Is it OK to wash the mask and reuse it?

12/02/202028/09/2021Other topics

The mask disappeared from the store

Every February , the season of hay fever begins, and people wearing masks stand out even on the train . In February 2020, when this article was written , the demand for masks increased further due to the effects of the new pneumonia caused by the coronavirus that is popular in Wuhan, China, in addition to the annual events, and the distribution inventory also increased. It has disappeared including it . Nowadays, non-woven masks are sold out at pharmacies, supermarkets, and convenience stores, and even with the resale of masks at high prices on the net, it seems unlikely that the mask shortage frenzy will subside for a few weeks, but for a while. I think it will return to normal again.

Would you like to reuse your mask if you don’t sell it?

There are various opinions on the internet about washing and reusing non-woven masks . Basically, disposable because the mask was made on the assumption, hygiene as also mask on the function also reuse should be avoided is. But what if you ca n’t get a new mask ?　Is it better not to use a mask , or is it better to use a mask because it can be reused ?

Normally, non-woven masks are disposable and cannot be reused, but even so, wearing a reusable mask is more effective in preventing pneumonia and influenza caused by viruses than not wearing a mask. So, if you ca n’t get a new mask because you don’t sell it, Gutara’s idea is that you should wash your disposable mask and reuse it .

So what happens if you wash the non-woven mask ? I was a little worried, so I washed the non-woven mask that I used for a day . The method is simple, just dissolve the kitchen detergent in lukewarm water, put it on a plate, put a mask on it for about 10 minutes, roughen it, and then rinse it with lukewarm water several times. After rinsing, put it in a clean towel and press it to remove water, and then dry it in the shade to complete. Handle with care by hand so as not to break the shape of the mask and not to break the fibers inside the mask .

If you wash it, the ability of the mask to filter impurities will decrease.

The non-woven mask has fine fibers in it, where impurities of 0.1 micron unit are filtered . This fine fiber is broken by lukewarm water and kitchen detergent, so washing will reduce the ability of the mask to filter impurities. Still, Father Gutara doesn’t really care about the reduced ability to filter impurities . In the first place, with an ordinary non-woven mask that does not adhere to the skin as much as the medical N95 mask , the performance of filtering impurities cannot be expected to be very effective . This is because if you inhale with the mask on, a lot of air will come in through the gap between the mask and your skin .

For those who want to realize how much air is coming in through the gaps in the mask, once the mask is on, press the area around the nose, cheeks, and under the chin with both hands to bring the area around the mask into close contact with the skin. Please take a breath in the state. You will find that it takes more power to inhale than when you normally wear a mask . This is the situation where the inhaled breath is filtered through the mask. The resistance of the air through the mask is felt as the force to inhale.

If you take your hands off and breathe as usual, you will find that you don’t need much force to inhale. In other words, under this normal condition, a lot of air flows from between the mask and the skin to the mouth and nose, making it easier to breathe. Of course, those airs are not filtered because they do not pass through the mask . After all, the other party is air, so if there is even a small gap, you can freely enter and exit from the place where the air resistance is low. The mask surface with high air resistance does not go through.

Considering this, it is possible that even if washing a disposable non-woven mask reduces the ability to filter impurities, there is no need to worry about it. In the first place, the mask’s ability to filter impurities does not work from the beginning. .. ..

Still, masks are effective against influenza and coronavirus

So does the mask help prevent pneumonia caused by influenza and coronavirus? There are various theories about that, but I think that Gutara’s father is very useful for masks .　

So, if you run out of disposable non-woven masks, use a washed and reused mask. Why do you think it is effective against influenza and coronavirus when you think that the mask’s ability to filter impurities is not very effective? That’s because I think that both wind and flu are more likely to be transmitted by the virus on your fingertips than by the inhaled breath .

Infections such as viral influenza and pneumonia occur when the virus enters the body through the human mucous membrane. Even if a little virus adheres to the skin such as human hands and face, the virus does not enter the body due to the high defense power of the skin. Therefore, in order to prevent viral influenza and pneumonia , it is necessary to prevent the virus from getting on the mouth, nose and eyes made of mucous membranes .

When the virus attaches to the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, it adheres to the fingertips when the virus floating in the air is inhaled by breathing or when the mouth or nose is touched with one’s finger . It’s when the virus sticks near the mucous membrane .

The risk of getting a virus is higher via your fingertips

The virus floats in the air when someone nearby has the virus and that person sneezes or coughs. At this time, the virus spreads over several meters around. However, unless it is a closed space such as a conference room, the virus will be swept away by the cold and spread and disappear. In other words, if it is not a closed space, the possibility of airborne infection and droplet infection is relatively low .

On the other hand, the virus attached to the doorknob or strap touched by the person who has the virus does not spread and disappear like the diffusion of air, but stays there until the end of its life. And if you hold the door knob or leather, the virus will naturally adhere to your palm or finger, and if you touch your mouth or nose or near your eyes with that finger, your mouth, nose or eyes The virus attaches near the mucous membrane of the nose, increasing the possibility that the virus will enter the body at once.

In this way, viral influenza and colds are transmitted through the mouth and fingertips of the doorknob and hanging leather, rather than being transmitted from the virus contained in the air that is inhaled through the nose and mouth with a mask. It seems that the mucous membrane of the nose is more likely to be infected from there. So, in the prevention of the doctor also influenza and viral colds, when I returned from the outside hand washing is the most effective and, at least once every 30 minutes in the room is recommended as you wash your hands I think it is.

If you mask it, you will not be able to touch your mouth or nose with your fingers.

Of course, frequent hand washing and disinfection are the most effective, but in fact, wearing a mask can prevent you from touching your mouth and nose with your fingertips . Father Gutara thinks that this effect alone has a great effect on preventing the virus from adhering to the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose. Therefore, even if the ability to remove impurities is reduced, if you don’t have a mask on hand, you can use a washed and reused product, so I think it’s better to put on a mask.

Well, it’s just a guess because it’s not possible to verify when you actually got the flu and when you didn’t , but if you believe in it, that’s fine. Is it not? No matter what you believe in and what measures you take, the result is the best if you don’t get the illness such as influenza .

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