migrate onto the mask causing fogging.
Mask fogging is a normal occurrence, even after the film of silicone and release agents has been removed. Normal fogging can be easily prevented with saliva, after market anti-fog agents, or baby shampoo. Rub onto the lens and then rinse. Your dive mask should now be fog free! If it's not, you'll need to go back and clean your diving mask with baby shampoo again as described above.
Some after after-market anti-fog agents contain formaldehyde, alcohol, or other substances that may damage the plastic materials used in your mask. If unsure, avoid prolonged exposure of the anti-fog agent with the plastic parts of your mask.
How to Defog Your Diving Mask
Masks should be treated with a defogging agent before every dive or snorkel. If treatment with a defogging agent does not prevent the mask from fogging, it is possible that some residue is left over from the manufacturing process, or that you didn't properly clean the mask after your last dive. If so, you'll need to repeat the cleaning process described above.
Regardless of the brand or type of defog there are basically only three ways to defog your mask:
Spit – For some, this is downright disgusting but it actually works. Saliva makes for an okay surfactant. It's easy and cheap.
Baby Shampoo – Apply it neat onto the inside of the mask lens when the mask is dry and then put it away for storage. Then just give it a quick rinse before you dive.
Commercial Defog Products – coat the lens with an inhibitor.
Start with a clean mask – The mask lens needs to be very clean so fog doesn't form. (Have we mentioned that enough times already?) Every once in a while it doesn't hurt to also clean the outside of the mask lens. It won't help to prevent fogging but you'll see better if the lens is clean on both sides!
Commercial Defog Products — Surfactants like McNett Sea Gold, and McNett Sea Drops can be used. Both approaches work equally well but require different application methods so it's mostly a matter of personal preference. Also for a more reef friendly application we recommend Stream 2 Sea products.
A cleaning spray is the most popular approach because it's quick and easy. Generously spray the inside of the mask lens, rub and rinse completely to remove. If the lens is not 'squeaky clean' then repeat and perhaps rub a bit harder.
The liquid drops are a concentrated version of the spray type cleaners. Wet the lens first, add a drop in each lens, rub and rinse completely to remove.
With the gel, apply a thin even coating to the inside of the mask lens (more is not better) and lightly rinse to smooth out the coating. Do NOT completely rinse or rub away the gel, remember you want a light coating of the gel on the lens.
Spit – While we should be trying to sell you the 'you beaut' commercial solutions, our preferred pre-dive anti-fog is spit. Spit on the inside of the mask and rub it around with your finger. Dunk the mask briefly in either fresh or sea water. The goal is to leave thin layer of saliva on the inside of the glass. Spitting does not work well if the mask dries out before diving or snorkeling, so use this technique immediately before entering the water.
Caution: Rinse Bucket – Under no circumstances should you spit in a diving/snorkeling mask and then rinse it in the rinse bucket of a dive boat! This is an almost certain way to spread viruses! The rinse bucket on a charter dive boat should be reserved exclusively for those using commercial defog, or the dive boat's preferred defog solutions. All it takes is one sick person spitting in a mask and briefly dunking it in the rinse bucket to contaminate the bucket. We avoid this by rinsing our masks in seawater (works fine), fresh water from the shower hose if there is one, or even bottled water as a last resort.
Baby Shampoo – Another do it yourself pre-dive solution is baby shampoo. Baby shampoo can be used just like commercial defogging solutions. Many divers carry a bottle of 50/50 watered-down baby shampoo with their dive gear. A few drops rubbed into the lens and then briefly rinsed out just before the dive will keep a mask from fogging. We know people who prefer to apply baby shampoo neat onto the inside of the mask lens when the mask is dry just before putting it away for storage. Then you just give it a quick rinse before you dive. Baby shampoo is preferable to standard shampoo, as it is generally hypo-allergenic, less irritating to eyes, and biodegradable. Baby shampoo usually smells good, too.
Anti-Fog Masks- Such manufacturers have come out with masks that are Fog-free masks. Scubapro has introcuded their new Zoom Lite mask. The mask is much lighter because they have exchanged the glass lenses for polycarbonate lenses with a special film on them to prevent fogging.
Additionally we will soon be carrying an aftermarket film that can be added to select masks that we carry that will prevent fogging also. I’ve been testing both the Scubapro Zoom Lite mask and the new film additive and it is a game changer. I new use those masks exclusively.
