Take it or leave it but when you hit the ocean for snorkeling, numerous reasons can trigger you for the thorough cleanup.
But not thorough, the occasional cleanup should also be in your plan.
Anyhow, whenever you feel like using the snorkel gear; you should always take care of the proper cleanup
Post-snorkeling is not only the time that you should take care of the cleaning. The pre-snorkeling also requires the proper cleanup for the sake of removing the dust and dirt off.
Sorry, so many cleanup b—shit you have read by far! 😀
Let’s say no to the ‘cleanup’ word now. We would jump straight to the real essence of how to clean snorkel gear!
After all, it is not just the usage that matters here. It is COVID-19 as well that has engulfed almost all the world.
Not only do you have to put your own safety at play, but you also got to sterilize whatever you use where the public is present.
Why You Need to Clean the Snorkel Gear?
Before we head to get clamped over the real efficient methods of cleaning the snorkel gear; why not we first find out why we need to clean them?
Yeah, we got several WHYs.
The snorkeling gears are left in the store, maybe in open form, for some time?
Or do you have them tossed over the beach sand after spending some time in the water?
These two are the common reasons the snorkeling gears must go through a series of thorough to simple clean up depending on the damage they have incurred.
Now that part justifies why you should be hopping over to the cleanup without worrying about how long it has been.
From quick to thorough, you would get all the methods in a pretty detailed form.
What Involves within the Snorkeling Gear to Get Cleaned?
No-fuss.
- Snorkel tube
- Mask
- Fins
We aim to only cover the recreational snorkeling gear where you do not take the wetsuits with you.
Although, many snorkelers would also skip wearing the fins we would not. 🙂
How to Clean Snorkel Gear with All the Best Practices
We would never have you employing the worst and bad practices for the proper snorkel gear cleanup.
Although there are different methods we will only list the ones that are easy-to-follow yet bring optimum results.
For the quick overview, here come all the cleanup steps for ya’ll;
- Cleaning the Snorkel Tube
- Cleaning the Mask
- And then Cleaning the Fins
The three snorkeling gears have all separate cleaning processes.
So stay with us!
How to Go with Cleaning the Snorkel Tube
Cleaning the snorkel tube could be a difficult task for many.
The outer of the snorkel tube is pretty simple to clean, but how come we clean the inner tube?
That is a challenge — cleaning the snorkel tube from the inside.
But you should not be worrying at all. We present you with the awesome and workable cleaning process to follow that will take you to clean the snorkel tube from the outer and inner sides.
There are also quite a few ways to clean the snorkel tube. Different practices for better clean-up.
The plain water does not just clean it. You need some proper ingredients for removing all the contaminants including bacteria and germs.
General Cleanup of Snorkel Tube with Soap:
The general cleanup is simple to follow. Just a few elements and you are good to go.
- Warm water
- Soap
- And a hand scrub
Get the hand scrub poured with warm water and rub it over the soap. Then you rub the hand scrub buried with soap to form plenty of foam for a good thorough cleanup.
Thorough Cleanup of Snorkel Mouthpiece with Dishwasher Detergent:
Okay, we admit the snorkel tube does not require a thorough cleanup before and after the dive, but what about the mouthpiece?
Yes, the snorkel mouthpiece is the one that gets more germs and bacteria than any other thing because it goes directly into your mouth helping to inhale and exhale the breath.
So, no warm water with hand scrubbing can do the perfect job to evade the presence of bacteria.
For that being said, the perfect solution seems to be the dishwasher detergent along with the warm water to gather in a long bucket.
Now, dip the whole snorkel tube inside that bucket and leave it buried for 20 to 30 minutes to remove off all the bacteria.
After all, it is high time to get rid of the bacteria due to the COVID-19 era.
Cleaning up the Inside of Snorkel Tube:
We retracted this part from the main course of cleaning up the snorkeling tube.
- Pour one tablespoon of bleach diluted into the warm water.
- Leave the snorkel into into it for soaking up to 20 to 30 minutes.
- Now, take it out of the bucket after the specified time period and rinse the inside and out with running tap water.
- And then leave it for the air dry and do not wipe it with towel.
NOTE: If you happen to have a long and slim brush that can easily go inside of the snorkel tube, soak it into the bucket filled with bleach and rub in and out of the snorkel’s both ends.
How to Clean the Snorkel Mask
Now, cleaning the snorkel mask seems easier of a task than the snorkel tube.
Due to the snorkel tube’s build, that makes it is a pure challenge to properly clean it.
By taking advantage of the bleach, detergent, soap, warm water, and the brush; that had made our life easy. Without them, it is a hell of a task to go through.
And then, how to clean the snorkel mask would also go in two phases.
- General and quick cleanup
- Thorough cleanup
General Cleanup Steps for Snorkeling Mask using Detergent or Shampoo:
A snorkeling mask is simple to do all the cleanup tasks.
It takes the headband, the attached goggles, and everything that is easily accessible for cleaning.
Let’s quickly go through the general cleanup process for the snorkeling mask;
- Get the warm water ready.
- Pour the detergent or a bit quantity of shampoo inside the bucket filled with warm water with hand scrub, and leave it there for up to 30 good minutes.
- Rinse the entire mask thoroughly with the help of using the running tap water.
- Shake the mask to get rid from the water drops.
- Dry it out completely using a towel completely as well as from all the corners.
Do not use any ordinary piece of cloth. Always have a microfiber because the masks are generally made with plastic-backed glasses that are prone to get scratches.
Thorough Cleanup of Snorkeling Mask:
The home-based bleach is the one that you should always opt for.
Apply the bleach in warm water, leave the mask inside the warm water for at least 30 minutes or so, and rinse it using the tap water.
Post-Cleanup of Snorkel Mask:
The glasses are the ones that may dull the view. If that is what your snorkel mask does, it is time to replace the snorkel mask.
Oh no! You took that about right — Replacing the snorkel mask just because the view is somewhat dull.
No way, you can retrieve its bright view once again. Just apply the toothpaste over the glasses and rub against the soft toothbrush. This way the haze built upon the glasses would go away instantly.
When done, rinse it with warm water and dry using a soft towel or a soft dusting cloth to remove all the residue.
That is the quick way around allowing you to clean your snorkel mask with toothpaste. Do that and experience the visible difference.
Piece of advice: Do not wipe the snorkel mask. Apply the toothpaste after you have the mask gone through the aforementioned detergent/shampoo. Wiping the mask without proper cleaning, the remnants of the dust and debris can cause severe scratches.
But that depends. The application of toothpaste may (and many not) be recommended. Must ask from the glassmakers or refer to the manual to make sure your acts should not cause damage.
How to Properly Clean the Swim Fins
We take the swim fins the easiest ones to clean out of all the snorkeling equipment.
They are long and plain with almost no curves and hard corners. The plain hand scrub would be able to clean and wipe the whole of it.
Quick Cleaning the Swim Fins:
When you are about to use the swim fins after a while. Or, you just got out of water; the quick cleanup is the step you should absolutely follow.
Just do not leave the swim fins as it is.
So, what involves in the quick cleanup process, here we have it;
- Before doing anything, shake the both fins harshly to drop off all the sand, debris, pieces of sharp pebbles, and unseen shell fragments.
- After jerking thoroughl, now comes the turn to wash them. Now, just rinse the fins using the tap water for the sake of removing off all the residue including sand, shells and such.
- Once done, get the bucket full of warm water and add soap within it.
- Leave it soaking for up to 20 to 30 minutes.
- Now take it out of the bucket and soak either a soft sponge or a piece of soft dusting cloth, microfiber preferably, and rub the whole of fins gently.
- For the more effective cleanup, you can also use a brush and scrub all around it with gentle hands.
- Rinse again using the fresh tap water.
- Now, scrub the fins using the dry but soft towel.
- And soak in air dry but do not leave them under the open sun.
Properly Maintaining the Swim Fins:
To avoid growing the mold and mildew, the best practice to converse the fins are to get them rinsed through the freshwater right after snorkeling.
And do not disregard this simple point to save the fin and save your wallet — do not walk wearing the fins even on the beach sand.
Walking with fins can let the sharp objects including shell fragments, pebbles, and more tear them.
Read: Do You Need Fins to Snorkel – 3 Reasons Tell Why
How to Remove Mold from Snorkel Gear
This is part of the proper cleanup of the entire snorkel equipment.
Without giving the names, we would quickly be revealing the process. And that is up to you whether you apply them on the snorkel tube, mask, or fins.
The application of bleach is the perfect solution to remove mold from the snorkeling equipment.
Removing Mold with Bleach from All the Snorkel Gears:
- Get the bleach and pour it in the warm water full of bucket.
- Submerge all the snorkel gear and let it soaking for over 30 minutes.
- After that duration, take all of them out and rinse through the fresh tap water to get rid of the bleachy elements.
- Now, let the snorkel gears in open space for air dry and avoid the direct sun contact.
Removing the Mold using Vinegar:
Vinegar is also a powerful substance that can eliminate the presence of mold as quickly in a wake of wink’s time.
For example, the fat, oil drops, and burnt spots which vinegar is able to remove off, and with immense care without damaging the utensils.
So, do not take it as acid as it would damage the plastic or such used to construct the different snorkel gears.
But avoid putting in a lot of volume of the vinegar, and do an extra effort to remove it during the rinsing stage.
Again, no more fluff.
Let’s get straight to the cleanup process using vinegar.
- Get the bucket added with warm water and pour an ounce of vinegar.
- Add all the snorkeling gears within it and let them soaking for up to 30 minutes.
- Now, take all of them outta the water and rinse with the help of fresh tap water.
- Then scrub using the wet clothes, preferably the microfiber cloth.
- And leave it for air dry.
If the snorkel happens to turn yellow or all other gears, this is the step that would greatly help to retain its shiny look. Looking like just new!
That is about it! That very much concludes the overall of how to clean snorkel gear!
Conclusion of How to Clean Snorkel Gear
Okay, now that hits the conclusion of how to clean snorkel gear with super simple practices.
It has never been easier to clean all the snorkel gear, not before.
Under this COVID-19 era, you should never ever think about renting the snorkel gears or let anyone use your own be it your kin.
Always make sure to play safe, properly clean before use and after use, and store them wrapped.
