With this worldwide pandemic in full effect right now, it’s not only toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and gloves that are sold out.
Medical-grade face masks are sold out everywhere, too. So much so that medical centres are asking for donations. Those who work in the medical centres are the individuals who work endlessly day in and out to ensure the safety of our friends and family across the world, so it’s best to leave the medical-grade masks for them.
Most recently, the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) recommended face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19. So, let’s come together and show them how creative we can get making non-medical grade face masks.
Here Are Some DIY Ways To make a Face Mask At Home
Whether you want to sew, hand stitch, or use items that are already in your household for a quick solution, the CDC has step-by-step instructions for you to follow to create the perfect face mask.
Sewing or hand stitching your face mask
No-Sew Face Masks
Closet finds to create a face mask
As we all know, face masks are limited anywhere you go. Sometimes we really just need a quick solution. The step-by-step above would also work with old items in your wardrobe and a coffee filter or vacuum bag as added protection.
In terms of choosing what type of cloth to upcycle, Dr. Scott Degal, chairman of anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Health told New York Times, “Hold [the fabric] to a bright light. If light passes really easily through the fibres and you can almost see the fibres, it’s not a good fabric. If it’s a denser weave of thicker material and light doesn’t pass through it as much, that’s the material you want to use.”
Be resourceful and have fun with it — you can even make it a fashion statement!
Let me remind you that these are not a substitution for the N95 masks.
Every medical staff member is working very hard for all of us across the world, so it’s best to leave the medical-grade masks for the people who need them most. While we should still be practicing social distancing and self-isolation, homemade masks are a good preventative measure to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
Now let’s get creative, stay home, and stay safe.