# Hand-Wash Only Face Masks



## Damaged Goods (May 13, 2020)

The material is organic cotton, for whatever that's worth.  Would you risk putting this in the machine for a "warm" wash?  (Not "hot.)


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## Sunny (May 13, 2020)

I wouldn't.  I wash mine in cold water, but then I wash everything in cold water. 

I did make the mistake of putting one cotton mask in the dryer. It shrank, of course.


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## PopsnTuff (May 13, 2020)

Only hand washing should be applied....much gentler.


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## hollydolly (May 14, 2020)

*I put all of ours in the washing machine and wash at 60 deg, I haven't lost one yet.... *


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## treeguy64 (May 14, 2020)

I put mine in my autoclave. Total sterilization, no shrinking, no problems. Microscopic studies, at 400X, show no pore enlargement, after three cycles.


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## StarSong (May 14, 2020)

I wash my fabric mask in the sink with Dawn, hand wring, then let it dry in the sunshine.  I use the fabric mask for social distancing with kids and neighbors.  A crafy friend is sending me some that has a pocket for a filter insert.  I have some paper, HEPA-rated vacuum cleaner bags that we'll cut up for this purpose.     

When shopping, I rotate two of my N95s that I bought January 2018, in anticipation of this type of scenario. I got 20 masks. Hubby and I kept 2 each and passed the rest out to our kids. We treat these masks like the gold they are.


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## Judycat (May 14, 2020)

I hand wash mine with Dawn too, then let them air dry. A lot quicker and cleaner that way.


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## Ronni (May 14, 2020)

I have 100% cotton masks with linen or cotton liners so that you can slip a filter in between. I wash them in the washer, hot water,  gentle/handwash cycle, in a lingerie bag.

When they're done I reshape them as needed and lay them out to dry on a towel.  

The "hot" cycle on my washing machine doesn't get hot enough to shrink cotton.  The dryer does though, so I don't put much of anything in the dryer on the hot cycle other than towels and sheets and Ron's heavy duty work clothes.


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## Sunny (May 14, 2020)

I wonder if the "hot" cycle really makes any difference. It's hard to imagine a virus surviving a full cycle at any temperature, even cold.


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## Ronni (May 14, 2020)

Sunny said:


> I wonder if the "hot" cycle really makes any difference. It's hard to imagine a virus surviving a full cycle at any temperature, even cold.


Honestly I don't think it does.  

We're told to wash our hands with soap for 20 seconds to help sanitize them from Covid-19, the reason being that the soap will help cut through the sort-of fatty layer of the virus particle and dissolve it.  The recommendation isn't hot water, just water and ANY kind of soap.  It just makes ME feel better to wash some things in hot water.   

_"Coronaviruses are a bit like ....oil. .... bits of genetic information — encoded by RNA — surrounded by a coat of fat and protein. Thordarson likes to call viruses “nano-sized grease balls.” And grease balls, no matter the size, are the exact type of thing soap loves to annihilate.
The soap takes care of the virus much like it takes care of the oil in the water. “It’s almost like a crowbar; it starts to pull all the things apart,” Thordarson says. 

One side of the soap molecule (the one that’s attracted to fat and repelled by water) buries its way into the virus’s fat and protein shell. Fortunately, the chemical bonds holding the virus together aren’t very strong, so this intrusion is enough to break the virus’s coat. “You pull the virus apart, you make it soluble in water, and it disintegrates,” he says.

Then the harmless shards of virus get flushed down the drain. And even if it the soap doesn’t destroy every virus, you’ll still rid them from your hands with soap and water, as well as any grease or dirt they may be clinging to. Soap will also wash away bacteria and other viruses that may be a bit tougher than coronavirus, and harder to disintegrate."_

Here's the link


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## StarSong (May 14, 2020)

Ronni said:


> Honestly I don't think it does.
> 
> We're told to wash our hands with soap for 20 seconds to help sanitize them from Covid-19, the reason being that the soap will help cut through the sort-of fatty layer of the virus particle and dissolve it.  The recommendation isn't hot water, just water and ANY kind of soap.  It just makes ME feel better to wash some things in hot water.
> 
> ...


I read something advice from a biologist who explained that we should says to wash everything in water that's at least lukewarm (roughly 95 degrees).  

Detergent, agitation, and warm water combine to break down the virus's fatty outer shell. 
Same way warm water is more effective than cold when it comes to cleaning greasy dishes and pots.


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## fmdog44 (May 14, 2020)

Outside temperatures need to be at least 150 degrees F to kill the virus. My questions are after hearing how long this virus remains on surfaces like cloth, skin and hard services why is washing necessary? If you wear a mask then let it set for say, however many days isn't it free of germs? Also, why isn't spraying the mask with disinfectant sufficient if they claim the sprays kill the virus? I have cotton masks, why not just boil them?


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## Sunny (May 14, 2020)

Fmdog, hot water shrinks cotton.  Boiling water would absolutely shrink the masks.  About the sprays, probably spraying them with disinfectant would kill the virus, but remember, this is what you are putting right up against your nose and mouth and inhaling with each breath.


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## Ruth n Jersey (May 14, 2020)

I spray mine with Lysol. Let them sit awhile and then wash by hand in warm water and Tide,then air dry.


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## fmdog44 (May 14, 2020)

Sunny said:


> Fmdog, hot water shrinks cotton.  Boiling water would absolutely shrink the masks.  About the sprays, probably spraying them with disinfectant would kill the virus, but remember, this is what you are putting right up against your nose and mouth and inhaling with each breath.


The shrinkage is barely noticeable and to kill germs the item only has to boil for a few seconds. Spray the disinfectant when you get home and it sets overnight plus it would probably smell nice the next day. I have four all cotton masks and I just throw them in the laundry.


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## fmdog44 (May 14, 2020)

Sunny said:


> I wonder if the "hot" cycle really makes any difference. It's hard to imagine a virus surviving a full cycle at any temperature, even cold.


If the 20 seconds for washing hands kills them I think awash cycle would do the job.


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## fmdog44 (May 15, 2020)

From Reader's Digest:
But how often should you wash cloth face masks between wears? The CDC recommends washing your facemask routinely, “depending on the frequency of use.” Dr. Daniel Griffin, a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases and an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University, tells _NPR_ that you should think of face masks like underwear, and that face masks should be washed after each time you wear it. Here are 11 mistakes you’re probably making with face masks.
“You don’t take this dirty mask off, put it in your purse and then stick it back on your face,” Griffin tells _NPR_. “It’s something that once you put on, is potentially either touching your coughs, sneezes or the spray of your speech or protecting you from the coughs, spray, speech of other people. And now it’s dirty. It needs to basically be either discarded or washed.” When it comes to cleaning, it’s important to know that there are differences in cleaning terms. Here’s the difference between sanitizing and disinfecting.
*How to disinfect your face mask*
The World Health Organization (WHO) shows you in a YouTube video how you can properly remove your cloth face mask. You carefully remove the elastic bands from behind your ears and avoid touching the front of the face mask. Once you’ve removed the face mask without touching the front, the CDC recommends cleaning it in a washing machine. You can also disinfect your DIY face mask by handwashing it in the kitchen sink or placing it in the oven. Next, take a look at what a post coronavirus life could look like.


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## Sunny (May 15, 2020)

I don't understand that part about not touching the front of the mask. Why?  Is the front of the mask any more contaminated than all the rest of the clothes you are wearing?  Why is it OK to touch your hat, your jacket, your shoes, etc., but not the front of your mask?  

I read an article the other day about a common sense approach to keeping our sanity in this situation. It says that the virus almost entirely spreads through person-to-person contact, via coughs, sneezes, and close-up congregating.  (I imagine that kissing and hugging would fit in there also.) Continuous exposure is a big part of it; just walking past someone in the street is not likely to transmit the virus.  Indoors is much more dangerous than outdoors, although crowd scenes outdoors are also bad.  

The virus can survive for a period of time on various materials (metals much longer than plastics, cloth, or paper), but usually in a weakened form, and much less density than in, say, a sneeze.  The article says there is probably no need to worry about carrying it into your home via newspapers, mail, packages, etc.  So it sounds like the thing to concentrate on is staying clear of other people, avoiding any groups huddled together, whether indoors or outdoors, and staying masked, but not being hysterical about it.

All of this information seems to change on a daily basis, so who knows?


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## MarciKS (May 15, 2020)

Sunny said:


> I don't understand that part about not touching the front of the mask. Why?  Is the front of the mask any more contaminated than all the rest of the clothes you are wearing?  Why is it OK to touch your hat, your jacket, your shoes, etc., but not the front of your mask?
> 
> I read an article the other day about a common sense approach to keeping our sanity in this situation. It says that the virus almost entirely spreads through person-to-person contact, via coughs, sneezes, and close-up congregating.  (I imagine that kissing and hugging would fit in there also.) Continuous exposure is a big part of it; just walking past someone in the street is not likely to transmit the virus.  Indoors is much more dangerous than outdoors, although crowd scenes outdoors are also bad.
> 
> ...


Sunny I'm wondering if that is because that's where you're drawing in breath so you'd be drawing in more viral droplets to the mask material. They tell us at work if you touch the mask to do immediate hand washing. But I have seen people paw their masks and then they're face so it's kind of pointless. I would just say to make sure you're washing your hands right away if you do.


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## Sunny (May 15, 2020)

And yet, they keep saying that the mask is primarily to protect other people from you, just in case you're carrying the virus. You're not really protected from them, although I find that hard to believe. The mask must provide at least a little bit of protection, it's a barrier, though not a very good one.

I wear a mask, even when walking outdoors by myself, as everyone else around here seems to have one on, and I don't want to stir up worry. But I do touch the mask frequently, as I have trouble breathing with it on. (I have about 5 different masks, and it doesn't matter which one I'm wearing, I can't breathe normally with any of them.)  So when I'm outside, and there's no one else in sight, I usually lower the mask below my chin, and put it back up again when I see another person approaching.

Might be a violation of the "proper handling of the mask" rules, but if I couldn't do that, I'd never go outside at all.


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## Judycat (May 15, 2020)

Yesterday , I saw all manner of violations. The most prominent was the mask not covering the nose. The other was people touching and pulling on the mask. The worst was a stupid 10 y. o. kid  walking around the whole time with his butt crack showing. Oh he was wearing a mask all right... his oblivious  Mom was too.


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## StarSong (May 15, 2020)

Judycat said:


> Yesterday , I saw all manner of violations. The most prominent was the mask not covering the nose. The other was people touching and pulling on the mask. The worst was a stupid 10 y. o. kid  walking around the whole time with his butt crack showing. Oh he was wearing a mask all right... his oblivious  Mom was too.


Maybe she wasn't oblivious.  Maybe she was simply choosing her battles.  It's a butt crack not a nazi flag.  

I cut kids breaks right now - this is much harder on them than it is on adults.


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## Judycat (May 15, 2020)

Blah. Kids get too many breaks.


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## fmdog44 (May 15, 2020)

The real beauty of the virus is nobody knows what is, what ain't, what to do, and what the virus is. It is every person for themselves. Report card grade: F


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## MarciKS (May 15, 2020)

Sunny said:


> And yet, they keep saying that the mask is primarily to protect other people from you, just in case you're carrying the virus. You're not really protected from them, although I find that hard to believe. The mask must provide at least a little bit of protection, it's a barrier, though not a very good one.
> 
> I wear a mask, even when walking outdoors by myself, as everyone else around here seems to have one on, and I don't want to stir up worry. But I do touch the mask frequently, as I have trouble breathing with it on. (I have about 5 different masks, and it doesn't matter which one I'm wearing, I can't breathe normally with any of them.)  So when I'm outside, and there's no one else in sight, I usually lower the mask below my chin, and put it back up again when I see another person approaching.
> 
> Might be a violation of the "proper handling of the mask" rules, but if I couldn't do that, I'd never go outside at all.


Here Sunny. This explains why. 
https://www.msn.com/en-my/health/me...er-touch-the-outside-of-face-mask/ar-BB12iwYF


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## Kadee (May 15, 2020)

I use this in the rinse cycle for all my washing ,we haven’t had to use a mask yet 
We count ourself as pretty lucky ,as we haven’t had a single infection recorded in 3 weeks 
lets hope  it stays that way


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## peramangkelder (May 16, 2020)

I bought lots of face masks when SARS reared its ugly head....still got them but have not had a need to wear any...yet


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## win231 (May 16, 2020)

Judycat said:


> Yesterday , I saw all manner of violations. The most prominent was the mask not covering the nose. The other was people touching and pulling on the mask. The worst was a stupid 10 y. o. kid  walking around the whole time with his butt crack showing. Oh he was wearing a mask all right... his oblivious  Mom was too.


The nerve of some 10 year olds!!


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## Judycat (May 16, 2020)

Yeah if that kid would have been around when I was growing up, he'd have had his pants held up by the nearest fence post.


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## StarSong (May 16, 2020)

Judycat said:


> Blah. Kids get too many breaks.


Deleted


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## Judycat (May 16, 2020)

Yeah I deleted most of what I had to say about kids too.


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## StarSong (May 16, 2020)

I'm quite fond of children and am tolerant of their missteps as they find their way through our complicated world.  Many adults gave me plenty of room to grow up, and I try to mirror that attitude.    

Now more than ever, we need to cut kids a break.


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## Judycat (May 16, 2020)




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