CCC - ENewsletter

Cleaning your face masks
By Blackdoctor.org

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and most local and state governments recommending that we wear face masks in any public setting, more and more people have been wearing them.

Since masks such as N-95 surgical masks and respirators have been in short supply and mostly only available to healthcare workers, many people have been creative in making their own cloth masks out of various materials, including cotton fabric, mesh cloth and other things. Most of the masks people create are expected to be usable again and again.

But while many Americans have turned to do-it-yourself templates to make cloth face coverings, some make bad decisions about cleaning them.

So that has left room for a number of theories and myths on social media concerning how to effectively clean your mask.

One social media post suggested that you put your mask in the microwave in order to disinfect it. While that may seem to make sense, it is actually very dangerous thing to do because the cloth can burst into flames.

The Las Vegas Fire Department will attest to this, after having posted an alert surrounding the issue: “Reports of fires starting across the country in microwave ovens after people put their face masks in them to sterilize them: Never put anything in a microwave oven that is not recommended on the packaging. That includes face masks.”

If you have microwaved your socks, for example, you may have witnessed what can happen: anything with elastic can potentially set fire to the cotton material in your clothes.

A CDC guide to mask use suggests the cloth masks be cleaned regularly, and that they should “be able to be laundered without damage or change to the shape.”

How should you clean a cloth mask? The University of Utah offers sensible information about how to make, use and clean a cloth mask.

According to the site, the best way to sanitize a mask is to launder it in your washing machine in hot water using a detergent that leaves no residue, then drying it in a hot dryer.

The soap and hot water, added with heat from the dryer, will kill COVID-19.



Cleaning your face masks By Blackdoctor.org With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and most local and state governments recommending that we wear face masks in any public setting, more and more people have been wearing them. Since masks such as N-95 surgical masks and respirators have been in short supply and mostly only available to healthcare workers, many people have been creative in making their own cloth masks out of various materials, including cotton fabric, mesh cloth and other things. Most of the masks people create are expected to be usable again and again. But while many Americans have turned to do-it-yourself templates to make cloth face coverings, some make bad decisions about cleaning them. So that has left room for a number of theories and myths on social media concerning how to effectively clean your mask. One social media post suggested that you put your mask in the microwave in order to disinfect it. While that may seem to make sense, it is actually very dangerous thing to do because the cloth can burst into flames. The Las Vegas Fire Department will attest to this, after having posted an alert surrounding the issue: “Reports of fires starting across the country in microwave ovens after people put their face masks in them to sterilize them: Never put anything in a microwave oven that is not recommended on the packaging. That includes face masks.” If you have microwaved your socks, for example, you may have witnessed what can happen: anything with elastic can potentially set fire to the cotton material in your clothes. A CDC guide to mask use suggests the cloth masks be cleaned regularly, and that they should “be able to be laundered without damage or change to the shape.” How should you clean a cloth mask? The University of Utah offers sensible information about how to make, use and clean a cloth mask. According to the site, the best way to sanitize a mask is to launder it in your washing machine in hot water using a detergent that leaves no residue, then drying it in a hot dryer. The soap and hot water, added with heat from the dryer, will kill COVID-19.

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