How To Clean Mold Silicone Dive Mask

Why practise I need to make clean a make new mask, what'due south dirty about it? Well, it's i of those little secrets that manufacturers and diveshops don't e'er mention, only during the manufacturing process a motion-picture show of silicone and mould release agents forms on the surface of your make new mask lens. This film is stubbornly resistant to the usual de-fogging methods of spit, babe shampoo or commercial defogger, and if you don't clean information technology off you'll have some frustratingly foggy dives.

Merely what to use? We've heard stories of toothpaste, and burning with lighters! Fortunately the great community of Girls That Scuba have many new masks' worth of feel to call upon, and here'south a round-upwardly of tried and tested suggestions (plus a few wacky ones!)

Before you lot dive, we recommend that you do something to remove the silicone film on your mask lens, something more than than the spit or shampoo treatment that about divers apply correct before getting moisture. These treatments fit into two broad categories, commercial and DIY.

Commercial mask cleaners

There are a few commercial scrubs peculiarly designed to make clean scuba masks:

500 psi mask scrub

McNett'due south Bounding main Buff mask precleaner

Salclear makes a number of products, some for de-fogging, and one they say is for "cleaning and preparation of new diving masks".

Use a small blob of regular white toothpaste (not gel), go comfy and rub that stuff around and around your mask. Accept a short break, and so get rubbing again. Put a good motion picture on and continue going, aye it's tiresome! You could apply a cloth, or an onetime toothbrush too. Some GTS recommend leaving the toothpaste to dry overnight before washing information technology off.

Some people similar a minty-smelling mask, and others find any toothpaste residue irritating to the eyes – take your pick!

This is a contentious issue, with strong views on both sides!

PROS

We had lots of firm "yesses", including from several DMs and Instructors within our Facebook group:

"As a swoop instructor, other fellow dive instructors will concur, we always burn masks. That'south the first thing I ask a customer when they bring their own gear. "Is your mask new?" If it is...I burn down it. You have tempered glass lenses so nothing will hurt it. Take a lighter and hold it up to the glass and motility it around, you'll see the glass starts turning black. THAT'South Skilful! That ways the silicone layer that is stuck onto the glass is burning off. Once the glass is all black let it cool and wash it with dish soap or toothpaste. If it fogs on you then echo. I once had to burn a Cressi mask five times."

"Burning the film off the inside is nearly the only sure way to end fogging, but y'all have to be VERY conscientious not to damage the skirting and not to apply heat too long to one spot on the lens. A lighter and a steady sweeping motility beyond the inside of the lens takes intendance of it."

"I think every mask is unlike. For my current mask, toothpaste wasn't enough and I had to do a lot of called-for. I but huffed into the mask afterward each burn and I could meet where information technology still needed it. Now my mask works keen."

Is it safe?

Several GTS members tell united states:

"The only way a rut to the lens will harm the tempering is to have it exist far hotter than a lighter or match gets, besides every bit be left at that place for extended periods. It'due south the aforementioned primary why windows don't blow out of a structure that's on fire, tempering is made to proceed information technology from happening until it reaches serious temperatures."

CONS

On the other hand, there were many warnings about condom risks, and the possibility of voiding the manufacturers' warranty:

From undercurrent.org. "Don't Flame Your Mask April 12, 2022 -

Final month, we reported to our subscribers that a few Hollis masks had shattered when a diver hit the water, and now nosotros take plant the culprit: not the mask, but the diver. As you know, you must smooth the inside surface of a new mask to remove the coating and forestall information technology from fogging. However, some defined effort to burn off that coating with a cigarette lighter, merely this can weaken the tempered glass and may result in a frameless single face-plate mask shattering on impact with the water, specially if the strap is pulled so tight information technology stresses the weakened glass. The proper way to remove the motion-picture show is to polish the glass with a gentle annoying such every bit old-fashioned white toothpaste."

"The proffer of burning the movie is fast and easy, simply not any more effective than removing the film whatever other fashion. Unfortunately, burning both cancels the manufacturer warranty, and can cause weak spots in the glass that can cause the mask to shatter."

"Please Exercise NOT burn your mask. In very rare cases, that'southward weakened the glass and people take had their masks shatter when they've had some impact (eastward.m., doing a giant stride from a gunkhole). It's a very rare occurrence only why risk it?"

"I'chiliad surprised any professional would practise this, but considering it opens them up to a whole lot of liability."

"Do Not fire- I've had three people in every bit many weeks bring masks back that were warped from a lighter."

There were a few other suggestions that were only mentioned one time or twice, so they don't appear to be as widely-used as those above. If you lot've tried any of these methods, please annotate below how well information technology worked for you!

·      Use lots of salt and a tiny bit of h2o to make a thick paste, rub around             with your finger for a while. Salt volition slowly dissolve, then rinse out.

·      Rub with honey.

·      Rub with a raw murphy. (actually?)

·      Soak overnight in cola. Don't use nutrition or caffeine-complimentary.

·      Rub the lens with a bit of ash plus a tiny fleck of water for a while.

·      In Mexico on the boat they had borax and put a footling inside scrubbed to             get the film off and not had an issue since.

·      Mr Clean eraser.

·      Commercial kitchen/bath cleaners. If y'all determine to endeavor one of these, please          be careful to rinse your mask very carefully, as many of these include                 bleach.

Read also: Mask cleaning skill - we show you lot how to do it

Do y'all spit or shampoo?

Prep your mask with your production of choice. This could be spit, spray canteen of baby shampoo diluted in h2o, or commercial defogger. If you use shampoo, please check if information technology's reef safe. Stream2Sea brand some great products!

The GTS community seems to be pretty much split downward the middle on what to use. Although the product might be different, the consensus on method seems to be:

·      Apply a sparse film of spit (your own or a handy buddy'southward!) or diluted shampoo (baby/no tears shampoo is a favourite), smeared onto the Dry out lens.

·      Leave the motion-picture show of spit or production for upward to a couple of minutes.

·      Finally, give the mask a very quick rinse with either fresh or salt h2o, depending on availability. If you apply the communal rinse bucket on the swoop gunkhole, please don't utilise the camera bucket, and please don't dunk your mask, merely use your hand to scoop out some water into your mask – permit'southward exist kind to our beau divers!

This is a tricky one. A couple of GTS suggested rubbing the inside of your mask with kelp or seaweed. I've been given that recommendation myself, and if you're comfortable taking your mask off underwater, it's worth a shot. I had some bad mask fogging one solar day, and tried rubbing it with seaweed, it might have helped a bit, simply I tin can't say it was a surefire fix. All-time to perfect your prevention techniques.

And finally:

Dear mask manufacturers, could you please remove the silicone flick before selling your masks?

About the author:

Even though she's non a strong swimmer, and never liked to put her face in the h2o, Danila Mansfield has been a recreational diver since 1996, and it is truly her happy identify! She has been a full-fourth dimension nomad since 2022, and blogs about it at Notdunroamin.

Source: https://www.girlsthatscuba.com/how-to-clean-new-scuba-mask/

Posted by: faulknerparge1989.blogspot.com

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