Do’s & Don’t of Part. Masks

Do buy a N95, N99, N100 mask.
Don't buy a surgical mask unless you plan on doing surgery. These masks are designed to protect the PATIENT from the health care worker's germs, not the opposite. They do not fit snuggly against one's cheeks, therefore they are useless. Their holes are 50 times {Approx.} the size of a N95. Virus is a tiny fraction of the size of bacteria.
Don't fold, bend, crease a mask. This causes a long hole, allowing virus in. If I was in this situation with no other mask available I would tape the fold on the outside.
Don't touch the outside of the mask with bare hands once you've worn it in public. When removing always use gloves. After use, hang indoors, away from humans, for three days before reuse. Bagging it is fine.
Don't reuse if mask becomes soiled, fluids.
Don't wear goggles if they interfere with mask, get smaller goggles. Goggles need to be air tight if effective, tape holes on side of goggles if you've purchased standard protective goggles.
Don't wear a mask with a beard. This will interfere with seal. The beard's gotta go.
Rubber bands go on upper head and upper neck area.
I can't find a suitable/well fitted mask for my 12 year old so if she must go outside I will completely tape the perimeter,{rim} of the mask securely to her face.
Store mask in a cool, dry place, not in sunlight as this will break down the material. {Second law of science, thermodynamics}
I find that masks don't fit as snuggly as I would like, the top, sides of the nose bridge area seems a tiny bit loose, even after I have adjusted the metal band, so I will tape the nose bridge area with a bandaid or paper tape, .....call me paranoid. : )

Please add or refute.
Mary Kay RN

is there any household cloth or material that can be used  to make a mask in a pinch

Sealing of the mask with goggles is always a concern; tape is rather used to seal gloves to a suit, and the suit to a mask (rubber one).
the goggles must not interfere with the mask, but tend to be foggy.
disposable masks should be discarded when used, other must be wiped/sprayed.
shortage of masks, leakage, problems with goggles, cleaning ... all these problems are solved with a full face mask ...

Yes you will extend the straps and its betterto stock if not worn in an infected place; if worn in an infected one, discard.

Hi friends,

I was under the impression that it was very important to discard
your mask if used when treating an ill patient. This means a new mask
everytime you go out and then in again to the room where the patient is.
This means one must have many more masks on hand than most
anticipate. Any flaw in this reasoning? I don't think there is any way to "air
them out" for 3 days and then use them again or any way to disinfect
them. Sure wish there was. Guess that is why they are called disposable,
even tho' the price doesn't reflect that. Having say 10 on hand isn't going
to mean squat, is it? And when people appear to be buying industrial
masks I shudder. The particles that must be kept away are so tiny that i
wonder if these masks will do any good at all. I am glad some of you have
spoken against the danger of so-call 'surgical' masks. As I understand it,
they are just worn as a gesture of politeness to others, but don't do a
darn thing to protect the wearer or keep possible flu particles "inside" the
mask.

Is it recommended that everyone staying in the same house IF there is an
infected person being treated, to wear their masks 24/7? Googles, gloves
also? Just doesn't seem do-able at all does it?

What if no one is showing any symptoms. Are people in the house OK
without masks, gloves, goggles. How about outdoors in the country (no
people around, but dogs would be around)

Still am struggling with these questions. Thanks for your ideas, so much
to think about. I would sure like more people to weigh in on these
questions. Perhaps dogs needing to be crated away from each other.
Someone has to care for them outdoors (food, water, walking, at least)

5 or more people in a small house for many months, not going outside. I
just don't see it as a possibility, do you?

Rocky ... getting more worried every day. Can't see how we can make
this work if the worst does happen.

can anyone answer my question--- is there any household  cloth or substance  that can be used to create a mask in a pinch ?

You can make easily cloth (gauze) masks, traditional surgical ones, useful only only bg damp droplets. or the other efficent filtration masks, forget.
Maybe you can use the HEAP tissues, but it will be difficult to make a mask with perfect fit

I had a thought about a mask, "in a pinch".

 

Double or triple layer of a tightly woven material and srapy it down with lysol or something like that????

I do agree with previous posts. You can only get a homemade traditional gauze nurse's mask, useful only against big droplets.
For other effective particulate masks, you have to buy industrial products. No choice left. Anita RN pulm nurse

Deej wrote: can anyone answer my question--- is there any household  cloth or substance  that can be used to create a mask in a pinch ?

yes if all else faile bleach a white t-shirt allow to dry use as mask.  The bleach in the material will help kill airborn particles.  Of course a real mask would be better but the bleached shirt is better by far than nothing.  The Marines are taught to do this if they are in a pinch

There are TWO modes of infection.

1) Direct inhalation of virus from some one in your vicinity coughing or sneezing or even breathing near you.  This is where the mask comes in.

2) Touching an object or surface that has been previously touched by an infected person, and then touching your face (mouth, nose, eyes and some have questioned ears).  This is where hygiene comes in.  H5N1 is a hardy bug.  It can live on non-porous surfaces for as much as 48 hours and if it's really cold about 30 days.  It can live in sub zero conditions indefinitely.  I guess it goes into some sort of suspended animation, but reactivates once it is thawed.

In a public setting you MUST guard against both modes of infection.

 

Hi all- What about those N95 chemical masks with the two canisters on the sides that painters, fiberglas workers use?  could they work and be reused if you kept them wiped down?   They seem airtight and are N95 and you can buy extra filters. 

AnitaRNpulmo - Thank you.  appreciate the useful information.  We have two of these masks in storage.  Hope we never have to use them.

HI MaryKay I do agree ! Having the RIGHT mask, wearing it properly donned and fit, being able to wear it for extended time without infection bareer breakage, being able to put it of properly, wearing an efficient eye protection, are a must. If not, all this is merely USELESS.
I shall post later on my page leaflets about do and dont.