Hello, I'm new to swimming properly. I messed around with a poor breaststroke from childhood until October last year, when I decided to start learning front crawl. I've done quite a bit of snorkelling, so when I committed to learning to swim correctly, I favoured a mid-size swimming mask instead of goggles...I just found this more comfortable and I never had fogging issues that a good dose of saliva wouldn't fix.
A few weeks ago, I decided to try the Arena Pure goggles for a change. They are supposed to have an anti-fog coating, which should never be touched by hand etc etc. On their maiden outing, I just couldn't get comfortable with them and I thought they were fogging up, so I employed the primitive method (rub saliva into the lenses with finger). You may well slap your foreheads at the stupidity of this, but I felt I had to try. The result was a smudge at the centre of the lenses.
When I got home, after rinsing in fresh water, I decided to wipe the interior with a soft microfibre cloth. The result is that the centre of the lenses appears scuffed and visibility is reduced. I don't think the lenses truly are scuffed, unless the lense material is absurdly soft. Yesterday, I applied some Cressi Anti-fog in the hope that the layer may recover and the interior return to its original condition, but it didn't work. The lenses look as if someone has rotated a scouring pad on them.
I guess I should remove the remainder of the original anti-fog layer and just reapply the Cressi solution, but I'm not sure how to remove the original layer without damaging the lenses.... Can anyone please advise?
Many thanks in advance
I have never found an anti-fog goggle that can make it through one workout let alone a week.I do have a solution for foggy goggles that doesn't damage the anti-fog layer:when the goggle starts to get foggy lick the inside.This applies the saliva without scratching like your fingers can.Don't do this until the anti-fog coating has had some use or it tastes bad.
Good luck with this. I have tried many a pair of goggles, all different sorts of brands, and all sorts of remedies. The anti-fog quality usually lasts me 2-3 workouts, max. I'm living in a fog. . . . .
In my opinion anti-fog goggles don't exist. Brand new goggles might give you a few days where they don't fog, but eventually they will. Saliva works as good as an anti-fog agent as anything, so, no, you weren't stupid by trying this method. Another thing I've heard people say is keeping the goggles in a mixture of baby shampoo and water while they're not in use helps keep them from fogging.
One thing I wonder about since you mention the goggles appear "scuffed." Are these goggles the mirrored/metalized type designed for outdoor use? The coating can chip off on these for sure. I can't imagine a micro fiber cloth scuffing non-mirrored goggles.
The anti fog material is absurdly soft and easily scratched. The only remedy now is to find an edge and peel it off of your goggles, or discard them and avoid more distraction.
I agree with Kirk about anti-fog goggles not existing. On the other hand, I've become a believer in the baby shampoo and water mixture. It is amazingly effective at extending goggle life and keeping them from fogging up during practice.
New goggles can get cloudy after just week or so. Some people rub the anti-fog coating away when trying to clean them.
The best solution as in the previous posts is either baby shampoo or kitten shampoo. Just a dab on each lense before you head off to the pool. Give the goggles a quick back and forth underwater before you put them on. They'll work like brand new.
Thanks for the replies. I'm open to trying these methods, but for now, the goggles are probably unusable... after one pool trial... so I need to reduce the scratches in the soft anti-fog layer bafore doing anything else. Assuming the layer is water soluble, I've filled the lenses with demineralised water to see if this dissolves a bit of the layer and minimizes the scratches. I'll swim with my old mask in the meantime :) I'll post the result here, because though no-one else seems to have had this same specific problem, I appreciate all of the comments given.
I agree that there's no such thing as true anti-fog goggles. My current pair of practice goggles are scuffed, but on the outside. I hadn't had this problem before but I think it's because I now have hard paddles and they are probably banging against the goggles in the wet pocket of my swim backpack.
In my opinion anti-fog goggles don't exist. Brand new goggles might give you a few days where they don't fog, but eventually they will. Saliva works as good as an anti-fog agent as anything, so, no, you weren't stupid by trying this method. Another thing I've heard people say is keeping the goggles in a mixture of baby shampoo and water while they're not in use helps keep them from fogging.
One thing I wonder about since you mention the goggles appear "scuffed." Are these goggles the mirrored/metalized type designed for outdoor use? The coating can chip off on these for sure. I can't imagine a micro fiber cloth scuffing non-mirrored goggles.
Thanks for the replies. The goggles have smoke coloured lenses, not mirrored. The scuffing is on the inside only, so this leads me to think that the scuffs are in the anti-fog layer only. I'm just not sure how to remove the layer without damaging the lenses...
