Pitching in to make simple surgical-style face masks

[Darcy]

What about bulk orders? I would like to buy 100. My hotel is getting guests who have loved ones in the hospital but because they are not health care workers, can't get masks. Plus the Ronald McDonald house has put out a plea for anything people are willing to donate. I'm just going to give them away. My good deed for the day.

Right now, we are running at full capacity making masks for healthcare workers. We are working to increase efficiency so we can make more beyond that effort; Nik designed a tool that should speed up the making of the masks. It and some other ideas are being tested today. There's nothing I want more than to send masks to more people who (like you) want masks. I will keep everyone posted.

[Darcy]

Some options to consider that I have personally found and am not recommending as the company but just myself and ***if you have done your research, read the studies, and you want to choose to wear a cloth face mask and you will make sure to change it frequently and machine wash/machine dry after each use***

Fold a bandana:
(I went on a walk with this and it did not slip down my nose when worn the way the photo emphasizes; this is something I came up with in like, 30 seconds, so if you try this and it doesn't work for some reason, please let me know.)



T-Shirt Ninja mask:
(Yes, really. There's one step to add beyond what the tutorial below shows.... there will be t-shirt material hanging down below your face... fold that into the part that's covering your mouth and it will become two plys)
https://frugalfun4boys.com/how-to-tu...ing-or-sewing/

These face mask on Etsy or others like them (I personally would look for two-ply):
https://www.etsy.com/listing/7905060...ersible-cotton
https://www.etsy.com/listing/7905060...ersible-cotton

[G42]

I suspect some of us have a Buff or similar 'neck gaiter' from other companies. They make them in all different types of materials, so they presumably would be as effective as a T-shirt, bandana, etc.

[tuskegee7294]

I am using my face shields from SA (pretty much a Buff) and it is great because there are so many designs/colors, it can hang around your neck until ready to use and it’s machine washable.


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[MJLO]

How about the SWUC which is also a great option!


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[Darcy]

There's this:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/6/05-1468_article
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/6/05-1468-f1

[GrussGott]

I suspect some of us have a Buff or similar 'neck gaiter' from other companies. They make them in all different types of materials, so they presumably would be as effective as a T-shirt, bandana, etc.

Yeah, I carry/wear a buff around for more casual situations where I might want to pull it on...

There's a british company that makes a "snood" with an antiviral coating on it that could be a winner - i have no idea if it's legit (seems legit from the little that's out there and google search i did), so who the heck knows:



If it is effective, it might be a great way to get mass adoption of an easy-to-wear solution... but I have not idea if it works - some type of independent confirmation would be great.

[xyppy]

I found this link about making a mask from paper towels on a Washington Post Perspective piece.

[kmw]

I found this link about making a mask from paper towels on a Washington Post Perspective piece.

Weirdly, I was just coming in to post something similar: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ong-scientists

[ayazgood]

https://thewirecutter.com/blog/homem...s-coronavirus/

[Darcy]

https://thewirecutter.com/blog/homem...s-coronavirus/

Thank you for sharing that link; a useful summary.

It's important for me to note this: our company is making face masks for healthcare professionals who have expertise in determining how and when they will be used, and that part is up to them.... we're just the bag makers making the face masks, and we don't have the expertise they do and never will.

There’s a lot of discussion around masks these days, so it’s a good time to link to and make sure we’re all still focused on “doing the five”: https://www.who.int/emergencies/dise...ice-for-public

[autolycus]

https://thewirecutter.com/blog/homem...s-coronavirus/

The comments to that article are as interesting and entertaining as the article itself.

I was disappointed in the article, considering my generally very positive opinion of TWC and Sweet Home. It seems to take the approach that homemade masks aren’t as good as the best possible, so they have no value. There are plenty of studies that shows how silly that is. And their parent company, The NY Times just publishing something recommending that we _all_ wear masks to reduce transmission. Oh well. CDC and WHO still say they don’t do any good, unless you’re a medical professional with no other option, so we’re clearly still going to have disagreement on this.

[GrussGott]

WHO still say they don’t do any good, unless you’re a medical professional with no other option, so we’re clearly still going to have disagreement on this.

I'm hearing from a lot of infectious disease experts and none of them have positive things to say about WHO, starting with the fact that WHO botched the red alert when the virus was first detected; it's one of those, "your single highest priority job is to ... but you failed" things.

Personally I wear a mask, gloves, glasses, and hat whenever I go out, and if I'm anywhere with people, like the grocery stores, when I get back everything goes into the wash including me. Even a basic mask will protect you from droplets, and maybe some protection from aerosols (something super-spreaders are suspected of generating a lot of). Where there are droplets there are aerosols, where there are aerosols, there may not be droplets. Droplets can potentially hit you from 25' away, aerosols likely dissipate after about 6'.

I'm hearing anything covering your body keeps the droplets off of you (which is why you need to wash everything after) and a mask keeps droplets off your face, nose, and mouth (glasses help with your eyes) while also providing some filtering protection from aerosols which you're less likely to encounter if you're keeping physical distance (6').

BTW, for anyone with a used N95 mask still lying around, i've heard from Stanford that maybe they can be sterilized in a 140 oven for 30 min - other things like a microwave will destroy the coating that traps the viruses.

[bchaplin]

The advice on wearing masks has changed a LOT, and I'm dismayed that much of what I heard, and parroted at the beginning of this, was from reputable sources, but incorrect. My best understanding at this point in time:

1. If you have clean, unused n95 or surgical masks, donate them to health professionals who desperately need them.
2. SARS-CoV-2 can spread through contaminated surfaces, but the main source seems to be sustained proximity to others who are infected, particularly through droplets spread when we cough, talk, or breathe. Up to 25% of all people with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic. Someone without obvious illness can infect you through sustained proximity, and you can spread it to others without being aware you even have the virus.
3. Make or buy a homemade mask (lots of other links, too, in this thread), and wear it when you go out. Wearing a mask helps prevent you from spreading any virus you are unknowingly carrying, and encourages others who see you to do the same.
4. Have a protocol for entering your home from outside. Mine is to kick off my shoes, wash my hands thoroughly, go back and disinfect doorknobs, faucets, and light switches, wash hands again, and if I've been on anything more than a walk, take off all my outside clothes and put them in the wash pile.

[Darcy]

More ideas for homemade masks from the New York Times