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How to Make a Face Mask

 
steward
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Many hospital are not accepting the homemade mask.  This news article from Baton Rouge, La says

Baton Rouge General will be the first hospital to take the masks.  The masks will be sanitized based on federal, CDC standards that allow for cloth to be cleaned and returned to use.  Similar to patient gowns and bedding, homemade masks will go through a thorough cleaning process before being given to patients.



https://www.wbrz.com/news/wbrz-baton-rouge-general-accepting-homemade-masks-starting-monday/

I would suggest contacting someone at your local hospital to see their policy.

There also might be a need at nursing homes, clinics and doctors offices.
 
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I was asked by a neighbor who works at a nursing home to make these. Cotton both sides with non-woven pelon between. They are loving them. The hospitals get the stuff first. Nursing homes full of high risk patients aren't getting what they need. I'll also include a link where you can make a provided pattern, ship to Iowa and they will insert bands that go around the ears and a filter lining.


https://www.unitypoint.org/cedarrapids/sewing-surgical-masks.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2MI-Hy6T8r9JN2MpAsD4-Sb2Qgqq8dN8k5OJOt81z1LE9WgUXD10XeHok
Filename: Sewing-Instructions.pdf
File size: 9 Kbytes
Filename: face-mask-pattern.pdf
File size: 87 Kbytes
 
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My girl used a furnace filter that she found at the store that had been lightly damaged so she got a discount on it. Then she took it apart, saving the wire for armature for art projects, then cut up the furnace filter paper (lots are allergen blocking) and stuffed them into her cloth masks that her friend made that has pockets in them to insert the filters. You can get a LOT of filters from a furnace filter!
 
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For non-medical people, a big part of using a face mask is helping to keep from inadvertently touching one's face and nose. If it's not a tight-fitting gas-mask sort of mask, it's probably infiltrating around the edges anyway. Just a thought.
 
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Mark,

I basically agree with you with one exception.  While the mask may not protect the wearer from the general permies, the public may be slightly protected from the wearer.  The reason being that the velocity of exhaled air is slower with the mask.  In particular a sneeze will be greatly slowed and thus not travel so far.

It is not a lot of protection, but perhaps a little buffer.

Eric
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Dale Ziemianski wrote:My girl used a furnace filter that she found at the store that had been lightly damaged so she got a discount on it. Then she took it apart, saving the wire for armature for art projects, then cut up the furnace filter paper (lots are allergen blocking) and stuffed them into her cloth masks that her friend made that has pockets in them to insert the filters. You can get a LOT of filters from a furnace filter!



If you're going to use a furnace filter, look for one rated MERV-13. 3M makes them under the brand name Filtrete. That grade filters particles down to the 0.3 micron size. The one I picked up, Filtrete 1900, says on the package that it filters 86% of the 0.3 micron particles. An N95 mask filters 95% of the 0.3 micron particles.

My mask build is still in progress, but I will report back when I have a prototype done with many more details and links that I currently can't find on my phone but are or were in open tabs on my laptop.

In health and hope.

-K
 
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Anne, If the purpose of the protective mask is to prevent one who is coughing from spraying possibly infected saliva/ phlegm onto others, and considering still cold weather in many places, I propose something in the form of a balaclava to cover said mask or to mask the mask, no not baclava although  a pastry would be tasty. Balaclava would cover nose face and help provide retention of body heat with some protection from wind.
 
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r ranson wrote:non-aerosol based illnesses like COVID


But COVID-19 is aerosol-based, according to what I've read. Why else would N95 masks be in high demand? As a physician who has turned his blog completely to coronavirus topics wrote
"Are both Coronavirus and the Flu aerosolized?
Yes, that’s the primary way the flu is spread. So, Coronavirus is not more spreadable than the flu because it is aerosolized. They both are."
 
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Masks by metalworkers.  The Canadian Safety Supply Company (IRRC) use to sell my favourite dust mask.  It was mostly an oval of soft aluminum that could be easily pressed to fit any face.  There was a notch for the nose, and a big hole over the mouth, and a couple of bent-over tabs to hold a gauze filter in place.  Any soft cloth could be folded and used for the filter.  The mask sealed tightly around the nose, where most others fail me.  
 
pollinator
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PPE: Not just masks, but also gloves and common sense!
Since I'm a terrible seamstress and I do not even own a sewing machine, I've used a washcloth, folded in half and hand sewn into a sleeve. Inside that sleeve, I run a ring of elastic that goes from ear to ear above my nose and well under my chin. The generous piece of cloth itself runs from ear to ear and top of my nose to well under my chin. The cloth is loose at my ears so I just put a little stitch to close the gap. I've used those little metal clips you use to hold a stack of paper together too. Maybe not sexy but hey: You gotta do what you gotta do.
Since it makes a larger pocket encompassing mouth and nose, without having to stretch the material, I do not feel so restricted. Stretching cloth also widens that weave, which may afford less protection.
But yes, a double layer of terry cloth is probably not the best material. Perhaps I could add a coffee filter in the sleeve?At the end of the day, I can wash the terry cloth part with rubbing alcohol and leave it to air dry over night. Hemp is much more absorbent and I'm looking for coffee filter material made of hemp.
Imagine you are infected and imagine everyone else is infected as well, because you just do not know.
I wish folks would stop saying that it is only important for the sick to wear that protection: If it is a barrier to droplets, it operates as a barrier in both directions, not as a valve. That is simple physics. It protects the ones who wear it as well as those we see every day.
I think they made that statement so we would not hoard masks away from all care givers.
When I wear it, I'm also a lot more conscious of what I do so I absolutely respect the distance of 6 ft. When folks see that you are masked, they just instinctively pull away as well, so it it not just the mask.
I use them to go shopping, as well as nitrile gloves, and I despair to still see people handling produce with their bare hands! Folks are there trying to protect us by scrubbing the carts and then we go in and handle the produce bare handed! How stupid can we be? I also make good use of the alcohol towelettes they hand over when you get in the store: I keep them in a cup in the cup holder of my car and add some rubbing alcohol. (Keep the cup covered, of course). So in a pinch, or when I go to a different store, I can wash my gloved hands: My skin does not get dry from all that alcohol sanitizing and if the next store is not as vigilant, I don't bring germs from a different store. The blue nitrile gloves are a little thicker too, so they are reusable.
If only we would all wear these 2 pieces of equipment when we are out and about, the authorities would not need to go so draconian keeping us in lock down for weeks on end. We would not need a stay at home order. Think of how much easier this would be!
Mask up and glove up, folks. It is time we take responsibility for ourselves to not get infected!
 
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David Wieland wrote:
But COVID-19 is aerosol-based, according to what I've read. Why else would N95 masks be in high demand?



they are still learning about the virus, but thus far the virus is spread primarily by droplets and surfaces.  these droplets aerosolize when the patient is on a ventilator.

compare this to something like measles that can linger in the air for hours after the sick person leaves the room.
 
David Wieland
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Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:PPE: Not just masks, but also gloves and common sense!
Mask up and glove up, folks. It is time we take responsibility for ourselves to not get infected!


As I've read elsewhere, and realized after considering practical use, gloves can actually be a way to spread contaminants. Taking off a paint-covered glove using a hand wearing another paint-covered glove requires great care to keep the paint completely off skin and clothing. And those gloves must be turned inside out and carefully disposed of to keep other surfaces clean.
 
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Here is an interesting article about the efficiency of the homemade masks.

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/diy-homemade-mask-protect-virus-coronavirus/
 
pollinator
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My friend just made a mask that she claims will protect her from coronavirus. Combining it with full body covering plus nitrile gloves for her hands, she feels pretty confident that no one will get closer than 10 feet to her, if even that. I think this is funny beyond bounds. Love it!

By the way, it's made out of a gourd that she grew.
image.jpeg
Homemade anti- coronavirus mask
Homemade anti- coronavirus mask
 
Cécile Stelzer Johnson
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David Wieland wrote:

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:PPE: Not just masks, but also gloves and common sense!
Mask up and glove up, folks. It is time we take responsibility for ourselves to not get infected!


As I've read elsewhere, and realized after considering practical use, gloves can actually be a way to spread contaminants. Taking off a paint-covered glove using a hand wearing another paint-covered glove requires great care to keep the paint completely off skin and clothing. And those gloves must be turned inside out and carefully disposed of to keep other surfaces clean.



I was not suggesting one-use throw away gloves: I'm aware that it is tricky to remove throw away/ one use gloves when there is blood on it. I've done it in trauma classes. Since these would be your personal gloves, not to be used by anyone else, you can re-use the gloves.
Don't you wash your hands with the gloves on then? They can then be removed easily without needing to turn them inside out once they are clean. Use soap, just like you would on your hands or even bleach full strength and get them clean. Bare hands can spread germs as easily IMHO and are harder to clean under the fingernails. Having gloves you can re-use allows you to have a "public" set of hands and having your clean hands, uncontaminated, inside your house so as to not infect your family.
 
Cécile Stelzer Johnson
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Adrien Lapointe wrote:Here is an interesting article about the efficiency of the homemade masks.

https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/diy-homemade-mask-protect-virus-coronavirus/



Thanks for this excellent article. It deals with particle size and also breathability: If the mask is not comfortable folks won't wear it, no matter how good it could be.
 
David Wieland
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Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:I was not suggesting one-use throw away gloves: I'm aware that it is tricky to remove throw away/ one use gloves when there is blood on it. I've done it in trauma classes. Since these would be your personal gloves, not to be used by anyone else, you can re-use the gloves.
Don't you wash your hands with the gloves on then? They can then be removed easily without needing to turn them inside out once they are clean. Use soap, just like you would on your hands or even bleach full strength and get them clean. Bare hands can spread germs as easily IMHO and are harder to clean under the fingernails. Having gloves you can re-use allows you to have a "public" set of hands and having your clean hands, uncontaminated, inside your house so as to not infect your family.

(and from the original post) I use them to go shopping, as well as nitrile gloves, and I despair to still see people handling produce with their bare hands! Folks are there trying to protect us by scrubbing the carts and then we go in and handle the produce bare handed! How stupid can we be?


Personally, I've never seen a nitrile (=vinyl?) glove that afforded close to the sense of touch of a bare hand and was also strong and loose enough to be reusable. Obviously your hands and glove options allow you that ability, but I doubt that it's feasible for most of us. The practice of cleaning your gloves before going into each store you visit implies ready access to the sanitizer and not much being carried by hand. For people without a vehicle parked close to the store (perhaps shopping as a pedestrian or cyclist), sanitizing gloves between entering nearby stores would be awkward at best. Is this a practice you've adopted specifically for the current outbreak, or is it a routine one for protection from all infections?

I've long treated my hands as dirty when I've handled any objects, including produce, or grabbed a door handle. That means I wash them before I do anything afterward that requires clean hands to be sanitary. And I wash and/or cook produce before serving or eating it. Washing doesn't sterilize, of course, but it gets me the cleanest food I can practically have, regardless of what contamination might have landed on it before or after I acquired it.
 
Cécile Stelzer Johnson
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David Wieland wrote:

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:I was not suggesting one-use throw away gloves: I'm aware that it is tricky to remove throw away/ one use gloves when there is blood on it. I've done it in trauma classes. Since these would be your personal gloves, not to be used by anyone else, you can re-use the gloves.
Don't you wash your hands with the gloves on then? They can then be removed easily without needing to turn them inside out once they are clean. Use soap, just like you would on your hands or even bleach full strength and get them clean. Bare hands can spread germs as easily IMHO and are harder to clean under the fingernails. Having gloves you can re-use allows you to have a "public" set of hands and having your clean hands, uncontaminated, inside your house so as to not infect your family.

(and from the original post) I use them to go shopping, as well as nitrile gloves, and I despair to still see people handling produce with their bare hands! Folks are there trying to protect us by scrubbing the carts and then we go in and handle the produce bare handed! How stupid can we be?



Personally, I've never seen a nitrile (=vinyl?) glove that afforded close to the sense of touch of a bare hand and was also strong and loose enough to be reusable. Obviously your hands and glove options allow you that ability, but I doubt that it's feasible for most of us. The practice of cleaning your gloves before going into each store you visit implies ready access to the sanitizer and not much being carried by hand. For people without a vehicle parked close to the store (perhaps shopping as a pedestrian or cyclist), sanitizing gloves between entering nearby stores would be awkward at best. Is this a practice you've adopted specifically for the current outbreak, or is it a routine one for protection from all infections?

I've long treated my hands as dirty when I've handled any objects, including produce, or grabbed a door handle. That means I wash them before I do anything afterward that requires clean hands to be sanitary. And I wash and/or cook produce before serving or eating it. Washing doesn't sterilize, of course, but it gets me the cleanest food I can practically have, regardless of what contamination might have landed on it before or after I acquired it.



Frankly, I detest wearing gloves but considering this pandemic, I figure I can put up with this minimal inconvenience better than putting up with getting sick. I don't like it, I just do what I feel needs to be done. The blue nitrile ones seem to work the best for me, affording me enough touch to grasp a door handle or a bag and cleaning easily. Those seem to resist tearing pretty well too. You may find a glove that works better for you perhaps a different brand or style or size.
As far as the sanitizer, my local Kroger has a dispenser at the entrance, so I grab one and can clean my gloved hands right there and then, before I touch anything in the store, protecting the store patrons and yes, it is a bother. It is a choice. As I stated, I keep a cup, covered, in my cup caddy in my car. I place the used sanitizer in it and pour some rubbing alcohol over it. This way, I can clean my gloved hands again before I go into another store. Perhaps you can treat the handlebars of your bike as I treat the steering wheel, with gloved and sanitized hands. As a pedestrian, I can walk from the far end of the parking lot without touching anything.
To answer your question, yes, I have adopted that routine because of the pandemic, and yes, it is a bother but as Jean-Paul Sartres used to say:[I'm paraphrasing]  "Life is a succession of choices. We are condemned to choosing. Even doing nothing is a choice". Washing produce, I always did because of chemical residues that may be on it. The mask and gloves: strictly pandemic induced.
The choice is take a chance on getting infected and die gasping for air for days or weeks on end like a guppy out of water after a very expensive stay in the hospital, perhaps infecting people I love... or put up with the inconvenience of wearing mask and gloves. Feels like no contest to me.
 
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