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How often should we wash our face masks?
My favorite purchase of 2020 was a pack of face masks I bought at a store on Etsy. I carry it every time I leave my house, and always keep one in my wallet just in case I forget to grab one on the way out. After every few days, I throw it in the laundry with the rest of my clothes on, but I often wonder: Did I wash my face masks enough? Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS, epidemiologist at Infectious Diseases and Scientific Head of Communications at The COVID Tracking Project, says to think of your face masks as if they were underwear. “Just change it after each wear,” she says. She has seven masks she would like to keep in circulation, one for each day of the week. It’s a bit extreme, but it’s ideal to have at least two in rotation, so there’s at least one clean mask available. Rivera says you can use one reusable mask for an entire day – even if you go out in the morning, go home for a pit stop, then go out again at night, that’s fine – and throw it in the laundry before you go to bed. The same goes for disposable masks, except for swapping ‘washing machine’ for ‘trash’. Use one a day, discard it and grab a fresh one the next day. But Rivera calls on everyone to try, if possible, reusable masks. “I do not recommend using surgical masks because they are not very environmentally friendly,” she says. ‘Use it sparingly and cut the straps [when you throw them away]. If you wash your reusable face masks less than once per use, it does not increase the chances of you catching COVID-19. It’s just … a little rough and can result in masked or strange odors. But it is better to go out in a dirty mask than to skip the mask completely. “I do not think that if you wear a two-day-old mask, you will be X% more susceptible to the virus,” Rivera explains. “You just want to wear a mask that covers your face properly with the right material.” You can wash your reusable mask as with any other fabric – throw it in the laundry, or wash it by hand with soap and water. It is best to use warm water and to dry it with high heat, but: “Soap is a wonderful destroyer of this virus,” says Rivera. “You do not have to worry about these sterilizing conditions being able to kill the virus if it is on it.” To keep your mask clean throughout your time, you should avoid it. Try not to touch the outside of the mask. If you need to adjust or pull it on and off, just touch the straps. And it should be obvious, but do not share it. “Masks are for individuals,” Rivera says. “You do not share your underwear.” You should refresh your stock of reusable masks every six to 12 months, or when you can see light through the cloth if you hold the cloth to a light source, Natasha Bhuyan, managing director, regional director and supplier of One Medical, told Refinery29 said. . This is a sign that the material is in danger. Even with the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, we are going to wear much longer masks. They work, and that’s what will help us shepherd across the finish line of this thing. And whether you like them or hate them, a fresh scented mask is infinitely more pleasant than a dirty mask. As you can see? How about another R29 goodness, here?