Cloth masks need to be cleaned regularly, CDC recommends

It’s been said time and again: The purpose of a homemade face mask is to prevent an asymptomatic carrier of the coronavirus from infecting others, not to protect the wearer.

But one way wearers of homemade face coverings can protect themselves is by making sure to observe proper hygiene protocols to care for masks.

When asked last week about best at-home mask cleaning protocols, a SoutheastHEALTH representative shared U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information for individuals to practice while caring for homemade face masks.

Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Face masks should be cleaned regularly depending on the frequency of use, the CDC’s website states, and a washing machine should suffice in properly washing a cloth mask.

For those without an in-home washing machine or for whom laundering a mask is not an everyday option, the CDC’s website offers little advice. Hand-washing masks using soap and water may be a viable alternative, but the CDC recommends using the warmest water the fabric can tolerate.

A recent Huffington Post article shared hand-washing tips from Emily de Golian, a board-certified dermatologist at Georgia-based Dermatology Consults.

“Fabric masks can be washed in the warmest possible water that the fabric will tolerate,” de Golian told the Post.

If hand-washing is the only available option, de Golian suggested lathering masks with soap and scrubbing for at least 20 seconds using warm to hot water.

But folks should stay away from using high-powered chemicals when caring for cloth masks.

In an April 10 New York Times article, Virginia Tech aerosol scientist Linsey Marr instructed readers to avoid cleaning masks with chemicals such as bleach or hydrogen peroxide, as they may degrade the fabric fibers and make masks less effective.

“Washing with soap and water should work,” Marr told the Times. “I throw my cloth mask in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry and dry it on low heat.”

Among its mask hygiene tips, the CDC’s guidance states cloth face coverings should not be used by children younger than 2 or by anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or incapacitated, or who is otherwise unable to remove a mask without assistance.

According to the CDC, cloth face coverings should:

• Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
• Be secured with ties or ear loops
• Include multiple layers of fabric
• Allow for breathing without restriction
• Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape

In a reversal from its initial stance on face masks, the CDC on April 3 began recommending the use of cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as at grocery stores or pharmacies, but especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

“Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure,” the website states.

As they remain in short supply, the CDC reminds people medical masks and N95 respirators should continue to be reserved for health care workers and other first-responders.