DIY Face Masks

[catapault]

Sequestered at home, I'm going out once a week to shop at the small IGA in town. Forget driving to Wal-mart or Costco. Town is so small that Instacart has no service here. We have 4 or 5 dust masks that Himself unearthed in his workshop. Today he canceled the Amazon order for face masks, placed in January, scheduled to be delivered mid-February to mid-March that has still not arrived.

Today I am planning on making some simple masks. There is a plethora of information out there. I have a nine page mashup of information. Basically I will

1. Cut fabric from white T-shirt
2. Trim to make integral ties
3. Cut three extra fabric squares to cover nose and mouth, stitching in place and reversing "grain" That is to say - if you consider T-shirt itself a vertical, the next square will be horizontal, then vertical, last square horizontal.

I asked our pharmacist (who is selling 2 face masks per patron, expect they might be N95 as the are $3.95 each) and yes, I can drop used mask in bucket of bleach + water to sanitize, then wash.

What do you all think? Not great but better than nothing, is my opinion.

 

[Kieka]

Here are two patterns if you want a pattern, DIY Mask - Face Mask Pattern - 2 Styles | TREASURIE

 

[Twylasmom]

A tightly woven fabric is preferable to a knit (old sheets or pillowcases would work in a pinch, quilting fabric is good, too).. Make it double-layered and perhaps leave an opening where you can insert a coffee filter or piece of a vacuum cleaner bag to increase filtration and that can be replaced with each use.

I am a member of a sewing group that has been working on creating masks and they have been receiving guidance on the best materials.

 

[catapault]

Twylasmom my vacuum cleaner bags have the filter material stuck to a paper layer. How well do you breathe through that?

Coffee filters are do-able, but how do you remove the potentially contaminated filter from the fabric mask before dropping into the bucket of water and bleach? Or do you just discard the entire mask+coffee filter?

 

[Willowy]

If you make a little pocket you can insert the filter layer, and remove it before washing the mask.

 

[catapault]

W Willowy I understand the coffee filter goes into a pocket in the face mask. What I want to know is how, after wearing it, do you manipulate the mask to get the coffee filter out without touching the fabric.

If you've been out and about for a period of time - let's say an hour and a half - there is the potential for virus particles on the outside of the mask and also caught on the coffee filter. That's why you are wearing it. How do you reach into the pocket and remove the coffee filter. Wear a fresh pair of gloves after you take off the pair you wore while out? Two sets of gloves per outing?

Along with the PPE, tests, vaccine it sure would be nice if they could develop a reactive spray to use with masks etc. If there was virus contamination the sprayed material would change color. That would be fantastic! What a dreamer I am.

 

[Kieka]

I'd be tempted to dunk the whole thing in boiling water or boil them in a pot on the stove for 10-15 minutes. Let them dry, remove filters, and then bleach them if you want to. No real scientific evidence but since the virus dies over 56C/132F and water boils at 100C/212F that should kill anything on it.

That's what I do to clean some cleaning clothes I have that the material doesn't like detergents. I have a large junk pot I got at a yardsale years ago. Bring it to a boil and drop them in. I know coffee filters should be able to withstand the heat, not sure on vaccum bags.

 

[Twylasmom]

W Willowy I understand the coffee filter goes into a pocket in the face mask. What I want to know is how, after wearing it, do you manipulate the mask to get the coffee filter out without touching the fabric.

If you've been out and about for a period of time - let's say an hour and a half - there is the potential for virus particles on the outside of the mask and also caught on the coffee filter. That's why you are wearing it. How do you reach into the pocket and remove the coffee filter. Wear a fresh pair of gloves after you take off the pair you wore while out? Two sets of gloves per outing?

Along with the PPE, tests, vaccine it sure would be nice if they could develop a reactive spray to use with masks etc. If there was virus contamination the sprayed material would change color. That would be fantastic! What a dreamer I am.

Just pull it out with your fingers, dispose it and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds. Or go without the filter entirely. The homemade masks do a better job of preventing asymptomatic or sick individuals from spreading the virus to others than they do protecting you, though they are better than nothing when it comes to protecting yourself.

Another good thing to use as the internal filter is cut up reusable shopping bags. Those are made of polypropylene and work well.

Wearing gloves while out still isn't recommended. For them to work you would need to change them out every time you touched any surface that might be contaminated.

 

[Willowy]

Oh, I see what you mean . Yes, I'd say just wash your hands afterward. It shouldn't cause the virus to go airborne or anything like that so handwashing should be sufficient.

 

[susanm9006]

I am fortunate to have yards and yards of quilting cotton fabric and yesterday I dug around and found about five yards of elastic in my sewing stuff (helps to be a longtime sewing hoarder). Thought I would try to make a few for family members.

 

[Kieka]

Here is a no sew facemask with two hair ties and a handkerchief. No-Sew Pleated Face Mask with Handkerchief and Hair Tie

 

[catapault]

We are high risk from age, in a rural / suburban area, basically just staying home. Still making myself crazy looking online at DIY face mask videos. They range from fabric to origami-made-with-Tyvek to just about whatever you might imagine. I have, by the way, begun stitching masks from T-shirts, and am considering sacrificing a short sleeve jersey for a no-sew-with-paper-towel-inserted version.

But yesterday evening I came across a video for disposable masks from blue shop towels on a Syracuse NY newspaper's site

Walmart online still had the towels available. Himself figures the cost is about 20 cents per mask. Ordered some. They should arrive next week.

 

[AbbysMom]

You can also make one from a sock in a pinch -

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

I'll see if I can find some old socks without a mate. I've been converting most of those as "rags" to wipe down items with 70% alchohol content rubbing alcohol. I have a bunch so I use once, throw in a bag and use another one.

 

[susanm9006]

We are high risk from age, in a rural / suburban area, basically just staying home. Still making myself crazy looking online at DIY face mask videos. They range from fabric to origami-made-with-Tyvek to just about whatever you might imagine. I have, by the way, begun stitching masks from T-shirts, and am considering sacrificing a short sleeve jersey for a no-sew-with-paper-towel-inserted version.

But yesterday evening I came across a video for disposable masks from blue shop towels on a Syracuse NY newspaper's site

Walmart online still had the towels available. Himself figures the cost is about 20 cents per mask. Ordered some. They should arrive next week.

Interesting. I have some white shop towels called “White rags” and I am gong to try and make one with those. They are quite thick and cloth like.

 

[LTS3]

Not to be a Debbie Downer or anything, but cloth masks are ineffective at protecting the wearer from viruses. They are somewhat effective at containing airborne droplets from the wearer talking, etc but viruses can still pass through the cloth. Anyone can carry a virus and not have any symptoms. Cloth is not woven finely enough like a N95 to prevent viruses and other minute particles from passing through. Adding vacuum filters and the like don't increase the effectiveness of a cloth mask.

Coronavirus FAQs: Is A Homemade Mask Effective? And What's The Best Way To Wear One?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending cloth face coverings for the general public. If you have questions, we have answers.

www.npr.org

My

 

[Kieka]

What they are telling us in my county is, "You wear your mask to protect me, I wear my mask to protect you." The goal is to keep out own particulates to ourselves. So if it is somewhat effective at keeping particulates to yourself its working.

 

[denice]

Yes it is purely to contain the wearers droplets, nothing else. They aren't nearly as effective as medical grade masks but healthcare workers don't have the PPE that they need. That is why the CDC is saying cloth. It is also why they waited so long to make this recommendation. They are not to replace social distancing, handwashing and staying home. That is another reason why the CDC waited for so long, they do not want people to have a false sense of security and stop doing the other things. They are just to give a little bit of protection if someone has this, is asymptomatic and are in a grocery or pharmacy where it isn't possible to always maintain the six feet of separation.

 

[Jem]

I found this if anyone thinks it's helpful.....LOL!
Coronavirus hack: Canadian dad shows oddly effective trick wearing old UNDERWEAR to cover FACE

 

[susanm9006]

I tried making the no sew masks with my towels and they felt a little thin so I doubled them. And I used pipe cleaners instead of paper clips for the nose piece. They do fit well and are comfortable to wear