Here’s How To Add A Filter To Your Homemade Or Fabric Mask

Many are sewing their own face masks or are using a simple fabric mask to protect themselves from the coronavirus. Here's how that mask can better protect you. Many stores are currently out of stock of N95 masks or any face masks for people to purchase to protect themselves. These masks should also be saved for those in the medical field or who are at a greater risk of being exposed to the Coronavirus. Problem is, many studies have shown that wearing a mask can better protect someone from acquiring the virus. So what is the average American to do when they can't find a medical-grade mask but still want to be able to protect themself?

My mother is a nurse and is currently helping sew masks for those in the medical community who are low on supply. After speaking to several different doctors and nurses, some great minds have come up with various different methods to protect people from the virus.

One option is the video above, which shows you how you can make a mask from a vacuum bag, some elastic, a hot glue gun, and a sewing machine. Watch the fifteen-minute video above and see how you can take a single vacuum bag to make four HEPA filter face masks. A standard HEPA filter vacuum bag is an OSHA certified material that filters out 99.97% of airborne particulate matter, per OSHA standards.

The second option is to take a furnace air filter and insert it into a cloth mask. Most cloth masks have a pocket on the inside or when you are sewing your mask you can add one. You are then able to remove the filter and wash the mask after daily use. The filter is good for at least 1 month or you can follow the manufacturer's advice on when to replace the filter. To see how to remove the filter and cut it into appropriate sections, please see the photos below.

Here is what the pocket in a typical cloth mask will look like: