Caring For Your Washable Face Mask
Wearing a face mask can be essential for helping to reduce the risk of spreading germs or inhaling them. In order to avoid the need to use disposable masks, many individuals will want to opt for a washable personal protection mask, but they may not be sure as to how they should care for it.
When Should You Wash Your Mask?
In order for the mask to provide effective protection, it will need to be regularly washed. This will eliminate pathogens from the mask, and it will also neutralize mold or other harmful substances that may be collecting on it. Ideally, the mask should be washed after each time that you use it. While this may seem excessive, this is the only way to ensure that you are neutralizing germs that may have gotten on the mask when you used it. Some people may assume that germs will quickly die on the mask, but there are many pathogens that may be able to live for days on surfaces.
Can You Use The Washing Machine?
When you are cleaning your face mask, you may be tempted to simply throw it into the washing machine. However, this may not be a suitable option as it can actually cause damage to the face mask. Rather, the face mask should be hand washed in cool water. This will allow for it to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized while being gentle enough to avoid stretching the fabric or causing other damages. Cold water can further reduce this risk as hot water can cause the fabric in the mask to stretch and warp.
How Should You Dry The Face Mask?
You may not want to wait for your face mask to dry, but allowing it to air dry will be the safest option. A dryer will actually be able to get hot enough to damage the fabric in the mask. Luckily, it is possible for you to safely speed up the drying process. This can be done by placing a fan near the mask so that it will have good air circulation. Placing it where it can receive sunlight may also help, but you will want to be sure that it does not get too hot as this could lead to it shrinking. Due to the small size and thin nature of these masks, you are likely to find that they will dry out within a matter of hours, which can make it easy to keep them clean.
Go online to find washable personal protection masks.
Share