No-fog face masking

In my recent post about birding at Malibu Lagoon, I commented that my binoculars kept fogging up while wearing the mask.

Alert reader and Western Snowy Plover maven Grace Murayama spotted that lament and sent me two remedies, which – although as yet untested by me – I now pass on to you, as they appear to be both safe and likely to work. The demonstrations below are about keeping glasses defogged, but I see no reason why this won’t also work for binoculars, telescopes, cameras, etc. (By the way, this sort of thing, which used to be known as remedies, fixes or repairs, are now called “hacks.” Nothing to do with taxicabs I assume. Maybe the word “hack” went searching for a new definition when taxis began to disappear and it feared vanishing altogether.)   [Chuck Almdale]

1). Tissue: Super cheap & easy. Fold a tissue (facial/ Kleenex-type or 4 sheets of TP) and place along the top inside edge of mask – catches moisture in air /blocks moist warm breath from going up, plus absorbs moisture from your nose. There is of course a YouTube video showing you how to do this “hack.”

2). Surgical Tape: Place strip of surgical/medical tape along top edge of mask, also to block moist warm breath from going up. Use hypoallergenic (non-irritating) tape. It won’t create a rash, it’s easy to peel off and leaves your skin, eyelashes and eyeballs in situ. A band-aid also works. Here’s the de rigueur video, this one from a real doctor, not merely a YouTube doctor.