As masks are getting more expensive and hard to come by, we are seeing more versions of cloth and DIY masks. Questions have been raised on the effectiveness of those against the COVID-19 virus.
The experts have spoken: homemade cloth face masks can offer a certain degree of protection as well!
“While masks may not prevent transmission completely, they could help reducing it,” says Sangwei Lu, an adjunct professor of infectious diseases and vaccinology in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley.
Loretta Fernandez, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern, agreed to the statement by saying that homemade masks can lower the chances of viral droplets making it into the airways, even though it can not filter out everything.
An expert in COVID-19 at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Gregory Poland also added that “they are not only a way of decreasing breathing in the virus, primarily through large respiratory droplets, but also a behavioral reminder that there are a pandemic and life is not the same right now — and a reminder not to put our hands in our eyes nose or mouth until we've washed our hands.”
Here, the experts, Lu, Fernandez, and Dr. Poland, provide 5 tips for making your DIY mask as effective as possible.
Photo source: Today
#1 Choose the right fabric
Look for a thicker and tightly woven fabric, such as cotton towels, or high-quality woven-t-shirts. Avoid scarves, which is too thin.
#2 Fit is important
The mask must fit your face comfortably and snugly in order to provide maximum protection. Better the fit, better the protection.
#3 Have more than one layer of fabric
Extra layers of fabric can help prevent viral droplets from getting through, and suggested by Fernandez, nylon pantyhose, works superbly by boosting up the effectiveness by as much as 50%. Other options include coffee filters, toilet paper which can easily be found at your house.
#4 Keep your mask clean
Regular disinfection or cleaning your masks is as important as the materials used. A contaminated mask may actually increase the risk of getting infected. Washing the mask in the laundry machine with soap is good enough. Make sure that the drying process doesn't change the shape so that it can still fit your face nicely.
#5 Prepare more than one mask
Make at least two masks so that you can wear them alternately while waiting for another to wash and dry.
Also, when a mask accidentally gets wet, either from our exhalation or sweat, the effectiveness in filtering any sort of respiratory particulate matter will decrease. Thus, it is important to have a spare mask that we can change.
Take notes and stay safe everyone ! We'll get through this!
Photo source: InStyle
News source from Malay Mail.
