With face masks becoming the newest (mandatory) accessory, it is quite vital that you keep it clean in order to maximize its effectiveness, and also because no one ever looked good while wearing a murky accessory. With that in mind, Damodaran Sivakumar, Head of Production at 5àsec virtually stepped into The Beautiful Lifestyle to share with us a thing or two on how to keep our face mask clean.

According to him, since we need to wear face masks to slow down the spread of COVID-19, it has become a normal part of life, but unfortunately, there are just a handful of us who know how to keep the said face mask clean. In fact, using the same face mask daily without cleaning it will not shield you from the virus and may actually have the opposite effect.

6 Tips on How to Keep Your Face Mask Clean

1. How often do you need to wash your face mask?

Your face mask should be washed regularly, but this does not count on the surgical types, which should be discarded after a couple of hours. We cannot stress on that enough. The virus may stay active on fabric for a long period of time, which makes it absolutely necessary to wash your face mask at least once a day. If you suspect that someone you have been in close contact with is infected, you should put the mask to wash immediately and use a fresh one. Apart from the virus, the masks also tend to collect sweat, oil or makeup from the skin, which may also affect your health in addition to causing an acne breakout.

2. What fabric is suitable for a face mask?

Cotton fabric is the perfect material for a face mask. With an ideal thread count of about 200 with up to three layers of fabric, this material is effective in filtering out the virus as well as blocking any pathogens from entering. With the strict protocol of wearing the face mask while on the move, it is essential to be comfortable with your face mask and the cotton fabric provides the right amount of breathability. It is also recommended to use white-coloured masks that can be washed in higher temperatures.

3. How should you handle your face mask after use?

Upon returning home, we recommend that the first thing you do is take off your mask carefully and place it in the laundry bin until you can wash it. You may opt to leave it in the bin for 24 hours or more in quarantine, which is known to allow the virus to decay. Do not let the mask come into contact with any other family member.

4. How can you disinfect cloth masks?

A machine wash at a high temperature with quality detergents is good enough to kill the virus. However, if you want to avoid running a machine load just for a single mask, you can also toss in the clothing items that you wore to step-out as well. If you prefer to hand-wash your mask, ensure that you get into every inch of the mask and clean it using the correct amount of detergent. Additionally, soaking the mask in hot water for 10-minutes and then rinsing it thoroughly, will also help remove all the pathogens. Avoid using bleach completely as the constant smell can cause nausea and headaches.

5. What is the appropriate temperature to wash a face mask?

Viruses cannot withstand high temperatures, therefore, washing face masks at a temperature of more than 60 degrees helps disinfect it. Since fabrics with dark colours fade after a couple of washes at high temperatures, it is advisable to make or buy the fabric mask in lighter shades.

DON’T MISS: Get the Most Out of Your Quarantine Life with This Self-care Guide

6. How should a face mask be dried?

After washing your mask, it is best to dry it at high temperature since heat also sanitizes the mask. For masks with a plastic filter and valve, you will need to be extra careful and air-dry or sun-dry them. A hairdryer can also be used as an easy and effective dryer. Sunlight is another excellent natural sanitizing agent. Also, ironing the mask post-drying will provide an added measure to ensure that the virus is completely eliminated.

Speaking of which, what kind of face mask are you wearing, and how do you keep this face mask clean? I’m all for the surgical types.