# Mistakes We Are Making With Our Masks.....



## OneEyedDiva (Jan 15, 2021)

Without realizing it. I'm certainly guilty of a couple of these, as careful as I am. I did realize that I needed to wash my face and glasses after coming back into the house. And due to the packaging of the last set of medical masks given to me by my DIL, I was made aware that washing them breaks down the filter so I spray them with peroxide instead. I only use those for a quick walk to the garbage area, otherwise I use my KN95's or the reversible designer masks that my honorary daughter made for me. So are you doing (or not doing) any of these?
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/face-mask-mistakes-covid-19_l_5ff35c27c5b65a92291089df


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## Murrmurr (Jan 16, 2021)

According to the CDC I'm not storing my dirty masks properly. I'm supposed to put them in a plastic bag until laundery day. I just toss 'em into the laundry hamper. It has a lid. It's also where I put my dirty clothes, i.e., the ones I go shopping in, so I'm not going to do anything differently.


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## Kadee (Jan 16, 2021)

We are so lucky in Australia we have no need to wear a mask unless we wish to however
Sydney , New South Wales  residents in a beachside area had to wear while out up until less than a week ago .
I bought very fine waterproof filter fabric to put in masks I made for myself and family and prior to using it I washed some of it in the washing machine and by hand several times and it didn’t look like breaking  down ,so if need to wear a mask anytime I’d be confident that mine would be as good as the disposables.
I wash / soak mine in a sanitising product from Aldi


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## Rosemarie (Jan 16, 2021)

I haven't been washing my masks, I've been spraying  them with anti-viral spray and hanging them up to dry.
This is getting to be quite an expensive business!


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## hollydolly (Jan 16, 2021)

I always wash my masks in the washing machine .. or if there's no laundry waiting to be done, I wash the mask by hand when I get home and hang to dry in the airing cupboard.. 


I have many cloth masks of various types , and they have their own drawer
I always wear cloth masks with filters... 

O/h wears disposable ones... 

..altho' I always wash my hand religiously after being out ..and also spray my hands with Isopropyl  when I come out of a store etc... I never even gave it a thought to wash my face much less my sunglasses, which I wear all the time when I'm out, so I will do that from now on... btw just a reminder to everyone whatever you do don't use washing up liquid on your glasses, it damages the protective coating on the lenses


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## StarSong (Jan 16, 2021)

Guilty of a few here, too. Thanks for the reminders and also the tip about washing sunglasses.  That one never dawned on me.


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## Rosemarie (Jan 16, 2021)

One question I'd like to ask.....if you use hand sanitiser, it kills any germs on your hands. Does it continue to kill germs whenever you touch something?


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## Aunt Marg (Jan 16, 2021)

Rosemarie said:


> One question I'd like to ask.....if you use hand sanitiser, it kills any germs on your hands. Does it continue to kill germs whenever you touch something?


I don't believe it does, because once dry it looses it's germ-fighting quality, that's why it's suggested that when using disinfecting wipes, to thoroughly wet the surface you are disinfecting and allow to dry naturally.


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## Jeni (Jan 16, 2021)

In this article was the half mask wears ( not covering nose etc)    ....... it says 

“_*This completely takes away the benefits of wearing a mask. It must be secure, covering your mouth and nose securely at all times for it to be effectively used to protect you, and others around you, from viral transmission.”*_

Interesting ......


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## J.B Books (Jan 16, 2021)

I was standing in line at the grocery store a while ago.

The young lady in front of me with a designer mask ripped off her mask and sneezed then put her mask back on.

Her friend asked her why she took off her mask.

She replied ":I didn't want to sneeze in my mask!"


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## Jeni (Jan 16, 2021)

J.B Books said:


> I was standing in line at the grocery store a while ago.
> 
> The young lady in front of me with a designer mask ripped off her mask and sneezed then put her mask back on.
> 
> ...


yep,  I  have seen this so many times I quit counting.........


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## hollydolly (Jan 16, 2021)

Rosemarie said:


> One question I'd like to ask.....if you use hand sanitiser, it kills any germs on your hands. Does it continue to kill germs whenever you touch something?


You'll probably be shocked to learn that your hands are only sanitised for just *2 minutes *

https://bemoxe.com/blogs/news/how-long-do-hand-sanitizers-last-on-your-hand-after-use

It's become clear now to me why supermarkets have hand san itiser stations all the way around the stores, and not just at the exit and entrance


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## tbeltrans (Jan 16, 2021)

Maybe it is time to wear a full-blown space suit at all times.



Tony


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## StarSong (Jan 16, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> You'll probably be shocked to learn that your hands are only sanitised for just *2 minutes *
> 
> https://bemoxe.com/blogs/news/how-long-do-hand-sanitizers-last-on-your-hand-after-use
> 
> It's become clear now to me why supermarkets have hand san itiser stations all the way around the stores, and not just at the exit and entrance


It never occurred to me that the protection would last any longer than soap and water. 

You're vulnerable again the moment you stop washing, the sanitizer dries, or the mask is removed.


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## Jules (Jan 16, 2021)

One bit of advice is to not remove your mask in between places.  Just remove it when you’re finished shopping or whatever.  Every time you remove it, there’s a chance that your hands will transfer something to your face.  I no longer laugh when I see two people driving together & they both have masks on.  

My cleanliness freak friend waits in the car & has her DH put his mask in a plastic bag.  Next store, a new mask for him.  A new plastic bag.  She hasn’t been in a store or public space since mid March.

Too bad our stores only have extra sanitizer at the doors.  After watching the workers ‘sanitizing’ cart handles with a quick spray while out on a windy day, I definitely wipe the handles down again.


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## MarciKS (Jan 16, 2021)

We have to wear cloth masks 8 hrs a day at work. I use the 2.5 filters. I wash both the masks and the filters. First sign that the filter is breaking down it gets tossed. I use a clean one every day. Never had any mascne issues. Been doing this since last March.


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## win231 (Jan 16, 2021)

I have the cheap, disposable masks (the blue & yellow ones).  The material looks like paper.
After going into each store or building, I put it in the trunk.  When I get home, I spray each one on both sides with alcohol before using them again.  I thought the alcohol would damage them, but it doesn't.  Each one lasts several weeks before tearing.
When I get home, I also wash hands, glasses, watch & Medical ID bracelet.
So far, so good....


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## grahamg (Jan 16, 2021)

Can I confess I've never tried to wash any of mine, and am relying on the use of different qualities of mask used in let's say more likely to be contaminated areas, compared to outside areas where theyre required, and infrequent use means in a few days each one will have lost whatever levels of infection it once possibly had on it(?)


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## CarolfromTX (Jan 17, 2021)

Oh for f*** sake! Remember when they said you should wear the same shoes to the grocery store every time  and leave them outside? Now they’re telling us how we should treat our masks. Because otherwise you will die. Oh geez. Can we just let common sense prevail here? No. Apparently not.


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## Sunny (Jan 17, 2021)

The point where it goes too far for me is the detailed instructions about exactly how to remove the damn mask. Don't just take it off. You have to handle it by the strings only, don't touch the cloth part, carefully drop it in a special container, etc. etc.  For God's sake, give me a break!


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## MarciKS (Jan 17, 2021)

Sunny said:


> The point where it goes too far for me is the detailed instructions about exactly how to remove the damn mask. Don't just take it off. You have to handle it by the strings only, don't touch the cloth part, carefully drop it in a special container, etc. etc.  For God's sake, give me a break!


I don't bother with all that. I just make sure I wash my hands after handling my masks.


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## tbeltrans (Jan 17, 2021)

Click your heels together three times before entering any room and you all will be just fine - 
as long as everybody does this.   

I put on my mask when I leave our condo and remove it when I get back in.  I don't wear my mask when in my own car.  I wash my mask periodically when I feel it needs it (just a drop of dish soap and a good rinse).  Simple as that.  No need to make it any more complicated.

Tony


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## win231 (Jan 17, 2021)

CarolfromTX said:


> Oh for f*** sake! Remember when they said you should wear the same shoes to the grocery store every time  and leave them outside? Now they’re telling us how we should treat our masks. Because otherwise you will die. Oh geez. Can we just let common sense prevail here? No. Apparently not.


LOL.  Do I detect a tiny bit of....anger &..........frustration?    

You'll probably enjoy these "valuable" suggestions from a real doctor about how to put your groceries away:  (I posted it a few months ago)

Oh......and he's a real doctor; I checked.


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## Jeni (Jan 17, 2021)

CarolfromTX said:


> Oh for f*** sake! Remember when they said you should wear the same shoes to the grocery store every time and leave them outside? Now they’re telling us how we should treat our masks. Because otherwise you will die. Oh geez. Can we just let common sense prevail here? No. Apparently not.


You are correct there is no common sense at all  ............very little of this has made any sense but they still think it is working ..... if we would just believe ....


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## StarSong (Jan 18, 2021)

win231 said:


> LOL.  Do I detect a tiny bit of....anger &..........frustration?
> 
> You'll probably enjoy these "valuable" suggestions from a real doctor about how to put your groceries away:  (I posted it a few months ago)
> 
> Oh......and he's a real doctor; I checked.


YouTube is an equal opportunity for all manner of kooks and extremists, including those with MD behind their names.  Most of us dismissed his advice immediately, as did more credible sources like the CDC.


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