Making Your Own Face Mask? Read This.

Share with Friends

In the midst of emerging evidence that face coverings do help stop the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and the state of California have updated their guidance and now recommend that all people wear face coverings of some kind outside their homes, especially in public settings where strict social distancing is difficult.

But what kind is best?

A new study out of Wake Forest University tested many different kinds of face covering materials, by pumping air through various fabrics and measuring what materials did the best job at filtering out small particles.

Their conclusion is that, if possible, your mask should be made out of two layers of heavyweight “quilters cotton” with a high threat count of at least 180. You’re looking for a tighter, thicker weave. Other cottons do work as well, but opt for a tight, thick weave, and use two layers.

They also found that lesser quality fabrics also worked well, just so they had an internal layer of flannel. In fact, the best homemade face coverings exceeded the protection of a standard surgical mask, trapping up to 79 percent of .3 micron particles (about the size of a large virus). By comparison, surgical masks trap about 65 percent of those particles, and N95 masks (which should be reserved for front line medical and first responders) trapped about 95 percent.

There are many DIY sites online that show you how to make your own mask, here is one.

DIY Face Mask

There are also videos online showing how to make masks using HEPA vacuum cleaner bags and home HVAC filters. However, a bit of caution here.

Some vacuum cleaner bags may contain unsafe particles (like glass fibers), and research is continuing on home heater filters. It appears that many home heater filters use largely plastics and other materials considered non-toxic, but proceed with caution and always do your own research first before attempting to use such materials.

So, in conclusion, what we do know is that quilters cotton, doubled layered, does do a good job in trapping small particles and is considered a good choice for a simple DIY face covering at this time.