What PPE should I wear?
After testing the filtering efficiency of several face masks and common materials used for face coverings, we find that 3-layer disposable masks are very effective at trapping potentially infections airborne droplets. These common mask types are sold at neighborhood drug stores and most hardware stores. Specifically, look for 3-layer masks (aka surgical masks). And remember to always carry two masks with you: one to wear and one as a spare, in your car, your bag, or your pocket.
How do I properly wear a surgical mask?
Wearing a surgical mask correctly may not be obvious. There are basically two things you must do (in addition to actually wearing the mask on your face, not on your head or under your chin) when in a public setting. First, pull open the pleats so that the mask covers your chin completely. Second, bend the nose clip wire down onto your face to customize the fit and seal of the mask.
What else can I do?
Check your mask type.
A quick way to check that you have a 3-layer mask, is to cut one open and count the layers. The two outer ‘hydrophobic’ layers are used to repel moisture, while the inside layer is the melt-blown filter.
By comparison, 2-layer masks lack the innermost filtering layer. These masks perform poorly at filtering smaller droplets. Two-layer masks are typically sold at beauty supply stores.
Clips the trick.
Attach a paper clip to each side of a baseball cap then attach the ear loops of a surgical mask to the clips. This will save you from having to wear the mask loops around your ears. Or, if you have access to a 3-D printer, download and print this cap clip STL file to do the same thing, in style.
Some strings attached.
Tie a string between the ear loops of your mask. This will keep the loops from rubbing or digging into the skin behind your ears after hours of use. You can also use the elastic ear loop string itself for this purpose. Just rip off an ear loop string from an old mask on its way to being trashed.
Add a mask frame.
Easily enhance the effectiveness of your face covering by making a mask frame. Your personalized mask frame will help to seal the air leaks around your face to stop airborne droplets from passing through. See this quick how-to video and print a mask frame template with instructions.
You should know that wearing a well-fitting mask for a long time may cause shortness of breath, especially if you are relaxed and breathing shallow. The solution is to take a few deep breaths while keeping the mask on. This will help to bring in more fresh air.
Completely dried out.
It’s possible to reuse your surgical mask many times over if it’s had a chance to dry out completely.
Setup an easy mask-rotation program: First, write numbers on the inside edge on four masks. Wear the first mask on day 1 then hang it to dry out. Wear the second mask on day 2 and so on. When day 5 comes, you can wear the first mask again knowing it has dried out completely.
Catch a sneeze.
Nobody likes to sneeze inside of their mask, gross! Especially true when you have only one mask with you that needs to stay on for hours. So, in addition to a spare mask, always carry a clean tissue in your pocket, ready to catch that sneeze.
Remember that one of the main purposes of wearing a mask in public is to stop airborne droplets. So removing it (even momentarily) to sneeze defeats the objective. This is where you have to be very diligent in stopping droplets from taking to the air by using a tissue effectively to catch your sneeze.
A tissue is much better at stopping droplets than your bare hands or even the inside of your elbow. Trash the tissue and wash your hands with soap and water as soon as possible.
Add a face shield.
You can make or buy a face shield to wear in conjunction with your face covering for a substantial boost to the effectiveness of just wearing a mask alone.
By wearing a face shield or goggles with your face mask, you can better guard your eyes from larger droplets, which you will more likely encounter when you are within 6 feet of others. CDC does not recommend using a face shield as a mask substitute because shields typically leave large gaps for droplets around your face. If you have a reusable face shield, you can clean it by following CDC guidelines at the bottom of this page.
