The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Goggles

New goggles ‘usually’ have an anti-fog coating inside the lenses. Who knew? When cleaning their goggles, swimmers often rub the inside of their goggles with their finger or a towel to clean them to help prevent fogging. This de-fogging method may actually do more damage than anything to the anti-fog coating.

What should you do instead?

-Try your best to be gentle with your goggle lenses, especially on the inside. Dirt, oil, sand and sunscreen from your fingers and cloths damage the lenses and degrade visibility. This is why you often can’t see very well out of your goggles after a period of time. Plus, poor visibility will often lead to crankiness and fatigue.

-Invest in some cleaning and anti-fog products for goggles. These are usually found on the same rack where the swim goggles but are also for sale on the internet. Follow the directions. It may sound novel, but many do not take this simple step. Be careful to not get any of these products in your eyes. Use only the recommended amount and rinse your goggles with fresh cool tap water. Again, I must stress, read the directions.

-After swimming, gently rinse your goggles with fresh cool tap water before storing them away. This will remove any pool chemicals.

-Never leave your goggles exposed to extreme heat or cold. This will warp or melt the goggle gasket and strap. This is one of the primary reasons the strap ‘snaps’ (often while swimming…big sigh).

-Use a protective goggle case to store your goggles. Tossing your goggles in your swim bag should not be an option. The chance of them getting scratched by almost anything in your swim bag is inevitable. Imagine the horror.

-Please do not put your goggles away wet. If you do, they may grow bacteria and mold. Yuk! This can result in eye infections. This might be what you are thinking- “I don’t have time to wait until my goggles are properly dried. I have to get back to work, home, shopping, etc.” Take an extra minute and shake off any excess water the best you can and put them away in a long soft sock. This way they will be safe in your swim bag until you can store them properly. If you are like me, you probably have a couple of lonely socks you could use in your laundry room.

-Maintenance is the key to the proper care and feeding of your goggles. Your goggles cost a lot of money. You want them to last as long as possible. They will if you take care of them properly. Happy swimming!

Guest post by Barbie Nelis