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| Brown paper bags with N95 masks inside. November 2022. Credit: Mzuriana. |
Over time, since the onset of the pandemic in 2020 (presumably), I've retired various of my cloth masks as they've shrunk in the dryer (whoops) or otherwise just seemed too tired to carry on. Or better said, put on.
Awhile back, when they were plentifully-available at the Big Box pharmacies, I collected a supply of the government-subsidized N95 masks. But I didn't use these unless I had to because they:
- Are kind of uncomfortable;
- Are awkward to don and to take off;
- Mess with my hair in the back of my head; and
- Do not lend themselves to attachment to and hanging from a lanyard, which I prefer to use at times when I don't need the mask on, such as when I'm outdoors or going to a restaurant (I don't want to place my mask on a restaurant table and I don't want to scrunch it up into a pocket or purse - these kind of defeat the purpose of having a mask to begin with, given the dubious safety of surfaces it would touch)
When my hostess came down with COVID, the cloth masks weren't going to cut it. I pulled out my supply of N95 masks to wear inside the house.
I had a limited supply, so I looked up how to reuse them, which is where the brown paper bags come in.
The N95 bags are reusable, but the best practice is to:
- Drop the used mask into a brown paper bag;
- Close the bag; and
- Let the bag sit for a week.
I like this North Dakota guide to healthcare staff because of its use of both "don" AND "doff." To don a mask feels fairly contemporary, but to doff one's mask is charmingly anachronistic, to wit:
- The mask can be placed on a clean paper towel or in a breathable container [e.g. a brown paper bag] when removed for breaks/eating.
- Best storage for reuse during a shift would be a labeled breathable container to prevent contamination when redonning and doffing.
- Continue to practice social distancing.
- Hand hygiene should be done after doffing and before donning and again after donning.
I also bought a giant bottle of green sanitizer and a demi of disinfecting wipes.
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| Giant green bottle of sanitizer. November 2022. Credit: Mzuriana. |
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| Medium bottle of sanitizer and a demi of disinfecting wipes. Credit: Mzuriana. |
While none of these would protect me from zombies or vampires, they were my weapons of choice against my hostess' COVID.
They seemed to have been successful. We're both in the clear now.
