With the emergence of COVID-19, products such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, protective face masks, and more have been constantly out or low in stock. However, many of our own Arcadia students and other people around the world have been making and customizing their own homemade masks. If you are interested in creating your own, here are some tips and guidelines you should keep in mind.

Although some people may believe that masks do not help prevent the spread of the virus, Dr. Benjamin LaBrot, a clinical professor of medical education at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California says otherwise. He states that “Whether [masks] filter well or not, they are very helpful at protecting other people as well, especially from silent infections.” People with “silent infections” are asymptomatic, which means that they do not have the typical symptoms of COVID-19. If these individuals wear a mask, regardless of the type of mask, they can still protect others.

Homemade masks are made of many materials. The materials may differ from person to person since everyone has different materials available to them in their home and city. However, some materials can filter particles better than others, thus affecting how well a homemade mask may protect one from infection. Healthline.com states that “According to LaBrot, a surgical mask (that’s not an N95) only filters about 60 to 65 percent of particles.” LaBrot explains that a person can make a mask that provides up to 60 percent filtration by using doubled up 600-thread count pillowcases or flannel pajamas. HEPA filters, vacuum cleaner bags, and quilter’s cotton have also done well.

A “light test” is also a simple way to tell how well a material may filter. In order to perform this test, hold the chosen material up to the light. If you can see light through the fabric, this material is not as good as something that you can’t see light through. The thicker the material is, the denser it will be and the more likely it’s going to filter better.

While choosing a thicker material is better, there are two main issues that you may uncover. First, it eventually gets hard to breathe. Second, some things could be made of substances that aren’t necessarily safe to breathe in.

While making these homemade masks to keep others around you safe, be sure to take careful consideration. The CDC announced, “Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.” Even with the use of a face mask, the CDC still stated that “it is critical to emphasize that maintaining six-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.”

Picture courtesy of AARP.ORG