Question on corona virus face mask use ?

OK, so I wear my face mask to the supermarket.
Then how do I  disinfect it for the next time I want to use it ?
Some one said to put it in the Microwave for 60 seconds, but it has a metal nose piece, so that can't be right
I was thinking of spraying it with Lysol and then hanging  it out in the sun for a day.

Thoughts ?

Jack L

The best guidance from the CDC is 30 minutes in an oven at 150F, this should be hot enough, long enough to kill the virus, but not so hot as to cause extensive damage to the mask.  Some European guidance says 90 minutes at 65C (149F), my guess is that is just being extra safe, if it is not dead in half an hour at 150F it is likely not going to be a lot different at 90 minutes.

p.s. the CDC report on this from a couple of days ago, generally advised against spraying N95 masks with anything as it can cause them to loose their static charge and become much less effective at filtering.  Also hard UV was mentioned as an option, along with steam, though they had concerns about break down of mask material with each.

N95 masks are effective at preventing spread of virus from the wearer to someone else, not so much at filtering out incoming viruses.

Lou, I think you have that one backwards, many N95 masks have a one way valve so they only filter the air people are breathing in, not breathing out.  Surgical masks are primarily about protecting others from the person wearing the mask.

The problem with the N95 masks is they do not form an air tight seal around the nose and mouth.  So virus droplets are able to affect the wearer. 

N95 masks do form a tight seal if adjusted properly, it is the surgical masks that do not form a tight seal.

here is a photo of some model not wearing one correctly, note the metal nose bridge is not pinched down to seal around the upper nose area.

https://img.grouponcdn.com/deal/6iWwpYgaafCVkx1uX8YK/eU-960x582/v1/c700x420.jpg

Fact....

Face masks are much more affective if worn by a person who is infected. This is because mucus is generally placed into the air or on surfaces through the nose and mouth. A mask will greatly reduce that event helping to prevent transmission to others.

A mask worn by a person who is not infected can still be infected through the eyes and from hand exposure which could wind up in many places.

If everyone wore masks whether infected or not, the virus would most certainly disappear much quicker.

I wore a mask and latex gloves today when I went to the grocery store to get a month's worth of food and supplies. I know that the mask doesn't do much to protect me from the virus although the gloves do. What the mask does do is warn people to stay 6 feet away from me and conveys the seriousness of the virus.

However, in the store were numerous signs that advised customers to maintain 6 feet distance from each other. I was amazed at how many idiots can't read. While they mostly stayed away from me, most did not respect the 6 foot rule around other customers. I suspect some will end up being eligible for Darwin Awards.

I went to the store today and was amazed at just how many idiots there were, period.

;D

Here is some of what the CDC has to say on the subject of masks for medical personnel https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/pdfs/UnderstandDifferenceInfographic-508.pdf

and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirators-strategy/crisis-alternate-strategies.html

Oh and this one https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-prevent-spread.html

IBTripping said:

I wore a mask and latex gloves today when I went to the grocery store to get a month's worth of food and supplies. I know that the mask doesn't do much to protect me from the virus although the gloves do. What the mask does do is warn people to stay 6 feet away from me and conveys the seriousness of the virus.

However, in the store were numerous signs that advised customers to maintain 6 feet distance from each other. I was amazed at how many idiots can't read. While they mostly stayed away from me, most did not respect the 6 foot rule around other customers. I suspect some will end up being eligible for Darwin Awards.

Click to expand...

I'm surprised to hear that people didn't respect the 6ft thing. I've been pleasantly surprised that most places I go, people seem to repel each other like opposite magnets.

Made a run to HP and Lowes looking for some mask making supplies.  My wife's quilt group is making masks as fast as they can.  I had gloves, N95 mask and had my glasses on.  Used hand sanitizer when entering and leaving each store.  HD had to wait in line - 6' spacing.  Would only let people in as people left the store to keep the store form getting to congested.  Most all the staff had gloves on but only a quarter had masks on.  Many of the customers had neither on.  Lowes was similar.  I would estimate that only 10% had both gloves and masks on.  Was surprising since SE Michigan coronavirus levels are high and still growing exponentially. Wiped down all packages with sanitizer before taking my gloves off and opening them.  Two days ago Beaumont Hospital (the largest hospital system in Michigan) did not want home made face masks but starting yesterday they were asking for them.  My daughter called and gave me hell when I got home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjDuwc9KBps

Grocery shopping in L.A..  Could not find any store that was delivering.  We could however order on line and then pick up at the store.  Sounds like a good plan. 

Went to the grocery store to pick up an order we placed on Tuesday.  There are 3 numbered places to park with a number to call when you get there.  Simple enough.  Called the number and got a message that the mail box was full.  Did this multiple times thinking they were possibly busy.  No, turned out the number was wrong.  Then someone pulled in to a pickup spot next to us and left to go shopping.  Guess they didn't see the sign, order pickup.  After 10 minutes I walked over to ask an employee what gives.  They asked my name and said they'll send someone out with our order.  Eventually two employees walk over with a cart of groceries.  They load us up and we get ready to go.  We back up about 5 feet and another employee hits the back of the car.  Thought I hit someone.  He comes to the window to tell us our order is not complete.  We pull forward again and wait another 10 minutes.  Then I get out to ask what's going on.  Turns out our order was complete, but it wasn't filled because they didn't have everything we ordered.  So off we go. 

Did we expose ourselves.  Possibly since I wasn't wearing a mask and got within 6 feet of several younger employees who did not have masks. Fortunately they didn't cough or sneeze within the 6 feet safe zone. 

We had gloves and sanitizers in the car.  Used the gloves to carry the groceries to the house.  Used the wipes to clean anything that was packed by the store.  Kinda feels like we're handling radioactive materials. 

The simple solution to some idiot who does not respect the 6 foot rule is to start coughing.

JackL said:

OK, so I wear my face mask to the supermarket.
Then how do I  disinfect it for the next time I want to use it ?
Some one said to put it in the Microwave for 60 seconds, but it has a metal nose piece, so that can't be right
I was thinking of spraying it with Lysol and then hanging  it out in the sun for a day.

Click to expand...

How long is the virus viable at room temperature on something like a mask?

Henry J Fate said:

Fact....

Face masks are much more affective if worn by a person who is infected. This is because mucus is generally placed into the air or on surfaces through the nose and mouth. A mask will greatly reduce that event helping to prevent transmission to others.

A mask worn by a person who is not infected can still be infected through the eyes and from hand exposure which could wind up in many places.

If everyone wore masks whether infected or not, the virus would most certainly disappear much quicker.

Click to expand...

This!!!

You go to the store. You mask and glove up. You handle stuff. Your gloves get "Contaminated" you come out. Get in car.. It's now contaminated. you unglove and drive home. You are now contaminated.

To be fully safe you need to disinfect everything you touch and change gloves often Every time you open a door, Every time you touch anything it either needs to be disinfected or you need to re-glove.

Not practical.

But I did glove up for the comfort of others. 

After all one wit explained the TP craze.. One person coughs. 10 have a sudden need for TP. not to mention clean undies.

John From Detroit said:

You go to the store. You mask and glove up. You handle stuff. Your gloves get "Contaminated" you come out. Get in car.. It's now contaminated. you unglove and drive home. You are now contaminated.

To be fully safe you need to disinfect everything you touch and change gloves often Every time you open a door, Every time you touch anything it either needs to be disinfected or you need to re-glove.

Not practical.

But I did glove up for the comfort of others. 

After all one wit explained the TP craze.. One person coughs. 10 have a sudden need for TP. not to mention clean undies.

Click to expand...

Contamination.  I wear gloves and also use hand sanitizer everytime I enter and leave a store.  Will also use it some while in the store.  Do not touch my car until again I use sanitizer.  After home and the dust has settled I take a disinfecting wipe and retrace my steps.  Car door handles, steering wheel, gear shift, house door handles,  and anything else that I touched before I removed my gloves.  Might seem extreme but if over age 60..........

A couple of things to keep in mind,

We are dealing with a Virus here, not a Bacteria, lots of the general protection advice out there is about Bacteria.  A key difference is that Bacteria can reproduce outside a host, a Virus can't, this means that if conditions are right Bacteria can reproduce on contaminated surfaces, but Viruses can only be spread around, by handling, with gloves or not.

As to how long the virus can last on surfaces, this depends on a number of factors, surface material, conditions such as temperature, etc.  The specifics are still rather vague, but around 24-48 hours on paper, cardboard, or plastic seems to likely be in the ballpark, though heavily contaminated areas, such as the cruise ship outbreak cabins reported detection after 17 days, though details are sparse.

When I go out shopping, etc. now I have a ritual for glove use, I put on gloves before leaving the car, and keep awareness of when I touch anything.  I try to keep a clean hand and a dirty hand if possible, for example only use my left hand on door knobs.  Once I touch something with my left hand I keep that hand in a fist so I don't accidentally transfer from left to right hand.  This only works for some places, when needing to deal with 1 or two item, such as dropping off my electric bill payment in an outdoor drop box.  For more major shopping I try to go to stores with automatic doors, and use both hands as normal, minimizing handling things.  Upon getting back to the car I put the groceries in the trunk of the car, dry goods to one side, refrigerated and frozen to the other.  I then remove the gloves and put them in a disposal box in the trunk of the car, before opening any side doors.  Inside the drivers side door pocket I have hand sanitizer which I use before entering the car, note I arrange my key fob so I can press the unlock button through my pants, or use my wife's car which has proximity unlock for doors.  I then get home, move refrigerated and frozen stuff to the old spare refrigerator in the garage, to await transfer to the main refrigerator after a few days and leave the dry goods in the car until the next day or longer.

p.s. note in case of emergency I may reuse gloves in the trunk of the car after they have sat there for several days, long enough for the virus to die.

I went to Sam's Club yesterday to fill up my truck. A guy pulled in on the opposite side of my pump. He got out, opened up the gas door and unscrewed the tank cap. He then reached into his pocket and pulled a a zip lock bag. He put it over his hand and commenced to pump gas. I understand being critical but then he did this. After pumping, he screwed the cap back on and closed the door with the hand still covered with the bag. Now these items may be contaminated. He then pulled the bag off his hand and folded it and put it in his pocket. DUH!!!!  : :-\ (
I laughed out loud hoping he would here me and ask me why I was laughing but he didn't. Life goes on.
Be safe everyone.  )