Health

Guide to making your own face mask

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COVID-19 particularly spreads through respiratory droplets. These droplets travel into the air. So when a person cough, sneeze, talk, or sing, there’s a high possibility of rapid transmission.

Fortunately, masks can be a simple barrier to help prevent these respiratory droplets from reaching you. In fact, there are lots of studies that shows how masks reduce droplets if nose and mouth are fully covered.

When travelling on any public transportation, one should always wear a mask. Or when you are around people who do not live with you. This is in particular to people age 2 years and above.

Medical-grade masks and respirators are highly suggested by many public health organizations since these has professional-grade filters. A cloth mask can also offer the same amount of protection according to the type of fabric, its number of layers, and how well the mask fits to cover nose and mouth. So in case of emergency and you run out of masks, let these tips guide you to make your own.

  1. Bandana face mask. You’ll be needing two 1 inch elastic bands and bandana or handkerchief with approximate size of 50 by 50 cm. First step will be laying the cloth flat then fold it in half. And then, fold the top and bottom of it to meet the center. Put the two elastic bands by threading it with 12 centimeters apart. Then, fold each side to the middle and tucked it into the folds. Make sure to wash them every after use.
  • Used T-shirt mask. If you have a used t-shirt and you want to recycle it, consider turning it into a mask. You just need pins, kitchen towel, and a scissor. First, you have to draw a mask pattern across the arms and body part of the shirt. Cut the pattern and you should have 2 layers from the front and back of it. Pin one side first so you can insert the paper towel or any filtering material. After that, pin the other side and tie the cloth that serves as ear loop so it will be well-fitted on your face.
  • Stitched mask. Showcase creativity in the middle of pandemic with this stitched mask. Here you’ll be needing scissors, elastic rubber, needle and thread, kitchen towel, and cloth. Start by cutting the cloth in two 25 by 15 cm rectangles. Then place it lengthways on top of each other so you can fold the top of the fabric by 0.6cm and begin stitching. Fold the bottom and stitch 2.5cm inwards to create a filter pocket. Next is you have to fold and stitch the shorter sides in about 1cm to leave a space for the elastic. Thread the two 15cm elastic rubber to each sides and tie on both ends. Lastly, put the kitchen paper towel inside the pocket to serve as filter.

Homemade masks serve as a double protection. You can wear this on top of your medical-grade mask to highly avoid passing or getting the disease from other people.