Protective face masks are in critically short supply, with medical professionals on the front lines of this coronavirus pandemic in dire need in some cases of this life-saving PPE. This is one reason all elective surgeries in New York, including surgeries for my clients, have been put on hold for the foreseeable future: supplies like face masks must be conserved for those dealing with the coronavirus. If you have a face mask, use it sparingly. Here’s how to safely reuse your protective face mask.
Wearing a Mask is Critical
Everyone should be wearing a mask when they are outside. This is critically important to prevent the spread of the corona virus. It is possible that over 80% of corona cases are caused by contamination from peope who are shedding the virus but have no or minimal symptoms. This means, if you do not have a face mask on, if you are talking to someone who is corona positive, they could infect you. Likewise, if you are positive, and you do not know this, you could be responsible for infecting many people. It is also good to know that the virus can travel at least a 6 foot distance. So don’t think that if you stand three feet way while talking without a facemask you are protected, because you are not. This is why you should stay home as advised for now. If you must venture out, wear a mask. A standard surgical mask will give you some protection. An N95 mask, which should be reserved for our healthcare heroes, gives better protection. In Asia, the citizens are usually wearing the equivalent of an N95 mask. In the US, we do not have enough yet. Until our supply is ramped up, and this is actively being done, I hope that every citizen will give any unused N95 masks to their local hospital. Our healthcare heroes need them.
If you must go out, wearing a mask is also helpful for other reasons as well. It limits the viral load of the exposure. The lower the viral load, the better your immune system can handle it, in most cases. For example, if you do not have on a mask, and corona positive person coughs, you would be exposed to a high viral load. Wearing a mask reduces the viral load you are exposed to. Your immune system can handle smaller viral loads better. Masks also protect your nose and your mouth—the entry points for the virus. It prevents you from touching these areas and unknowingly infecting yourself. And it prevents respiratory droplets, from someone else’s cough, sneeze, or exhaling, to reach your nose and mouth. The virus can also enter through your eyes, so wearing goggles and glasses when outside can also help. But the facemask is the key item to wear.
Whether you have a N95 respirator mask (in critically short supply) or a standard surgical mask (shown in the picture above), you can help prevent the spread of the virus. And everyone wants to do their part!
How to Safely Reuse Your Protective Face Mask
It is essential to make your masks last as long as is safely possible. If we can reduce the number of masks being used for one-time only, it will help. The following methods can sterilize the mask.
Here’s how to safely reuse your protective face mask:
The Ziploc Method: Take the mask and, using disposable gloves, place in a Ziplock bag and seal it up, by itself, for 9 days. The virus cannot live that long. Label the page with the date you can reuse it. Doing this after a day of wearing a mask, means you’ll only need nine masks, allowing you to share any unused masks with healthcare workers or family members. Of course, if you are not going out, you are not using any masks.
In other words, if you have plenty of masks, you don’t need to hoard them when others are desperately in need of them. Also important: do not share masks between family members, even those that have been safely sanitized. One mask per person. Write your name on the front of the mask so you can be sure you are using “your” mask.
The Oven Method: Another way to safely “sanitize” a mask is to put it, using disposable gloves, in a paper bag. Pre-heat the oven (not a toaster oven!) to bake for 170 degrees F, then place the bag in the oven—on a middle shelf away from any of the heating elements—for 30 minutes. (Note: a higher temperature doesn’t help; you only need 170 degrees F.) If your oven does not go as low as 170 degrees, use the lowest temperature possible. A study shows this will kill the virus. It’s critical to pre-heat if you have a gas oven; otherwise, if you turn the oven on with paper bag in it, the bag could catch fire. Using this method, you would need one mask per person.
Do not use a microwave. Many of these masks have small metal parts in them that may not be visible, and metal can obviously not be put in a microwave. Also, some people are using dryers to heat their masks to sanitize them. The only problem with this you can’t be certain the temperature of your dryer, even on high heat.
“The latest research shows that you need 170 degrees F for 30 minutes to kill the virus.”
Dr. Tracy Pfeifer
Many dryers, even on high, can only get up to 140 or 145 degrees, and you don’t know for sure as there is no exact temperature control on many dryers. If you are using a dryer, check the manual to see how hot your dryer gets.
Share these tips with family and friends to explain how to safely reuse your protective face mask — and extend the life of your masks, reducing the number you and your family need. Then consider donating any unneeded masks to medical professionals in your area on the front lines of the coronavirus.
As more information becomes available, I will update the information.
Stay safe.