A User’s Guide to Face Masks

By now, most cities recommend the use of a face covering if you are visiting public areas such as grocery stores. It is our new norm, for now, so let’s embrace it and do our part to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Here are the basics of the type of material and how you should handle wearing a face mask.

What Material Can My Mask Be?

If you haven’t been able to purchase a mask online due to long wait times or back-ordered materials, there’s plenty of fabrics at home that can be a decent substitute. Any face covering is better than no face covering. Wearing a face mask should always be worn in tandem with social distancing.

T-shirts

Everyone has an old T-shirt lying around. Doubling up on T-shirt material is recommended to make for an adequate covering. 100% cotton is the best material.

Cotton Quilting Fabric

High thread counts mean fewer particles getting through. A trick to testing how tight your fabric is woven is holding it up to a light and see how much of the light you can see from the other side. The less light that shines through, the better.

Pillowcases

Pillowcases are another good example of a tightly woven fabric. You’ll want at least a 600-thread-count pillowcase material to achieve a solid level of protection.

Flannel

Flannel is a thick and sturdy material that can be used as a great face covering. Use two layers of flannel material.

Scarves and Bandanas

If you don’t have any of the mentioned above that you can recycle into a face mask, a scarf or bandana are both better than nothing. They don’t offer the levels of protection like the other suggested materials, but you can fold them over 4x for added protection.

Coffee Filters and Paper Towels

If you want added protection to your face covering, you can slip in a coffee filter or paper towel to act as a filter for your face covering. But please discard after every use!

How to Wear Your Face Mask

Now that you have your mask, you should know how to wear it!

• Don't expose your nose
• Don’t expose your chin
• Don’t wear a loose face covering
• Don’t cover just the tip of your nose, make sure it is all the way up to the bridge of your nose
• Make sure you are wearing it from the bridge of your nose down to under your chin, snug

nytimes.com

How to Care for Your Face Mask

When wearing or removing your mask, always wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds first. Please only use the loops or ties to touch the mask. Never touch the front of the mask because that’s how particles can transfer from your hands to your mouth.

It’s also a good idea to wait until you are home to remove or wear your mask as stairwells and elevators are high-contamination areas if you live in an apartment. Once removed, wash your mask after each use with warm water and soap. Toss your filter if you used one. If you have a handful of masks, you can use the washing machine. Avoid using bleach because that can degrade the fabric.

Wearing a Face Mask is Normal

It may seem uncomfortable at first, but that is the case with anything new. We need to work together to fight the stigma associated with face masks. You are 100% doing the right thing by protecting yourself and others. Don’t’ feel insecure and don’t buckle under peer pressure if you see someone else not wearing their mask. You got this!