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?

This is something I’ve been wondering about: the virus weakens and then dies on fabric after a certain number of hours. So if I’ve worn a fabric mask for 5-10 minutes to get petrol or whatever, surely it’s OK to just throw it in the glove compartment, and re-use it in a few days time, rather than wash it every single time I use it briefly?

I feel more at risk fiddling around with masks all the time too. We have washable ones and not very many.

Masks will make no difference if introduced in schools for kids either. Kids won’t stop messing around and touching them.

Fresh mask everyday. Take it off when I get home and put it in the wash. Don't touch it while I'm wearing it, remove it by peeling off first one ear them the other, wash hands.

Here every shop has hand sanitizer at the entrance and are adamant you put it on when you go in, and some turn you away for not wearing a mask.

Most people are pretty good about wearing masks, although I have seen a few idiots using them as a chin-warmer, nevk-warmer, nose hanging out.

why isn't there a public health campaign to teach good hygiene with masks?

Good question! Why isn’t there?

@pontypridd

why isn't there a public health campaign to teach good hygiene with masks?

Good question! Why isn’t there?

Because there is not enough (or even much) research showing what face coverings actually achieve, let alone the safest ways to use them. It's all a bit 'well every little probably helps'.

If it's any comfort, the much quoted research that investigated how long covid stayed alive on various surfaces has been discredited by many for not bearing any relationship to real life situations and the hunch is that it really doesn't cause much of a risk in everyday life. But who knows!

face covers should not be seen as panacea of the virus spreading.

Fresh cotton mask or masks every day. I wash my hands before putting it on at home and before taking it off at home. Have bought a set for each of the six of us along with washable cotton mask bags to keep them in when out and about (although I tend to just keep mine on for the outings I'm going on for now). I can't use hand sanitiser regularly as I'm prone to psoriasis on my hands if I don't regularly apply handcream through the day so when out it's a case of washing my hands where facilities are available.

Masks go in a washable net bag when home to go through on a normal 40 degree wash with other laundry. Mask bags too. Air dry before wearing again (the ones I've got look fine without ironing and I'm not a big ironer, don't find the time with a big family).

@PurpleDaisies

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.

Precisely.

@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?

Exactly! It's not that hard, is it?

People are constantly putting their mask up and down etc.

I think it should be underlined that people need to have a few clean masks with them all the time!

I'm going to make some but I bought some disposables from B&M. I'm pleasantly surprised by how comfy they are and haven't needed to touch mine once it's on, even with glasses.

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.

If I don’t have a mask on and touch my Face ID still infect myself - possibly, so washing hands would be the answer as humans can’t stop touching faces

I bought reuseable masks from sea salt and a couple online. I have one for each time I go anywhere that requires one. After arriving at my destination, I put it on in the car,after sanitising hands. Have found them reasonably comfortable so haven’t had the need to touch my face/mask and actually seem to have no urge to touch my face with a mask on. When I take it off I remove it from the ears place in a washable bag then sanitize my hands. My masks are washed at 60c as per instructions on box.

I try not to touch the mask. But, in the time it take me to go round Tesco for a week’s shopping it will rise up so the top edge is literally cutting into my eyeballs at least half a dozen times. Usually if I bend down to get something, reach up, or generally don’t stay still and looking straight ahead. The square pleated style with ear loops and a nose piece, put on according to instructions. Am I missing something obvious? Because at the moment touching it is kind of unavoidable and sanitising my hands and putting on a new mask that many times just isn’t practical.

We've spent the past fortnight wearing masks a lot as been in France where they're being worn more than here.

We carry anti bac with us and found that most of the shops, hotels, attractions and public transport stations have hand Sanskrit stations - they did today in London too. We also used the mask elastics to put them on and off, and try to avoid touching them on the material bit - sometimes did to adjust the nose wire but generally only after anti bac use. When off they were folded so that the insides were together and still is side, not external - popped into a cloth bag in our pockets.

If out all day, especially as it was very hot, we had a spare mask each in a cloth bag inside my handbag to swap onto half way through the day.

We rinsed then out with soap and hot water each evening and left them to air dry - at home we will wash them properly but we were in hotels so not possible. We also now have more masks so can use a new one each day and just wash once or twice a week with the rest of the washing.

We've also found that the more we've worn them the less we have been tempted to touch the masks. After wearing them daily for two weeks it's almost second nature now, and we don't tend to notice them so much so don't touch them as often.

The trickiest day was a theme park in 34c heat on Monday. Gosh, that was challenging at times.

Colour coded clean and dirty bags so that I'm not constantly using new bags. Mostly only touching the elastic. But itchy face is hard! Sanitise hands before/after entering most shops.

The other day I saw a lady wearing her mask, she pulled it down, coughed then put it back up again

I couldn't believe it 😡😡

I have disposable masks and nappy sacks in the car. We also have reusable masks and clothes spray in the car to 'clean' them. We have a UV bag at home where keys and phones and masks can also be 'cleaned'.
We also have anti bac gel and wipes in car too.

I just don’t have the time to wash the masks of 5 people after every frigging use. The kids touch theirs the whole time anyway. The whole thing is a joke and I don’t think for one minute a pretty cloth mask is going to do anything. It will probably increase infection rates.

I started out trying to keep to the advice on masks - not touching etc but it’s impossible in a domestic setting with a playful child trying to pull it off or play peekaboo - so now I put mask on as I enter a shop, whizz round, leave shop, remove mask. New mask for each shop.
I made a stack of thin double layer cotton ones and now they go in a hot wash every night with other stuff. It’s the best I can do.

we have a stock of about 10 washable cloth masks. when they come out of the laundry process they are individual sealed into little ziplock bags and we have a Tupperware tub of these by the front door.

if one of us is going to a shop, hospital or other risky place, we will take a mask from this stash and keep it in its bag till we arrive. then sanitize hands, put on mask, don't touch mask till finished in the place we are visiting. remove mask and stuff it in a pocket (we don't have a system for containing "contaminated" masks though perhaps we should) but that mask can certainly not be used again. when home the dirty mask goes straight into the washing machine as the first thing we do on coming through the front door (will get washed next time a batch is put on) then wash hands.

I’ll be completely honest with you. I hate the fact I’ve been told that I have to cover my face. I’be been wearing a mask but they are too big for my face, even when I’ve adjusted them, they rise up and hit me under my eye lids when I lean down to grab something so during an on average 20 minute shop I must touch my mask 10 times. I’ll also be honest and admit I put my mask (disposable) in a zip bag and use it a couple of times not just once. I know people will say there is no point in wearing one but genuinely, i don’t feel that there is a point as i do not think they help at all. So as long as I’m seen to be wearing one that’s me done and I will manage my mask wearing however I choose.

Sossen- some of the fabric masks come in different sizes and even child sizes. Both me and dd have quite small faces and had this issue - but purchasing the size small masks, with nose wires and/or shaped at the top the issue of them going over your eyes is reduced lots. Also it can help if you use an ear saver rather than just putting the elastics over your ears.

It's made a big difference to us.

I'm a nightmare for mask touching. I just can't seem to find any that fit my face. I've tried reusables and disposables, and even children's masks. I've tried with the elastic bands normally round my ears and flipped inverse to try and hold the mask to my face.

It ends up riding up, and catching on my lower eyelashes to a degree I've considered cutting my lower eyelashes shorter, though I won't because then I would look silly.

The only way for me to wear a mask is it I periodically pull it back into place. I'm sure I can't be the only one with this issue either, though my partner doesn't have this issue at all.

Obviously this is terrible mask hygiene, but I don't know what else I can do. It's better that I wear a mask and occasionally give it a little tug down again than not at all.

Same as most on here by the sound of it:

Hair tied back to avoid it touching my face
Handsantiser
Clean mask bag
Mask on
adjust fully so not tempted to touch
Shop
Handsantiser
Mask off
Dirty bag
Handsantiser
Access keys

When I get home I wash my hands, wipe keys/cards with Milton wipes.

It’s not perfect for those who are HCP’s and probably sounds crazy to quite a lot of people that don’t believe in the virus too.