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Since older children are advised to bring a new reusable face cover to school every day and the mandatory use of face masks in shops, public buildings, and on public transport, many people will rightly worry about the best way to keep these face covers clean.
How long is it safe to wear the same face cover? How often should they be washed and at what temperature? Can they be safely left on desks, tables, or in cars? And how dangerous is it to touch them when you are removing them from your face?
See below for answers to these simple, but important questions, as we continue to find the best ways to avoid contracting or spreading Covid-19 six months after this new coronavirus spread around the world. Our thanks to Luke O’Neill, Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology.
How long is it safe to wear the same face cover?
The short answer is that it is a good idea to change your reusable face covers every day. However, if you interact with sick patients throughout the day, you will need to change your face covering more frequently (most healthcare workers will wear disposable masks).
If you only wear it to go to the store for about an hour, you can wear the same face cover over and over for a few days.
Never share the covers with friends or other family members.
Discard a face cover in a closed container if it no longer covers your nose and mouth, has stretched or damaged ties, or tears / holes in the fabric.
How often should reusable face liners be washed?
Professor O’Neill says that a useful analogy is to wash a reusable face cover as often as you wash your underwear and in the same way.
“Treat it like your underwear, so you can scrub it with warm soapy water in the sink or you can put it in the washing machine [with other clothes] on a 60 degree wash cycle. The key is to make a good lather because the virus hates soap. Steam from a hot iron will also kill the virus, although no research has been done on this yet, ”he says.
Reusable face coverings made of cotton are preferable, as they are easier to wash than linen or silk face coverings. Reusable face coverings do not need sterilization.
Can reusable face coverings be left on desks and tables or in cars?
It is good practice to keep the reusable face cover in a clean, sealable, waterproof plastic bag when you are not using it. That way, you are avoiding the risk of the virus spreading to another surface if you are infected or inadvertently contracted the virus from someone coughing into your mask.
What we all try to avoid is for people to touch a surface where the virus is still alive and then touch their face, allowing the virus to enter their bodies through their nose or mouth.
Keeping your face covered in a sealed plastic bag when not in use prevents the virus from spreading to other surfaces.
At home, it is a good idea to leave all the masks together in the same place to wash them instead of leaving them lying around the house.
How dangerous is it to touch them when you are removing them from your face?
It is best to only touch the handles of the reusable face cover when putting it on and taking it off to avoid the risk of catching the face cover virus and then touching your face.
Two recent studies from reputable magazines point to a potential benefit of everyone wearing face masks. These studies suggest that by wearing face masks, very low doses of the virus continue to circulate, potentially giving people immunity rather than infecting them with the coronavirus.
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