We have compiled a few recommendations on how to care for your face masks and other commonly asked questions about wearing a mask.
How to properly wear your face mask?
- Wash your hands before and after touching the mask.
- Touch only the bands or ties when putting on and taking off your mask.
- Make sure the mask fits to cover your nose, mouth and chin. If you adjust the mask to cover those areas, wash your hands before and after.
- Make sure you can breathe and talk comfortably through your mask.
- Wash reusable masks after each use. If the mask is disposable, discard it when visibly soiled or damaged.
Make sure to avoid these common mask wearing mistakes:
- Don’t touch your or your child’s mask while it is being worn.
- Don’t wear the mask under your chin with your nose and mouth exposed.
- Don’t leave your nose or mouth uncovered.
- Don’t remove the mask while around others in public.
- Don’t share your mask with family members or friends, especially after being worn.
How to take off a face mask?
Here are the steps from Lisa Maragakis, Senior Director of Infection Prevention at the Johns Hopkins Health System, on the best way to take off a face mask:
- Wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
- Don’t touch the front of the mask or your face.
- Carefully remove your mask by grasping the ear loops or untying the ties.
- If your mask has filters, remove them and throw them away. Fold the mask and put it directly into the laundry or into a disposable or washable bag for laundering.
- Clean your hands again.
How do I store my cloth mask?
Masks should not be placed in pockets for later use. To store or transport, carefully fold the mask so the contaminated outside is folded inward and against itself. Place in clean or new paper bag, and perform hand hygiene.
How can I safely clean a cloth face covering?
Machine washing or hand washing should suffice to properly wash a cloth face covering with regular laundry detergent. Our batik face mask can be machine washed in cold water with regular laundry detergent and should be air dried.
How many face masks should I have?
John Hopkins Medicine recommends that you have a clean face mask for every time you go some place where maintaining social distance (six feet away from others) maybe a challenge, such as: doing grocery shop, going for a doctor visit, riding on a public transportation or working on a job where you are an essential worker. John Hopkins Medicine thus recommends you have at least two face masks so that you always have a clean mask ready. You should also wash your face mask after each time you have worn it.
Take a look at our selection of batik face masks to ensure you always have a clean ready-to-wear face mask before heading out:
Source:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wash-cloth-face-coverings.html
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tips-on-how-to-wear-and-care-for-your-cloth-mask/