I’ve been wearing disposable, lightweight facemasks when I’m out and about, and these suit me very well (apart from the fact that my glasses sometimes steam up). However, I feel guilty that I’m chucking these away after every trip, as we’re told to do. I’ve bought a couple which are cloth and have been hand-made, but I find them too heavy and slightly claustrophobic. Can anyone recommend a good, lightweight, reusable (washable) facemask?
ATM – Reusable face masks
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Not much help here. I bought a reusable one from Amazon (getting rinsed on the price in the process) and I find it too hot. It makes wearing glasses almost impossible. My homemade one pulls my hearing aid out. I was thinking of trying to find some disposable ones.
Haven’t tried it yet, but apparently rinsing your specs in warm soapy water and then letting them air dry helps with the fogging.
As I have mentioned, I’m flying to Oz tomorrow, and apart from laptop and ipad my carry-on is filled with gloves, cotton and disposable, hand sanitiser, throwaway mask, cloth mask, Dettol wipes…reusing stuff comes pretty low down my list of priorities. I’ll keep the cloth mask because my daughter gave it to me, everything else will go right in the bin.
Wearing a mask is a pain in the arse, no getting round it, and because of it I suspect we’re goiong to start avoiding situations where we have to wear them… But so is catching COVID-19.
I’ve finally found a use for all the odd socks I’ve ended up with. It’s really easy (cut off toe section, slice down front, put a slit at both ends. Heel section goes over your chin) & they’re washable.
I was demonstrating how you make one (in true Blue Peter style) to a neighbour this morning, who although having ordered some from Amazon, thought this would be a fun activity to do with her young kids (“We’ve got some socks with Unicorns on”)
I’ve made a couple from the sleeves of old t-shirts. Done in minutes. You could add a paper towel between the layers if you wished. Even then they’re hardly medical grade, but they should protect anyone I happen to sneeze close to and that’s the point of them.
My wife, who is handy with a sewing machine, has made a couple for me from a pattern. As I don’t get on with ear loops,I have 2 ties at the bottom which I tie around my neck to stop it falling right off and a piece of elastic at the top which goes around the back of my head which suits me better.
The best I’ve encountered are made by Reiss. £20, re-usable, light, adjustable threads and comfortable. If your glasses are steaming up, they don’t fit right. Take your glasses off and pinch around the nose.
20 quid! Each?
Exactly. Not cheap. But, in the UK, not expensive either.
I paid $45 CAD for a pack of 10 (< 30 pounds), they are also light and adjustable, but probably not available in the UK (manufactured here).
https://sendusmasks.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwr7X4BRA4EiwAUXjbt_8KApS_F5W0PAmQcRYRAZKUIDRzqq9HZqsyEpfD1DEVgy4BrXosVRoCM-MQAvD_BwE
Your glasses will steam up because you’re breathing and the masks aren’t going to be airtight! Nothing to do with fitting right or not. I’ve tried a few different ones and it happens with them all.
Haven’t heard about the possible soapy solution though, so will try that next.
I think you’ll find that Tigg knows what he’s talking about.
Posh ones have nose wire which is designed to hold the mask close to your face and prevent fogging. Home made ones, or the lashed up one I bought on line don’t.
Thanks, Tig. Have ordered 2 Reiss masks for my mum, one on and on “in the wash”. My sister ordered me one at the start of pandemic with disposable inserts, so I am ok for them.
*Thumbs up*
Wearing a mask has been my normal for months, my wife buying ‘em in fro the Far East, they tending to be better quality than NHS issue. With replaceable filters and regular cleansing they last a fair while.
I want this one…
https://images.app.goo.gl/wohXZpJWG5K2txHf7
I bought a few of these a few weeks ago, they fit well are comfortable and are washable.
https://marsknitwear.com/products/face-mask-black-white
Made of “DIOLEN® hygenic material provides long lasting protection against bacteria, allergens, and germs.” I have no idea if that is a better material than others on the market by the way!
I would have got the O2 Curve respirator mask (as I think we are going to be using masks for a long time ) but they are not shipping to GB at present
https://o2canada.com/products/o2-curve-1-2?variant=32523139383395
Stay safe out there y’all
What level of washing makes a mask re-hygienic ?
How long do these germs remain contractable on a mask, a handrail, a tap?
The point isn’t to protect you: it’s to protect everyone else from spray. When you cough or sneeze, it travels for metres and hangs around in the air for a really surprisingly long time. A mask – almost any mask – prevents those things from happening.
Nobody is going to catch anything from your mask, because whatever’s on it isn’t being aerosolised into an entire room.
So I wouldn’t worry about that aspect of it, tbh – but I’m sure a 60 degree cottons wash on a fabric mask will more than adequately do the job.
After each trip out, mine gets thoroughly rinsed in hot water with a splash of Dettol in it, then hung up to dry ready for the next use.
No-one knows for sure, but it appears the virus can survive longer on hard surfaces than on soft (up to 72 hours on plastic but only 24 hours on cardboard – fabrics are closer to cardboard, they think). Even then, the quantity of virus may not be sufficient to cause infection. other people are your real danger not so much inanimate objects. However, with an abundance of caution, keep cleaning surfaces regularly, especially ones regularly touched, such as door handles, and launder fabrics at high temperature, say 60 degrees. Don’t shake dirty fabrics, just allow the washing machine to untangle it all.
A mask should have a metal bit to pinch tighter round the nose & prevent steaming glasses. Amber Heard rocks a really great face covering & all us Afterworders could do with following her style if we don’t have access to masks.
Here’s some government advice:
https://www.keepsafe.org.uk/posters
Can’t afford to buy masks so I make mine out of bandanas, kitchen roll and elastic bands. Wear once then wash the bandana. I’ve been wearing one every time I’ve left home since early March.
Keep washing your hands regularly and maintain social distancing. This pandemic is far from over.
I’ve just received one of the masks from Breathe Happy (www.breathe-happy.com) following top reviews in the media last week. I’ve used it a couple of times and whilst it’s not cheap and whilst you’ve got to buy filters regularly (I will investigate whether I can make some myself), it fits really well and doesn’t make my glasses steam up.