Face Mask Tips for Beginners

It’s an odd time we find ourselves in, isn’t it friends?

I recently had to get tested for COVID-19, something that scared the daylights out of me. While my test came back negative, we know that there are debates over the efficacy of these tests currently. I doubt we’ll truly know who was positive at some point until we have the antibodies test flushed out.

As someone interested in public health and who is in the high-risk category, I believe it’s incredibly important to talk about tips and tricks for wearing a face mask.

 

The gold standard

If supply and money weren’t barriers, everyone would have an N95 mask. What does that mean? According to the FDA:

The ‘N95’ designation means that when subjected to careful testing, the respirator blocks at least 95 percent of very small (0.3 micron) test particles. If properly fitted, the filtration capabilities of N95 respirators exceed those of face masks. However, even a properly fitted N95 respirator does not completely eliminate the risk of illness or death.

These are not surgical masks, but heavy-duty respirators:

 

What if I can’t find an N95 mask?

We really should be saving these for people with underlying conditions or health care providers anyway. Thankfully, there are a ton of other options!

One of the people I know locally wanted me to pass along that, if you have masks with a filter pocket, you can use charcoal or carbon sheets in it. This person does this & will be relying on it right now. Even those thicker blue paper towels that a lot of handy peeps use can help block extra germs when used in the filter spot in a pinch.

Need a way to find a mask with a filter pocket? There are some eerily cute options here. AC Dumlao has a thread of awesome masks made by BIPOC folx who need extra support right now. Look at spots like Etsy for masks, too. There are a lot of options, especially where you can help people in marginalized communities and not just a company.

Make sure they have a filter pocket if you want one. It just adds an extra layer of protection, even without a filter.

You can absolutely create your own face mask! The best material to use for this is quilters cotton, but that’s also hard to breathe through. Go for tightly woven fabric – which works better with a layer of flannel in the middle.

Shoot, you can even check out the FB page for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management for ways to create a simple mask. Any protection is better than nothing!

How do I wear my mask?

Dr. Anthony Fauci and others have recently walked people through this process. Here it is simplified:

1. Wash or sanitize your hands.
2. Put the mask on starting at your nose and ending at your chin.
3. To take off the mask, start at the back of your head. Go for the straps around your ears, not the mask itself.
4. Clean your mask (see below).
5. Wear it as much as possible when going out.

Artist Kathryn Grimm shares, “If the mask you’re using has two straps, then both need to be used at all times in order to ensure a proper seal on your face. I’ve seen so many people wear them with one strap hanging loose, which means they are not getting the full protective quality from it!”

Can I wash my mask?

That depends on what type of mask you have. Obviously, disposable masks cannot be washed, per se. We are getting to the point where we need to consider sanitizing as many of the disposable masks. That’s not just my belief, either. If you must try to sanitize them, though, don’t put them in the microwave.

“Ultraviolet light has been shown to kill the virus,” said Dr. Seema Lagvankar, AdventHealth Infectious Disease Specialist. This will work with disposable masks. For those with N95 masks, Dr. Steven Hauser, also with AdventHealth, recommends “steaming the mask for 10 minutes or placing (the) mask in a low oven at 170 for 30 minutes.”

Regarding the oven, Stanford found 75 degrees Celsius was best. That’s 167 Fahrenheit, so the 170 is a rough estimate. (H/T to Aly James for making me aware of this study.)

If you have an all-cloth mask – that is, one without a filter – you can also wash it with your laundry.

Here’s information from my preferred mask makers, Vogmask:

You need not wash the mask frequently. Hand wash by rinsing outer and inner layer with water. Add a drop of liquid soap and gently rub around inner and outer layer. Rinse again and hang to fully dry before storage in a cool, dry place. Wash the mask only when you wish to clean the outer and inner layer. Washing the mask does not clear the filter media of microscopic particles. The valve is permanently attached to the mask. Rinsing the valve will clear it of microscopic dust and particles. For maximum cleanliness, respirator users should wash their hands before putting on a respirator and after taking one off. (source)

They also state that you can “use alcohol wipes >61% or spray on surfaces” and “expose to sunlight.”

I’m afraid to wear a mask…

Look, I don’t blame you. I’ll talk a little about my experience as someone who needs a mask regularly later.

Right now, people who are of Asian heritage or are Black and Brown are especially afraid. It makes absolute sense, considering the uptick in anti-Asian hate crimes during this pandemic as well as fears at the intersection of illness and race. Black people have been murdered for existing in lesser ways than protecting themselves with face masks. There are already known incidents of racial profiling and masks coinciding.

If you don’t feel safe wearing a mask, please at least consider other ways you can protect yourself. Wash your hands a lot. Use hand sanitizer if you have it. Change clothes and shower immediately when you come in from grocery shopping. There are plenty of other steps you can try to take to limit your risk of getting COVID-19.

I’m here if you need to talk to someone.

What do people who have already been using masks want me to know?

Thankfully, there’s a lot of information out there from disabled folx:

I would want them to take the experience of having difficulty finding gloves and masks and try and understand the difficulties many disabled folx have getting any adaptive materials.

Second I want them to get used to seeing adaptive devices in public as "normal."

— Auntie Vice (@auntievice) April 6, 2020

Read this important piece from Audacity Magazine:

Right now, most people feel like they’re drowning. But disabled people have been surviving this way for so long, that we have learned to dream in the midst of always having to fight for our right to live —our right to keep our heads above water and still dare to believe that our lives are worth saving. As disabled people we are very aware that our risk of dying goes beyond medical fragility. Our risk of dying, during this global crisis, has a lot to do with the fear driven ableism that leads society to believe disabled lives can be considered disposable.

You should also read this piece from The Atlantic:

As the coronavirus spreads, states may rely on existing best-practice protocols for rationing treatment if they have more coronavirus patients than they do beds and equipment. Some of those protocols stipulate that in such an emergency, people with intellectual or physical disabilities will be deprioritized. The Department of Health and Human Services, in response to formal legal complaints from disability advocacy groups, recently issued guidance that hospitals cannot ration treatment based on disability status. But that’s not enough to ensure that there won’t be discrimination, activists say.

If you only read one of these pieces I’ve linked, make it this piece on Vox from Alice Wong:

The debates on health care rationing unveil how our society devalues vulnerable populations. Draft guidelines from various states and health systems identified people with dementia, cancer, intellectual disabilities, and many other pre-existing conditions as those who will not benefit from treatment compared to younger, healthier, non-disabled people. Dr. James Keany, an ER physician at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California, was quoted recently in the Los Angeles Times: “As it stands in the US, if your family member is adamant that you would want everything done and you’re 90 years old, wearing a diaper, severely demented, you would get put on a ventilator … Most countries consider that malpractice because what are you saving that person for?”

As someone who relies on a mask, I’ve got a few things to share, too.

I’ve relied on my mask off and on for a few years. It’s something that protects me when I’m out and about during cold & flu season in addition to keeping me safe from scents. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to work, go grocery shopping, or even to events. Due to my Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, I could legitimately die without my mask – and that’s without a pandemic!

I often get weird looks when I wear my mask. People assume either that I’ve got something they can catch or that I’m afraid of everything. I don’t even have to worry about physical distancing regularly because no one wants to be too close to me with that on. On the flip side, I often feel worried about walking through stores with masks on as pretty clearly queer, invisibly disabled, and increasingly visibly transgender. Hate crimes are a thing I worry about all the time and, if I’m honest, I’ve avoided using my mask in many situations in the past because I was afraid for my life.

This is reality. I clearly don’t have the ‘luxury’ of avoiding my masks anymore, though.

One of the things I hope people take away from this pandemic is that many people need masks regularly. We’re not weird, just dealing with health issues. Movements rooted in disability awareness like #HighRiskCovid19 have helped abled people better understand what we’re facing… at least, I hope so.