Swim goggles are to be worn when swimming to protect your eyes. In the course of use, however, the goggles can get all fogged up and cloudy, hindering vision. This article will show you how you can get those foggy goggles spick and span.
What are the steps to take when cleaning your goggles?
You should wash your goggles in cold or room-temperature water. You can clean your goggles by holding them under the sink faucet and letting the water flow over the lenses. This will get rid of chlorine and other pollutants that can damage the goggles and limit their useful life.
If the lenses have an anti-fog coating, don’t rub them with a towel, your fingers, or anything else. The lenses’ coating can be scratched if they’re rubbed.
You should only use water to clean your goggles if they have an anti-fog coating. Lenses should not come into contact with soap or detergent. The coating may be harmed if you do that.
Soap and water should be used on goggles without an anti-fog coating. Cleaning your goggles with baby shampoo or a light soap is fine if they don’t have a special coating. Baby shampoo can be applied to a damp sponge and used to clean the goggles’ frame and straps. Then, wash the goggles inside and out with warm water to get rid of any remaining soap.
You can still clean the straps of your glasses with a gentle soap even if you don’t want to get soap on the lenses themselves.
Put your goggles on a flat surface to dry. Place them somewhere where the sun won’t hit them and where they won’t be scratched. Wait until they are totally dry before putting them in a container or a bag, though, so they won’t get damaged. It’s not a good idea to put wet goggles back in their case until they’ve dried out.
Cleaning your glasses will take approximately an hour, so do it when you won’t need them right away.
Use vinegar to get rid of grime buildup. In the event that a simple rinse isn’t enough to clean your swimming goggles, try soaking them in a mixture of hot water and vinegar. If you can’t find a dish big enough to hold the goggles submerged, use hot tap water with 5 teaspoons of white vinegar instead. The goggles should be submerged in this mixture for a period of two hours before being removed, after which they should be rinsed in cold water from the faucet and then left to dry naturally.
How do I keep my goggles in tip-top shape?
Don’t touch the eyeglasses’ lenses. This is vital, not just during cleaning but always. Fingernails and rough fabrics can leave scratches, while fingerprints, oil, and debris can damage lens coatings.
Keep your sunglasses in a dark place. The harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on our skin and eyes extend to the degradation of swimming goggles. Rubber goggle straps can dry out and crack when subjected to too much sunshine.
Keep your goggles safe by storing them in a case. Put your goggles in a separate pouch in your swim bag. Lenses can be protected from damage during transport by placing them in a case or pouch.
Purchase anti-fog coating restoration products. Even with careful maintenance, the anti-fog coating on goggles will eventually wear off. However, anti-fog properties can be restored with aftermarket products.
Lenses can be treated with anti-fog sprays to make them more clear and easy to see through.
Towelettes with anti-fog agents are another alternative for cleaning out dusty eyewear.
Why do goggles fog up?
The physics underlying why eye protection mists up is deceptively straightforward. The key is the temperature differential between the inside and outside of the goggle lens. If the temperature of the air within your goggles is higher than the temperature of the lens, water will condense on the lens. Fog forms when there is an abundance of condensation. It’s the same principle that allows us to leave our mark on shower doors, causes glasses to mist up whenever an oven door is opened, and causes foggy windows in cars. Foggy goggles are a major bummer and can ruin an otherwise enjoyable swim session due to a temperature imbalance caused by your own body heat.
How do I stop fogging my goggles?
Anti-fog is the answer to the problem of fogging goggles, which is not a problem at all. A long-term solution to the problem of fogged swimming goggles would be preposterous, but technology once again comes to the rescue.
The condensation of water molecules into droplets, or fog, can be avoided with the help of anti-fog, a chemical surfactant. The anti-fog treatment is effective because it reduces the surface tension of the water, or the force that causes water molecules to stick together. The initial attraction between water molecules is stronger than the attraction between water molecules and the surface, which is why water forms beads. The plan is to add something that interferes with the water molecules’ ability to bind to one another. The water will not condense into droplets but rather form a film that is barely perceptible to the naked eye.
While there is a commercially available anti-fog for goggles, many people resort to “do-it-yourself” solutions such as toothpaste, shampoo, or even saliva. Each of these strategies is modeled after anti-fog’s primary function, which is to prevent the condensation of water vapor into droplets. Some of these techniques work, while others just don’t; nonetheless, none of them are as effective as dedicated anti-fog measures, and at best, they only provide temporary relief. Any anti-fog coating on your eyewear will be damaged or destroyed in any of these ways.
How do you remove film from swim goggles with toothpaste?
Use anything mildly abrasive, like toothpaste, to get rid of the film. Use regular white toothpaste instead of the more exotic gel varieties. Please take note that this only applies to glass lenses and not plastic ones. Plastic lens masks are flimsy, prone to scratches, and often include an anti-fog coating. Things like toothpaste and fingernails can easily scratch and destroy plastic lenses. It is at your own risk to use toothpaste as a pre-treatment on your plastic (polycarbonate) lens. Use a soft, moist washcloth and wipe gently in a circular manner to avoid damaging plastic lenses.
Put a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on a thimble and massage it all over the lenses. Apply some pressure and rub it in a circular motion with clean fingers.
Remove the toothpaste by rubbing the lens under running water. It’s important to remember that toothpaste might get stuck in the crevices, so you can either increase the water pressure or use a moist washcloth to get rid of the buildup.
After the toothpaste has been removed from the lens using the rinsing solution, pat it dry using a fresh towel or rag.
Do this 5–7 times total, letting the lens dry in between applications.
When it comes to dealing with foggy goggles, what additional alternatives do I have?
Your Saliva
Surprisingly, human saliva can prevent the fogging of goggles. Since saliva is a surfactant, it can reduce the surface tension between fog molecules and help keep them from clumping together.
To prevent your eyes from fogging up while swimming, just spit on the inner surface of your goggles and then give them a good rub to cover the lenses. You need just a tiny bit of your saliva. If you use too much, it will get all over your goggles and fog them up.
Saliva is a fantastic, no-cost option that may be used whenever necessary. However, keep in mind that this is a stopgap measure at best. Even so, it’s a great strategy for eliminating fog from your goggles before each lap.
Baby Shampoo
This is an unconventional approach, yet it has proven effective for many. The surfactant in baby shampoo will help keep your goggles clear.
This is an excellent replacement for spitting into your hazy eyewear if you find it unpleasant.
You may prevent condensation from forming on your lens by applying a coating to its interior. In comparison to regular shampoo, baby shampoo is gentler on the eyes and less likely to trigger allergic reactions.
However, even baby shampoo in excess can cause eye irritation. Baby shampoo can be applied to goggles and then rinsed off 15 minutes before entering the water.
How do I extend the life of my anti-fog?
Anti-fog technology may be state-of-the-art, but it still needs maintenance and will degrade with time. There are, however, three things you can do to keep your anti-fog coating in good working order for as long as possible.
Keep your hands off the lens.
You should never touch the inside of your goggles, as this is where the anti-fog treatment is applied. If you touch the surface, you’ll remove the coating and reduce its effectiveness.
Use clean water to rinse.
Afterwards, give your goggles a quick rinse in water to get rid of any leftover chlorine or debris from your swim. Taking your goggles into the bathroom with you after you’ve finished swimming is the best way to ensure that you don’t forget to clean them after you’ve used them. The alternative is to use a water bottle and give yourself a short squirt.
Protected storage
Put your goggles away in a dry, secure container. Everyone has done it: wrapped their goggles in a towel or swim hat before tossing them into their swim bag. Goggles should be stored in a dry, airy place where they can air out, but one that is rigid enough to prevent them from breaking or getting scratched.
