Where do you buy a face mask?
Given face masks are the new normal, where do you buy them? If you search online retailers like Amazon and Ebay you get thousands of listings for random things that may or may not be what you're looking for. What if you don't want to buy from them? Is there a good place to start, other than just searching keywords one at a time? How do you differentiate between a regular old cloth face covering and something that provides a little more filtration? Where do you get masks that have designs on them?
Curious what others have done in the past few months.
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After talking with a number of healthcare workers, you really don't need a high filtration mask unless you are using it at a business that works with people constantly. Even most doctors offices are just using cloth ones for the most part right now. It's only wards that are specifically treating the virus that are using higher filtration masks. If everyone is wearing a mask, the idea is that you are filtering the majority of the risk by keeping your own germs in.
A lot of gas stations are selling cloth masks in my area.
What's the adjustable thing you're referencing for glasses? My main challenge so far has been how much my glasses fog up.
Came out to a bit under 2 bucks a pop, washable and reusable.
Haven't noticed too much in the way of fogging up my glasses.
Nose wire. Doesn't eliminate the problem, but I've found it helps a decent amount at the cost of some discomfort after hours of wearing.
My concern is that it's not readily apparent how most non-medical/fabric masks are constructed.
According to the WHO video (in the spoiler tags), they recommend a 3-layer mask where the inner layer is moisture absorbent, the outer layer is moisture resistant, and a third inner layer acts as a primitive filter.
It's difficult to tell if a site says, "3-ply" if they've constructed it in this way, or if it's just three layers of the same material, or if the outer and inner layers are just plain cotton.
Anyone else who is smart on masks able to confirm if this is a good mask type?
I had bought a pack from" for days " and they are nice.
What filters are you using, if any?
It helps block stuff going from inside out as well.
My cloth masks sans-filter still transmits some amount of air through the front (I can feel it with my hand!). My N95 mask does not.
The N95 provides more protection to people around me than my cloth masks.
Everyone wearing cloth masks provides so much more protection than one person receives from a n95 mask. Masks prevent spread, it essentially makes caught by less likely to spread the virus.
I don't see where we're in disagreement, except if I'm wearing the N95 once a week...the "getting soaked and becoming useless" factor isn't one.
Wear your masks!
If that list of statements is not true, I would be happy to stop wearing the N95 on occasion. It's less comfortable.
No problem! There's been enough changes in guidance I wanted to make sure I fully listed out my assumptions. It was entirely possible I missed a change in guidance and I both don't want to suggest incorrect things and I want to make sure I'm conforming the the latest guidance myself.
They are non woven
I didn't think this was true; I checked my pharmacy, and couldn't find anything on their website beyond skin conditioning masks. Then I checked Target's (my pharmacy is inside a Target) site, and same thing, all I could see was skin care products.
I went in this morning to pick up my prescription, and not only were they fully stocked on TP (remember the shortages? How quickly things can change...), but right on the end cap, boxes and boxes of 20-packs of disposable masks.
* Behind ear vs. behind head
* elastic vs. ribbon or other non-elastic securing method
* nose wire or no nose wire
* pleated or not pleated
* fitted or not
* triple layer or filter pocket
So far my favorite/most comfortable has been:
* Behind head
* Elastic
* nose wire
* pleated
* not fitted
* triple layer
YMMV, try different styles out, what works for me may not work for you.