How to Prevent Your Glasses From Fogging While Wearing a Mask

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Here are a few ways to prevent your glasses from fogging up while you’re wearing a mask:

Wash your glasses with soapy water

According to two doctors from The Royal College of Surgeons of England this trick works.

• Wash your glasses with soapy water
• Shake off the excess water or foam, and
• Let them air dry or gently wipe it with a tissue right before putting your face mask on

The doctors say that soapy water leaves a thin layer once it is dry, which helps with any condensation. That way, a misting effect doesn’t happen.

Unfortunately, this trick doesn’t always work because many people now have glasses that are resistant to other substances, which means the protection layer of the soap would not stick to it.

Anti-fog spray

Anti-fog spray has chemicals that prevent the condensation of water in the form of small droplets that looks like fog.

There are various products that can prevent foggy glasses but may not work on more advanced lenses. You’ll find certain kinds of anti-fog sprays that will work on goggles and glasses. 

Here are a few suggestions from the Environmental Design and Construction Magazine: Jaws Quick Spit Antifog Spray, Z Clear Lens Cleaner, and Cressi Anti-Fog Spray.

Use a mask with metal wire at the top or sew a pipe-cleaner into your homemade mask

According to Business Insider, most masks don’t seal around our faces and this then leads to condensation and eventually fog.

Some masks have a flexible metal wire in the top, which can be bent to form around your face and stop the air from escaping the mask. However, the one-size-fits-all masks like N95s and surgical masks don’t always work effectively.

Tape a folded tissue to the bridge of your nose or tape your mask to your face

A technique recommended by Dan Formosa, a designer with extensive experience in manufacturing medical masks. Dan says, “folding a tissue and securing it with medical tape to the bridge of your nose underneath your mask, works as a kind of barrier to block the moisture that blows up towards your glasses.”

Make sure that the medical tape is fastened properly before you leave the house so that you don’t have to touch your face later on.

Wearing a mask is fast becoming the new normal. Hopefully these techniques make our glass wearing compatriots’ lives more pleasant.