Wearing a mask does not mean that you and your friends can now return to picnics in the park and house parties. In a news conference last week, Birx said that people often feel "an artificial sense of protection because they are behind a mask. Don't get a false sense of security." Wearing a protective face covering is meant to offer additional protection for the times we absolutely have to leave the house for essential things such as food and medicine.
The least effective fabrics were scarves and cotton bandanas. However, bandanas, when layered with layers of a filtration system such as a few coffee filters, were significantly more effective.
Unsure of what fabrics to use? Scientists say a simple light test can help you choose which of your options is the best mask material. "Hold it up to a bright light," Segal told The New York Times. "If light passes really easily through the fibers and you can almost see the fibers, it's not a good fabric. If it's a denser weave of thicker material and light doesn't pass through it as much, that's the material you want to use."
For washing any fabrics, clothing or masks that you wear when out in public, it is important to take precautions when washing them. Using CDC flu virus guidelines, clothing and reusable masks should be washed at a temperature of at least 167 degrees. That is the minimum temperature proven to kill the flu virus. Chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and detergent are all effective cleaning products.
Your best bet is to clean all clothing and cloth masks using the warmest water setting and making sure they are dried completely. Also, remember to wash your hands or wear gloves when doing the laundry and make sure your hands are clean before touching anything else.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
