Face mask questions

[Gillg]

My local shopkeeper has recently had face masks for sale at £1 each, with a warning that his next consignment could cost even more. Don't know how he got hold of them.  If we, the general public, are required to wear them at some point in the future, how on earth are most people going to be able to afford this?  How often should you change them? Can you wash and reuse them?  And most importantly, would we not be depriving NHS and key workers of the masks they so urgently need?  They seem to be unable to acquire sufficient supplies as it is.
Villagers here have been making uniform bags for nurses to carry home worn clothing, which can be put sraight into the washing machine without opening the bags.  The bags are made out of old pillowcases and sheets.  Perhaps they could turn their hand to mask making from unwanted material, too.. 

[Marmalady]

Many crafters are turning their hands to mask making -- both for donation to the NHS and for sale to the population.
These are not medical-grade masks and so are of no use in situations where full PPE is required but are for use in more general situations to stop any droplets you exhale being spread around.
Some "no-sew" mask patterns merely entail cutting a strip off the bottom of an old  t-shirt -- or even more basic involves several layers of kitchen paper stuck together with masking tape.
But  there are two versions of sewn masks -- one with pleats and one with a shaped nosepiece --these are made from several layers of cotton fabric and are intended to be washable

I intend to make masks for my husband & I to wear once we are allowed out of lockdown from this pattern:

https://freesewing.org/fu-facemask-freesewing.org.a4.pdf

[Crumblie]

If you look on eBay you will find lots of masks for sale at various prices, it would appear the NHS is the only organistion having problems getting them. How good they are is a different matter. Personally unless we are forced to wear them I will not bother. I also will not bother with gloves because you can touch an infected surface and transfer it to your face just as easily with gloves on or off, they give a false sense of security

[sleepybarb]

Gillg, I resorted to you tube there are something like two million designs there.We are using them if we have to go into the supermarket. If you do make them ,wear once then wash.
Barb

[Gillg]

Marmalady
Thanks for the pattern.  Mine would have to be hand sewn, as I no longer own a sewing machine.
(p.s.  I hate sewing )

[Jane65]

Hi
Im on the high vulnerable list so have only been out twice, (health reasons). As we haven't a mask i used my o/h neck snood/mask he uses for motorbiking. Its not the best but anything helps at the moment. As soon as i was back i washed it with dettol anti bac wash liquid. 

[Guy Etchells]

Hi
Im on the high vulnerable list so have only been out twice, (health reasons). As we haven't a mask i used my o/h neck snood/mask he uses for motorbiking. Its not the best but anything helps at the moment. As soon as i was back i washed it with dettol anti bac wash liquid. 

The only face mask that will protect you is the correct medical face mask correctly fitted, these at present are reserved for high risk medical use. All other face masks offer no protection and some are dangerous to use when faced with a possible bacterial infection as they increase the risk of infection

The use of face masks for the public are for protecting other people from catching any infection you may have not for protecting you.
Any cloth that covers your face will be effective for this purpose.
Cheers
Guy

[josey]

Hopefully not just another flakey idea but a letter in The Times newspaper yesterday from a dental emeritus professor suggested that cleaning your teeth just before going out provides an environment in your mouth that prevents microbial growth for several hours.

[trystan]

I read the dentist's idea. The thing is, a virus isn't a microbe. It's not even a living thing as such.

The thing about facemasks is that the size of a virus is so miniscule that the weave of most facemasks is huge compared to it.

We may as well wear chicken mesh over our faces to protect us.

I suppose though we have to assume that the virus is carried on a droplet.

To get an idea of how small a virus is, it's invisible to even the most powerful optical microscope. Even electron microscopes can only see them by further processing.

My concern comes when I think that a non-surgical mask could give more time and opportunity for a virus to enter its wearer.

But heh, I'm probably wrong.