# How often do you wash your masks?



## CarolfromTX (Sep 18, 2020)

My daughter has a different one for the five days a week that she teaches. Dave and I trade off between a couple different masks, which we often leave in the car. This time of year, cars get pretty hot, so they're sort of self-cleaning. LOL! But I try to wash them once a week. And I hang them out in the blazing Texas sun to get dry. Can't beat that ultra-violet light. My DD's complaint, if you can call it that,  is that the kids wear the same mask, day after day, and she's not sure they're being washed. And they're probably not. I had school kids (in the before times) that wore the same ketchup stained shirt a few times a week. So I can only imagine how that translates to dirty masks.


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## MarciKS (Sep 18, 2020)

like it or not...you should be washing them daily


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## win231 (Sep 18, 2020)

I can't exactly wash mine; they're sorta made of a paper-type material.  I spray them with alcohol after each use.


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## PopsnTuff (Sep 18, 2020)

I rotate between two....one for inside the house and the other for out and about.....the latter I wash everytime after going out, by hand, with clothes detergent then hang to air dry and it smells lovely for the next use....


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## IrisSenior (Sep 18, 2020)

Not washing mine enough so I ordered more to have backup.


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## hollydolly (Sep 18, 2020)

I have 8 washable masks in various colours....and I have a box of triple strength blue disposable ones which my o/h prefers to wear.

I wear one that matches my clothes when I go out...so today I was wearing blue around the supermarket. When I get home it goes straight into the washing machine. I tried washing them by hand when i first got them, but I found I wasn't rinsing them enough because the smell of soap when I was wearing them after they'd been washed was overpowering, so now I let the machine do the job


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## hollydolly (Sep 18, 2020)

PopsnTuff said:


> I rotate between two...*.one for inside the house and the other for out and about.*....the latter I wash everytime after going out, by hand, with clothes detergent then hang to air dry and it smells lovely for the next use....


May I ask why you wear a mask indoors?


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## AnnieA (Sep 18, 2020)

It depends on how long I wear it.  If I've run errands for several hours or worked, it goes in the wash.  If I've used it for a short period of time such as going to the post office, I leave it in the sun on the dashboard for several days and reuse it.


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## Sunny (Sep 18, 2020)

Every time I wear them. But I sometimes use those paper ones that are meant to be disposable, so those get thrown out. If I just wear a mask for a minute or two (going down the hall to the trash room, for instance) I just hang it back up on the doorknob and use it again.


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## CarolfromTX (Sep 18, 2020)

PopsnTuff said:


> I rotate between two....one for inside the house and the other for out and about.....the latter I wash everytime after going out, by hand, with clothes detergent then hang to air dry and it smells lovely for the next use....


You wear a mask inside your own house? Um...that's a no for me. But you do whatever you think is prudent.


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## PopsnTuff (Sep 18, 2020)

hollydolly said:


> May I ask why you wear a mask indoors?


My g'daughter was visiting here before school started so she, her dad and I all wore one inside out of respect for me....
we dont know where she had been with her mom and fam, out and about......I have many medical conditions to be concerned about....
while outside together we dont mask up....


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## PopsnTuff (Sep 18, 2020)

CarolfromTX said:


> You wear a mask inside your own house? Um...that's a no for me. But you do whatever you think is prudent.


I explained why in my post above.....


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## peppermint (Sep 18, 2020)

We have plenty of masks...Most of the time we wear the mask when we go to the Super Market....It is a long time going
through those Isles....So when we get home I put them in the washing machine...They stay very good even when I put them
in the dryer...We do have many masks...My daughter sent me different masks when we were on vacation..
We also gave some away to a man that lived alone....He was happy cause he was wearing a Handkerchief ...


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## Jules (Sep 18, 2020)

I have several.  At the end of the day, I wash what I’ve been wearing.  I keep two in my purse.  Lately because of the smoke, I’ve been wearing one while walking, even to the mailbox.  

Boiling water is recommended for killing bacteria.  

Whether it’s correct or not, I‘ve read that you can wash those blue disposable ones and then pour boiling water on them to rinse.


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## Ruthanne (Sep 19, 2020)

I have cloth ones and disposable ones.  I throw the disposable ones out after using a few times or after 1 time of going into a store or place of business.  I wash the cloth ones by hand after I've gone out a few times or immediately after being in too close for company of others.  I find these nice cloth ones I bought dry really fast.  I also put a charcoal filter between the 2 layers.  I bought these filters by mistake but now use them.


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## pathfinder (Sep 19, 2020)

win231 said:


> I can't exactly wash mine; they're sorta made of a paper-type material.  I spray them with alcohol after each use.


Are the one's made of paper not meant to be disposed of right after use ?


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## StarSong (Sep 19, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> It depends on how long I wear it.  If I've run errands for several hours or worked, it goes in the wash.  If I've used it for a short period of time such as going to the post office, I leave it in the sun on the dashboard for several days and reuse it.


Same thing here.  I've got plenty of masks - more than I need.  Since I no longer have any viable N95s, when going to a grocery store I double mask with the cloth masks (so four layers of fabric).  I learned that from a doctor friend.  

It's not difficult to breathe through them so not a big deal. Better safe than very, very sorry.


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## Judycat (Sep 19, 2020)

Cloth masks after every use.


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## 911 (Sep 19, 2020)

Everyday. I wash it in the kitchen sink with hot water and Dawn detergent that my wife keeps on top of the sink in a dispenser. I have 4 or 5 masks that I alternate.


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## StarSong (Sep 19, 2020)

As of today, I'll wash masks after every use, regardless how briefly their worn.  This thread details the personal experience of a SF member:
https://www.seniorforums.com/thread...tory-glad-to-be-back-home.52574/#post-1484588


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## Kayelle (Sep 19, 2020)

StarSong said:


> As of today, I'll wash masks after every use, regardless how briefly their worn.  This thread details the personal experience of a SF member:
> https://www.seniorforums.com/thread...tory-glad-to-be-back-home.52574/#post-1484588


Yep, I learned my lesson the hard way about perfectly clean masks. I still won't be exposing myself to the public more than absolutely necessary so I don't have an issue with the way I sanitize my one cloth mask after my infection.  In a baggie, I add 3 parts alcohol to 1 part water, and let the mask soak in it before washing it by hand and hanging to dry. 
For those who choose to use the washing machine, a net bag like I use to wash my underwear, would be a good idea I think. 
Stay protected and safe everyone. There will come a day we'll be able to share smiles again.


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## Sunny (Sep 19, 2020)

My paper ones say "disposable" on the box, so that's what I do. They are pretty inexpensive. Although this probably does add to the landfill problem.


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## win231 (Sep 19, 2020)

pathfinder said:


> Are the one's made of paper not meant to be disposed of right after use ?


I don't know.  They might be disposable, but I see no harm in sterilizing them after each use.  They last several weeks.  I've only had to throw away 2 since March & both were because the elastic strap broke; the paper section on both were still OK.  Alcohol doesn't seem to damage the paper like I thought it would.


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## OneEyedDiva (Sep 21, 2020)

The virus is not supposed to be able to liv on surfaces for very long but if I don't manage to wash mine right after I take them off, they are put in a special mask bag and I wash them well before I'm ready to wear them. I have several different ones...KN95s, the regular medical ones and designer cloth ones. I would never put on a mask unless it's been washed...this includes new ones.


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## StarSong (Sep 22, 2020)

OneEyedDiva said:


> The virus is not supposed to be able to liv on surfaces for very long but if I don't manage to wash mine right after I take them off, they are put in a special mask bag and I wash them well before I'm ready to wear them. I have several different ones...KN95s, the regular medical ones and designer cloth ones. I would never put on a mask unless it's been washed...this includes new ones.



My takeaway from @Kayelle's awful experience (as referenced in post #20 above) is that we need to wash masks after every wearing, not only for possible COVID virus. The bacteria we breathe out can cause very nasty infections. 

DH & I have three bowls for masks. My clean masks, his clean masks (bigger than mine - his head is larger) and dirty masks. We each have over a dozen cloth masks and don't go out that often, so I only wash masks about once a week. 

I soak them in the sink with Dawn and hot water, then scrub them in a fresh batch of Dawn & hot water, rinse well, lay them out on a beach towel and let them air dry in the sun. 

*Diva:* How do you wash N95s to keep them from breaking down?


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## OneEyedDiva (Sep 23, 2020)

StarSong said:


> My takeaway from @Kayelle's awful experience (as referenced in post #20 above) is that we need to wash masks after every wearing, not only for possible COVID virus. The bacteria we breathe out can cause very nasty infections.
> 
> DH & I have three bowls for masks. My clean masks, his clean masks (bigger than mine - his head is larger) and dirty masks. We each have over a dozen cloth masks and don't go out that often, so I only wash masks about once a week.
> 
> ...


Your assessment of when and why to wash masks is absolutely correct. I gently hand wash the KN95s in detergent or Lysol and lukewarm water. I then pat them with a paper towel or clean hand towel and hang them to dry on my portable drier.  You can tell when it's time to throw them away.


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## StarSong (Sep 23, 2020)

OneEyedDiva said:


> Your assessment of when and why to wash masks is absolutely correct. I gently hand wash the KN95s in detergent or Lysol and lukewarm water. I then pat them with a paper towel or clean hand towel and hang them to dry on my portable drier.  You can tell when it's time to throw them away.


Thanks, Diva.  That's very helpful to know.  DH & I stopped wearing our N95s because we got concerned about bacteria, but we didn't discard them - maybe in the back of my mind I'd hoped that I'd learn a good solution for safely increasing their lifespan.


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## Sunny (Sep 23, 2020)

Today's Post had a detailed story about the shortage of the N95 masks. It said many of the medical personnel are wearing the same mask for a month or longer. They wear them until they literally fall apart. For some reason, there just aren't enough of them.


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## StarSong (Sep 23, 2020)

Sunny said:


> Today's Post had a detailed story about the shortage of the N95 masks. It said many of the medical personnel are wearing the same mask for a month or longer. They wear them until they literally fall apart. For some reason, there just aren't enough of them.


They're mostly manufactured in China, a country with whom we hardly have a cordial relationship, never mind a warm and fuzzy one.

Global sourcing doesn't always work in our favor. PPE shortages are a perfect example.

Our trend toward making nearly every medical supply single use and disposable is disastrous to our planet's health and our ability to keep people safe from viruses and bacteria. (If N95 type masks and other protective gear were washable instead of wear-and-toss, we'd not be in this shortage predicament.)


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## Pappy (Sep 23, 2020)

I wear those blue surgical masks. I wonder how often they should be replaced.


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