The fabric mask thing…
So I have seen a lot of posts on Facebook and reddit and Tumblr from people making their own face masks out of fabric (or crochet, or knit)
Yes, I know some countries are enforc8ng mask wearing among their citizens when they leave the house. And that some hospital in America are so short on PPE that they are appealing to their communities for fabric masks.
But.
The evidence for these masks is bad.
This study shows that the rate of flu like illnesses was higher in those wearing a fabric mask for an entire shift than in those that followed normal protocol about mask wearing.
A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers
What does this mean? Wearing a fabric mask the entire time you are outside your home could increase your risk of infection.
Something fabric masks can do is make you less likely to touch your face which is good, but is unlikely to outweigh the increased infection risk.
If you still want to make your own mask, this study shows the best material to make it from. They co pared multiple common household materials. The best materials and tea towels, pillowcases and t shirts.
(PDF) Testing the Efficacy of Homemade Masks: Would They Protect in an Influenza Pandemic?
For making your own mask, the below link is to a good pattern, that references the materials study, and uses multiple layers of fabric.
How to Sew a Surgical Face Mask for Hospitals – Free Pattern
An important thing if you are going to use a fabric mask – WASH IT FREQUENTLY! If you leave the house three times in one day then ideally use a different mask each time. Wash it as hot as you can and dry it very well (moisture is not your friend with a facemask)
In a toss up at work between no mask or a fabric mask, I would chose the fabric mask. Outside of work? I’d chose no mask.
Masks made out of yarn, be it knit or crochet, will have gaps too big to stop getting anything getting through. Again, they might help stop you touching your face, but will likely be more difficult to wash than a fabric mask. You could line your knit/crochet mask but at that point, you’re putting a lot of effort into something that isn’t going to help you much.
TL;DR – homemade masks aren’t great, but depending on situation can be better than nothing, follow your government’s guidance for whether to wear one
Hopefully this will be helpful to somebody!
You can use a coffee filter inside as a liner.