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1. Dr. Annie has a new experiment about sanitizing face coverings (for simplicity let’s just call them masks). Boiling was best but keep in mind, she isn’t concerned with toxicity, so I don’t recommend boiling disposable or synthetic fiber masks; only cotton or natural fibers. Disposable masks are not meant to be reused and other sources say not to try to spray or wash them.
Machine washing and drying was not perfect but removed most germs. Hand washing was not effective! She didn’t test sunlight which would have been interesting. How often to change masks? It depends how long you wear them, but a whole day at the longest.
http://www.dranniesexperiments.com/home/face-masks
I discuss why and how to avoid laundry germs in my post here. The dryer is important:
2. A huge tip is you’re not supposed to touch the outside of face masks because they are germy. It’s mainstream science and recommendations. Remember that the outside of the mask is like a germ collection plate; touching it gets hands all germy… which can then infect you or spread the germs on surfaces, which can negate the point of wearing masks! Wash hands immediately if you touch the outside of the mask. Here are three links about it:
https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-to-avoid-wearing-a-face-mask-coronavirus-2020-4?op=1
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wear-cloth-face-coverings.html
3. Here is a document from Covid experts including from the WHO, about how covid is usually spread (close contact/ enclosed spaces):
4. Here is a recent article about whether we need to be preoccupied with disinfecting surfaces. Being clean is always good, but it’s important not to lose sight of the most important actions (avoid enclosed spaces with groups, wash hands), and recognize that many disinfecting products are toxic themselves, so we should not be over-using.
“Worrying about the small stuff exhausts people from focusing on things that do matter. Maybe a person feels so confident in the disinfection methods around them that they eat indoors [at restaurants] without a mask, despite the much more substantial known risks. Or perhaps someone feels they don’t need to quarantine themselves after traveling because they wore disposable gloves and booties over their shoes on the plane. “When you ask more of people than what is needed, they grow tired of doing what actually matters,” Marcus says.“
I discuss things along these lines in my Halloween post too:
Mask Brands I Recommend
Definitely organic cotton masks (link to article) because you are literally breathing through them, so quite important to avoid chemicals and synthetic materials. Here is an affiliate link to ones I have bought: https://amzn.to/3rJM7ck. And here is a post I made about mask brackets that help make masks more breathable.
Also, synthetic fibers (used in both disposable and synthetic cloth such as polyester) are basically plastic. You’ve probably heard of micro plastic pollution in water, but it also happens through the air, as these synthetic fibers create micro/nano plastic dust (also contains heavy metals) that can be inhaled (hyperlink to scientific paper). Additionally, masks usually have dyes and the disposable surgical masks are sprayed with PTFE ( polytetrafluoroethylene), a synthetic fluoride found in Teflon (see my cookware post for why that’s toxic).
You can also check out my post about why organic cotton is less toxic than non-organic cotton:
Someone asked about mask filters. I hear that coffee filters or even tissues can work as a less toxic option.
From Dear Pandemic… specifics on filters and effectiveness. https://www.facebook.com/105606064401383/posts/174874687474520/?extid=8lUT226t4c00FCio&d=n
https://www.businessinsider.com/homemade-mask-using-hydro-knit-shop-towel-filters-better-2020-4
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