HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR GOGGLES

Just when you thought you had enough goggle information to chew on for months to come, we decided to add more to your plate. Instead of merely giving you guidance on the best eyewear you can buy, we?ve gone a step further to offer all the best tips for prepping and maintaining your goggles for a long, effective life.

We?d all like to be able to buy a new pair of goggles every week and maybe even a few different goggle setups depending on the conditions we?re facing. But that?s just not very practical. Instead, we gathered all the information on goggle prep, maintenance, and miscellaneous information we could find to enable you to have a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship between you and your goggles. Follow these simple tips of goggle TLC?and be free.

CARE
To keep your lens in tip-top condition, forget about chemicals; the best thing to use is soap and water. The ammonia in nearly all ‘Windex-type’ cleaners can cause your lenses to become brittle and break. Ever see a pair of goggles with spider cracks running through the lens? That?s what prolonged use of chemicals will do to your lens. Also, be sure to use extra care when cleaning the inside of the lens; usually the inner coating is not as strong as the outer coating.

When prolonged neglect has your plastic more closely resembling mud than its original color, cleaners such as Honda plastic cleaner and Pledge will do a good job restoring the goggle?s plastic to its original beauty.

Ever see your buddy?s (we know it could never happen to you) foam crumbling apart like a good helping of Roquefort bleu cheese? Sweat is the enemy of foam so it?s important to regularly clean the foam, with soap and water. Simply submerge the goggle in your sink and gently massage the soapy concoction into the foam. Your washing machine will work too.

PREP
Dust?The best thing you can do to keep dust from impairing your vision is to treat the outer lens with an anti-static agent. Moose Dust?r works well, but you can also use a homemade recipe by diluting fabric softener with water and spraying it on. Not only does this reduce the amount of dust that accumulates on your lens, but also helps prevent streaking when you use your sleeve to wipe off the dust that has accumulated. You can also treat the foam by applying baby oil or Vaseline with your finger or a Q-Tip (we recommend Vaseline) to keep the dust out.

Rain/cold?For extreme downpour conditions, it?s probably best to cross your fingers and hope for the best, but treating the lens with Rain-X will help the water cascade rather than spot, and a squeegee on your finger (Aero-Stitch makes ?em) will help too. For light rain, Smith Roll-Offs work great and there?s a lens visor you can get that prevents water and dirt from seeping underneath the film. If you are using Roll-Offs, it?s a good idea to tape the cans closed. When it comes to fog, a double-pane lens is your best bet as nearly all are treated with an anti-fog agent. Even with a double-pane lens it can?t hurt to treat the lens with an anti-fog agent like Fog Off. A good homemade alternative is to rub a layer of soft soap on the inside of your lens, let it dry, then rub it off like you would car wax. And if you wear glasses, don?t forget to treat them with the agent as well.