Why Your Swimming Goggles Fog Up and Fail Early | Simply Swim

Your swimming goggles may look perfectly fine when you put them away, yet a few weeks later you are squinting through a cloudy haze. The strap still works. The seals are intact. There are no obvious scratches. So why have your goggles suddenly stopped doing their job?

The culprit is often the anti-fog treatment, and surprisingly, your cleaning habits may be doing more damage than hundreds of lengths in the pool.

The science behind anti-fog goggles

Anti-fog technology is designed to reduce the tiny droplets that form across the inside of a lens. When warm, humid air inside your goggles meets the cooler lens surface, moisture can condense. Instead of remaining as a clear surface, it forms droplets that scatter light and create that familiar mist.

Anti-fog treatments change the way moisture behaves on the lens. Rather than allowing water to form individual droplets, the treatment encourages it to spread more evenly across the surface, helping you maintain a clearer view.

The catch? That treated surface needs looking after.

Your fingertips could be causing the problem

One of the easiest ways to shorten the useful life of your anti-fog goggles is touching the inside of the lenses.

It is tempting to wipe away a drop, adjust your goggles with your fingers or give the lens a quick rub after swimming. But your fingertips can transfer oils, sweat, sunscreen and other residues onto the treated surface.

Repeated rubbing can also gradually affect the anti-fog treatment. You may not see microscopic damage happening, but you can certainly notice the result when your lenses start fogging halfway through a swim.

So before blaming your goggles, look at your own habits.

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How you clean your goggles matters

After swimming, rinse your goggles thoroughly with clean, fresh water to remove chlorine, salt and other pool residues. Then allow them to air dry naturally.

Try not to rub the inside of the lenses with a towel, even if they look like they need polishing. Avoid household glass cleaners, soaps and abrasive cloths too. These are designed for very different surfaces and may affect specialist lens treatments.

If your goggles need additional care, choose a goggle lens cleaning product specifically designed for swimming equipment and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

And don't forget where you put them.

Throwing expensive goggles loose into a swimming bag alongside towels, keys, hairbrushes and other equipment is an easy way to introduce scratches. A goggle case provides a simple barrier between your lenses and everything else rattling around in your kit.

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Your goggles aren't disposable

Whether you swim once a week or train several times a week, good goggles are an important piece of swimming equipment. Premium competition goggles can feature advanced lens treatments, carefully engineered seals and designs intended to minimise drag and maximise your field of vision.

Looking after them is therefore part of getting the most from your investment.

At Simply Swim, you'll find a range of swimming goggles and accessories designed for different swimming styles, from everyday pool sessions to serious training and competition. Choosing the right goggles is only half the job. Looking after them properly can help you get considerably more from them.

So, the next time your goggles start fogging, don't immediately put them in the bin.

Ask yourself: Have I been touching the inside of the lenses?

If the answer is yes, you may have found the problem.

Rinse rather than scrub, keep your fingers away from the inside of the lenses, let your goggles dry naturally and store them safely in a goggle case. A little care can go a long way towards keeping your view of the pool clear.