How are you being 'safe' with masks?

[headshoulderskneestoes]

I can't seem to hit on a super safe way for us as a family.

I'm a hospital worker so it's been drummed into us: hand wash, mask on, don't touch / move mask, take off once covid secure and put in proper bin, wash hands and repeat. Anything less than this could case greater contamination.

I see the opposite of this when out and about!

I end up with various plastic bags shoved everywhere with clean and dirty masks and my husband is one for 'keeping one in the car' and doesn't really see the need in them washing 🙄. Son is autistic so can't manage wearing them but wants to try and it's on / off every few seconds.

Masks are being seen as the panacea of the virus spreading and will be everywhere soon I think so I need a really good system in place - what are your tips and tricks for being sanitary with masks?

So if I’ve got Covid19 how do I give it to you by touching my mask or putting my mask on before washing my hands?

So if I’ve got Covid19 how do I give it to you by touching my mask or putting my mask on before washing my hands?

The risk is to you, not anyone else.

Op I avoid going anywhere where I need one as much as possible. Then I’m basically doing what you’re doing with a dirty bag and hand sanitiser after I’ve taken it off.

The point of wearing a mask isn't to protect yourself (not in a non-medical setting anyway), it's to protect those around you. You can touch and readjust your mask and still achieve that.

You can touch and readjust your mask and still achieve that.

No, you really shouldn’t. Unless you wash your hands you could transfer Covid to any surfaces you touch, which given most people are wearing masks to go shopping is a particular problem.

@Kinsters

The point of wearing a mask isn't to protect yourself (not in a non-medical setting anyway), it's to protect those around you. You can touch and readjust your mask and still achieve that.

That's a cracking way to attempt to give yourself the virus!! Touching surfaces and effectively touching your face. If you're wearing a mask you need to follow mask hygiene as OP says.

Yes OP totally agree. Noone's following mask hygiene that I've seen out and about. Wouldn't be surprised if it actually increases rates

DH and I are also frontline with all the IPC mantras banging around in our heads and have had to get to grips with the difference between hospital/prehospital risk/ipc and community infection avoidance (social distancing has come hard to DH who has to get up close and personal to his patients).

I just see clinical vs community as two entirely different things, try to be reasonably sensible, and when in doubt slap on some hand sanitiser.

No, you really shouldn’t. Unless you wash your hands you could transfer Covid to any surfaces you touch,

If you’ve got Covid you’ll touch stuff but how you put your mask on or where you keep it - how or why is that going to matter as you already have the virus so can’t infect yourself

Surely the mask then stops you passing the virus to others, so they must not touch your mask

I have a couple of zip up make up bags one for clean and one for dirty.

More than 1 per person, I usually have at least 3 each in the clean bag, my DH likes bandanas, my DD has some fabric ones and I can only seem to tolerate the disposables so the above is for DH and DDs masks, mine go in the bin.

While we're out it's:

Handsanitisor
Mask on
No touching
Then open dirty bag
Mask into bag
Hand sanitiser

When we get home empty dirty bag straight into the machine ready for the next wash and top up the clean bag

Wash hands.

I'm not health trained in any way. I take a clean fabric mask each time I go to the shops, put it on, don't touch it, take it off and put it in a zippy bag, sanitise my hands afterwards. I guess that's a sensible community approach?

I keep at least 2 clean masks in my bag in the side pocket, and then in a seperate pocket I have some washable bamboo bags so when I've worn 1 it goes in there and gets bunged in the wash with the bag. It's obvious then which has been worn and which is clean, when putting on I just make sure to touch the elastic rather than the fabric, same as when taking off. I don't really excessively think about it really

@ivykaty44 I clearly need a coffee because I misread your comment.

Masks aren’t perfect, especially after you’ve been wearing them for a while and become damp. Do you remember all that advice about washing your hands and not touching your face before masks came in? Fiddling with a mask is more likely to get virus on your hands to pass it on it you’ve got it yourself.

My mask gets slightly damp very quickly so if i touch it and im infected it would have covid in the water droplets which are now on my hand which i then touch stuff with. I try to santise my hands each time i touch it but someyimes its like a reflex. I do try change it but obviously in the middle of a supermarket shop i dont change my mask for a fresh one. Maybe i should?

Wash your hands & keep washing them regularly and wear a mask To reduce risk then, surely if we all keep doing this then it will reduce infection rates

@ivykaty44

So if I’ve got Covid19 how do I give it to you by touching my mask or putting my mask on before washing my hands?

If you've got it on your hands from touching something else, you'll transfer it to your face / mask. As the other poster said, this bit protects you.

@Kinsters

The point of wearing a mask isn't to protect yourself (not in a non-medical setting anyway), it's to protect those around you. You can touch and readjust your mask and still achieve that.

Well I guess you could as long you hand wash / sanitise after every single time you touch it....or tie your hands behind your back to make sure you don't touch anything! Certainly haven't seen any of this going on out and about....

Wash hands. Put on mask. Was hands. Leave house. Sanitise hands. If I need to touch my face/adjust my mask for any reason I use hand sanitizer immediately before and afterwards. Mask goes straight into the washing machine when I get in.

I need to take off my mask for work, so for that, I put my dirty mask in a reusable nappy wet bag and put the mask and bag in the washing machine when I get home.

Basically (and I've only just realised this)I use pretty much the same routine that I did for nappies, only with masks.

Yes OP totally agree. Noone's following mask hygiene that I've seen out and about. Wouldn't be surprised if it actually increases rates

This is what worries me - why isn't there a public health campaign to teach good hygiene with masks? Even in 12 posts here there is vastly different ideas about what is safe!

It's just supposed to be a barrier to reduce droplet transmission if someone with Covid coughs near you or vice versa. You don't need to treat them with clinical precision to achieve that.

@GeorgeTheFirst

I'm not health trained in any way. I take a clean fabric mask each time I go to the shops, put it on, don't touch it, take it off and put it in a zippy bag, sanitise my hands afterwards. I guess that's a sensible community approach?

I should think so - can't convince my husband it's necessary though 🙄. I like the washable bag idea below. That will stop me using so many plastic bags.

I am covering my face as dictated by the government. Nothing more, nothing less.

@Staplemaple

I keep at least 2 clean masks in my bag in the side pocket, and then in a seperate pocket I have some washable bamboo bags so when I've worn 1 it goes in there and gets bunged in the wash with the bag. It's obvious then which has been worn and which is clean, when putting on I just make sure to touch the elastic rather than the fabric, same as when taking off. I don't really excessively think about it really

I hadn't thought of washable bags - thank you!

@VirginiaWolverine

Wash hands. Put on mask. Was hands. Leave house. Sanitise hands. If I need to touch my face/adjust my mask for any reason I use hand sanitizer immediately before and afterwards. Mask goes straight into the washing machine when I get in.

I need to take off my mask for work, so for that, I put my dirty mask in a reusable nappy wet bag and put the mask and bag in the washing machine when I get home.

Basically (and I've only just realised this)I use pretty much the same routine that I did for nappies, only with masks.

Love the nappy thought....this should be the new advertising route!!!!

I do the same thing - If I forget to take my hand sanitiser with me, then I am one of the "stupid" people who wear their mask in the car. I'm not doing it because I think my car is contagious, I'm doing it because I'm going to get home in 2 minutes time, wash my hands and then take my mask off.

I also always make sure I tie my hair back when wearing a mask, because stray hairs round my face are the tickliest thing ever. Itchy face is the worst thing about masks.

wash hands or hand gel put mask on
don't touch it except for by the elastic for putting on taking off.
Wash hands or hand gel before taking it off, it's put in to a bag until it's time for it to go in the washong machine then wash hands or hand gel after taking it off.
Once it's been worn and taken off say for eating in a resturant it's time for a new one.

I'm using bags at the moment but since masks seem like they might be around for a while I'm on the look out for a couple of fabric bags instead.

It's a but of a faff, but my understanding is that it's the right way to treat masks, and everythings a bit of a faff at the moment anyway.

I work in public service sector. Customers come in, pull their mask down tell me what they want then pop it back on.... 🙈