(I stared this at the beginning of the week before the CDC recommendation for everyone to wear masks….this is a list of the best links for DIY masks I’ve found. PLEASE comment back on which ones are better and send others that you find, I’ll keep the list updated as much as I can.)
We’ve all heard about the mask/materials shortages for hospitals, and its been sticking in my craw that we’re stuck at home with the impulse to help but nothing to do besides trying not to drive each other crazy. So when I heard about people sewing masks at home to help out, that seemed pretty like a pretty cool use of creativity. I can’t do it, but I can help figure out what is real, vs. nonsense, and try and spread the word. The interesting thing is that even masks that are not of medical quality are of value. Turns out that tea towels are pretty close to fancy medical grad material in terms of catching virus side stuff. And even if it doesn’t do that, it helps with one of the biggest sources of spread, the almost impossible task of not touching yer damn face/mouth during the day. What I’ve included is the links to resources that I’ve found, following the contents of a letter that just came to me from a member of a Kaiser task force on what is acceptable designs for them to use to help with their medical professional. They would like masks for their local Kaiser centers, but obviously, get them to where ever they need to go. Probably best to wash them, and put them in ziplock bags after extremely carefully cleaning…we don’t wanna pass the virus on in something designed to keep it out…too stupidly ironic. If you find better information or improved designs, leave a comment or email us at [email protected]. And if you do end up making one, send us a picture and tell us where it went and we’ll share it. I know it seem like it’s too big for us to do anything about this besides hide in place, but there are a lot of us. 😉
From Kaiser (3/27/2020)
Materials that should be used to make the mask:
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- Reusable/washable
- Cotton or T-shirt material
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Design components:
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- Must cover nose and mouth
- Ear loop design or ties
- Pleated design is preferred to add layers
- Follow this instruction for sewing mask: https://www.phoebehealth.com/patients-and-visitors/coronavirus/mask-production
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Cleaning requirements:
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- Must be able to hand or machine wash when soiled or contaminated
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Approval/Distribution:
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- Regional approval of masks is not needed if volunteers follow instructions and design components provided
- Masks will be distributed locally (to medical centers)
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We are extremely grateful for your willingness to help our organization keep our patients, members, visitors, staff and physicians safe.
Other Resources I’ve found for this…
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