Please read this before using "masksbymom" masks
"masksbymom" masks are "homemade" masks and are NOT medical grade masks. They are intended as a "last resort" for health care professionals who already know how to safely put on, wear, and take off masks in a potentially infectious environment and how to handle biohazards. Used masks are biohazards and must be treated as such.
If you don't know what you are doing, then using these masks will likely increase your chance of getting sick.
According to CDC recommendations, for health care professionals, "homemade" masks should only be considered for use as a "last resort" (when medical masks aren't available) and in that case, they ideally should be used in conjunction with a face shield, as described by the CDC here: https://www.cdc.gov/
Do not let this mask give yourself a false sense of security.
You use these masks at your own risk.
From the moment you enter an environment that may contain pathogens (harmful germs), then the outside of your mask must be treated as a biohazard. From then on, if you touch it, then you must wash your hands. If it becomes wet or otherwise compromised, be sure to safely remove it and replace it with a clean one.
Here is a quick video by the World Health Organization's on the use of medical masks: https://youtu.be/Ded_AxFfJoQ
Here are instructions for use of medical masks, much of this will apply to using any mask: https://bit.ly/39wjV1j
But these are just starting information. You are responsible for understanding the risks of using a mask, especially a homemade one, and you use these at your own risk.
--------------
About "masksbymom" masks:
These masks were developed by a mom due to a personal request from a concerned wife of a local doctor. After getting her some masks, other people started asking about how they could get some too. So we set up the website "http://blog.masksbymom.com" with some information about them. Donations to help cover the cost of materials would be greatly appreciated. We've set up a PayPal account that we use only for mask-related expenses (masksbymom@gmail.com). If you use these masks and want to help offset the cost of producing them, please consider donating for them. With enough reimbursement for supplies, we might be able to produce hundreds of these a week, but we can't afford to produce so many without help.
This mask is made up of five layers of material, NONE of which have been shown to be effective in preventing transmission of any respiratory illness:
The outer layer is cotton fabric
Next is either featherweight or midweight "interfacing" (Pellon 931TD or 911FF)
The next layer is material from a home air filter*
Next is either featherweight or midweight "interfacing" (Pellon 931TD or 911FF)
The inner layer is flannel
*One of the nicer Filterete filters, at least MBR 1500, but even the highest quality Filterete filters we've been able to get are not medical grade.
Our hope is that together these will provide some filtering capability, but its most important function may be to remind you not to touch your mouth or face.
If you reuse these masks, then please treat them as biological hazards until you are sure that your cleaning method has removed potential infectious agents. We don't know if laundry soap and hot water is sufficient to remove viruses or not. And if it is effective, we still do not know how many wash cycles these masks will last.
Also, learn proper technique, which includes but is not limited to the following:
1. Wash your hands before putting it on.
2. If you touch the outside of the mask, treat your hands as contaminated until you wash them thoroughly.
3. Wash your hands before taking off your mask.
4. Place your used mask in an airtight bag or container.
--------------
About COVID-19 safety:
Just like we are safest riding a car when we have air bags AND drive responsibly AND wear seat belts, several complementary tactics work together to effectively protect us from COVID-19 (see more details at https://bit.ly/33RcQam):
1. social distancing (6+ feet),
2. frequent hand washing and
3. and avoiding touching one's eyes, nose, and face with unwashed hands.
For full details, see https://www.cdc.gov/
What about face masks? The CDC really only recommends medical grade face masks, and with respect to those they say:
1. If you are sick, you should wear a face mask to prevent infecting others.
2. If you are not sick, you do not need to wear a face mask UNLESS you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a face mask).
If you don't know what you are doing, then using these masks will likely increase your chance of getting sick.
According to CDC recommendations, for health care professionals, "homemade" masks should only be considered for use as a "last resort" (when medical masks aren't available) and in that case, they ideally should be used in conjunction with a face shield, as described by the CDC here: https://www.cdc.gov/
Do not let this mask give yourself a false sense of security.
You use these masks at your own risk.
From the moment you enter an environment that may contain pathogens (harmful germs), then the outside of your mask must be treated as a biohazard. From then on, if you touch it, then you must wash your hands. If it becomes wet or otherwise compromised, be sure to safely remove it and replace it with a clean one.
Here is a quick video by the World Health Organization's on the use of medical masks: https://youtu.be/Ded_AxFfJoQ
Here are instructions for use of medical masks, much of this will apply to using any mask: https://bit.ly/39wjV1j
But these are just starting information. You are responsible for understanding the risks of using a mask, especially a homemade one, and you use these at your own risk.
--------------
About "masksbymom" masks:
These masks were developed by a mom due to a personal request from a concerned wife of a local doctor. After getting her some masks, other people started asking about how they could get some too. So we set up the website "http://blog.masksbymom.com" with some information about them. Donations to help cover the cost of materials would be greatly appreciated. We've set up a PayPal account that we use only for mask-related expenses (masksbymom@gmail.com). If you use these masks and want to help offset the cost of producing them, please consider donating for them. With enough reimbursement for supplies, we might be able to produce hundreds of these a week, but we can't afford to produce so many without help.
This mask is made up of five layers of material, NONE of which have been shown to be effective in preventing transmission of any respiratory illness:
The outer layer is cotton fabric
Next is either featherweight or midweight "interfacing" (Pellon 931TD or 911FF)
The next layer is material from a home air filter*
Next is either featherweight or midweight "interfacing" (Pellon 931TD or 911FF)
The inner layer is flannel
*One of the nicer Filterete filters, at least MBR 1500, but even the highest quality Filterete filters we've been able to get are not medical grade.
Our hope is that together these will provide some filtering capability, but its most important function may be to remind you not to touch your mouth or face.
If you reuse these masks, then please treat them as biological hazards until you are sure that your cleaning method has removed potential infectious agents. We don't know if laundry soap and hot water is sufficient to remove viruses or not. And if it is effective, we still do not know how many wash cycles these masks will last.
Also, learn proper technique, which includes but is not limited to the following:
1. Wash your hands before putting it on.
2. If you touch the outside of the mask, treat your hands as contaminated until you wash them thoroughly.
3. Wash your hands before taking off your mask.
4. Place your used mask in an airtight bag or container.
--------------
About COVID-19 safety:
Just like we are safest riding a car when we have air bags AND drive responsibly AND wear seat belts, several complementary tactics work together to effectively protect us from COVID-19 (see more details at https://bit.ly/33RcQam):
1. social distancing (6+ feet),
2. frequent hand washing and
3. and avoiding touching one's eyes, nose, and face with unwashed hands.
For full details, see https://www.cdc.gov/
What about face masks? The CDC really only recommends medical grade face masks, and with respect to those they say:
1. If you are sick, you should wear a face mask to prevent infecting others.
2. If you are not sick, you do not need to wear a face mask UNLESS you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a face mask).
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