# Do you suffer from floppy ear? (mask fit) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [February 12, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778 "2021-02-12T19:03:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/22 "2021-02-13T04:18:20Z")
My husband cuts a rubber band, threads it through the ear loops, and ties it in a knot. It keeps the loops from irritating his ears and also gives a tight fit around the face. This might work for you. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/23 "2021-02-15T17:09:27Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > > [@Dark\_Sponge](#): > > > > If you’re worried about protecting yourself from COVID infection invest in onion goggles or similar eye protection. > > Are eyes considered a particularly worrisome infection gateway? Not that I’m aware of. What the OP should do is buy some N95 masks and learn how to properly wear them rather Mcgiver up a two mask set up. Er yes, they are. If you’re already wearing a mask and protecting your face holes your next most likely method of infection is droplets hitting your eyes from a sneeze or cough. The onion goggles may be stylish but medical providers don’t wear eye protection just for fun. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/24 "2021-02-15T17:21:25Z")
The best way for me to get the mask to hold tight is to use over-ear headphones on top: I first put on the mask, then the glasses, finally the headphones. What I have not found out is how to avoid fogging my glasses. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/25 "2021-02-16T15:47:43Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I tend to wear a ball cap when I go out in public to cover my unruly hair, and it’s easier taking an ear-loop mask on and off with a hat on. My dad always wore a ball cap also. My SiL sewed matching buttons to his most used caps to hook the masks on instead of his ears. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > What I have not found out is how to avoid fogging my glasses. Get your mask actually tight enough to be effective. If your glasses fog, the mask is not working effectively. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/26 "2021-02-16T15:49:55Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > My SiL sewed matching buttons to his most used caps to hook the masks on instead of his ears. Good idea ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/27 "2021-02-16T18:56:03Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > Get your mask actually tight enough to be effective. If your glasses fog, the mask is not working effectively. Yes, that would explain it. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/28 "2021-02-22T03:08:34Z")
My daughter accidentally bought some children’s masks, aimed at ages 3-12. I’m finding them a far better fit - I think I have a slightly smaller face than average (and am female; some masks are made with men in mind). The normal ones are always slipping off my nose. Think I’m going to stick with these now. Might be worth trying kids’ masks - they’re not hard to get. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/29 "2021-02-25T13:51:46Z")
I was hoping there’d be a “mask tips” thread here somewhere. My recent job change has required me to wear a mask for 8 hours a day (worked from home before), so now I am really feeling the PAIN of ear loops. It’s gotten worse since I started double masking. I noticed at the inauguration that many attendees were wearing an N95 under a cloth mask - seriously don’t know how they breathe because I can’t tolerate just a KN95 alone. A blue surgical mask under a cloth mask is what I’ve been doing and it’s killing me. Definitely folds my ears forward. A precarious and painful situation. Tried Velcro straps but they didn’t relieve the pressure. Tried cushioned bandage tape behind my ears, which helps a little but still hurts. I guess I’ll have to get some masks with ties but not sure if I can tie them! Are disposable masks with ties available to the public? I never see any except the kind with loops. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/30 "2021-02-25T14:04:06Z")
@Skypist, there were a couple mask tips in this thread-- like a strap extension that goes behind your head and hooks to the straps so they don’t have to go around your ears. You mentioned velcro straps but I don’t know if that’s the same thing. Someone also mentioned they knew somebody whose dad wore ball caps all the time so she sewed buttons on the sides of his caps so he could hook the straps to the buttons. If you typically wear some kind of head gear, maybe you could rig up something like that? I’ve been seeing TV commercials for a device called the ‘Cool Turtle’ or something like that. It’s basically a convex plastic frame with breathable mesh that fits under your existing mask and keeps the mask away from your mouth, so you’re not breathing hot, moist air directly against the mask all day. It supposedly makes mask-wearing a lot more comfortable. I don’t know how well it works, but it seems like a good idea in concept. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/31 "2021-02-25T14:07:32Z")
I edited the thread title to make it more obvious this is a discussion about how to comfortably wear face masks. Open to suggestions if you come up with a better (short) parenthetical. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/32 "2021-02-25T14:09:56Z")
Thanks @puzzlegal! I usually try to make my thread titles sufficiently descriptive, but this one was a bit ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/33 "2021-02-25T14:11:59Z")
I have some like this > **[Ear Savers for Face Masks Clear Blank Flexible Acrylic - Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/listing/783106644/ear-savers-for-face-masks-clear-blank)** > > This Barrettes & Clips item by BeamingJoy has 688 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Springboro, OH. Listed on Jan 4, 2023 my ears do bend over but I’m also wearing a pair of glasses that have really thick bows. At Etsy I used the search term “mask clasp”. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/34 "2021-02-25T15:33:23Z")
I may have to check Etsy. The Velcro straps I have fasten one end around each ear loop and supposedly make the mask more secure and relieve pressure on the skin, but I was disappointed and am leery of similar devices now. I found them fussy and difficult to don. I don’t like to be fiddling around with attaching straps to the ear loops and somehow getting it around my head while sitting in the parking lot at work. Hate that. Remember when we used to be able to just get out of the car and walk into the building?!! 😢 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/35 "2021-02-25T16:41:15Z")
My optician gave me something that just has hooks, It’s elastic. You put on the mask, then you reach behind one ear and hook the strap to the loop. Then you wrap the strap behind the head and reach behind the other ear. I haven’t actually used it – I gave it to my daughter because the ear loops have never bothered me. But something like that might work for you. ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/36 "2021-02-25T16:42:45Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > That’s about a billion times better suggestion. However, I call bullshit on making it comparable to an N95. I’ve been bleating this for a while but N95 have electrostatic fabric that are complete game changers for filtering. Good surgical masks also have electrostatic material. They’re just not fitted as well and not as thick. There is data from more than one lab that shows that surgical masks with some kind of fitting approaches that of the N95. If you use another mask to do that fitting, it can bet pretty close to an N95. The trick for all these is breathability, of course. If you have to start huffing and puffing to breath, you’ll either have to remove the masks or the masks will start puffing out when you exhale. That defeats the purpose. So only two masks maximum. The best layer system is a surgical mask with a cloth on top or a cotton cloth with another one of synthetic material. Those provide two different type of filtration. Make sure at least one of the masks ensures a good around nose and mouth. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/37 "2021-02-25T16:46:32Z")
Sounds complicated. We should just tell people to put on masks until they can’t breath, then take one off. Easy peasy. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/38 "2021-02-25T16:51:34Z")
I’m going to check Etsy and maybe try something with hooks. I saw a beautiful one that I think was on Etsy, but it was for children. It was shaped like a silver butterfly and you could hook the ear loops onto it. I want something with style, lol. It might not work on an adult if the loops + butterfly configuration is not long enough to get around the head. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/39 "2021-02-25T16:56:11Z")
Wouldn’t any decent sized hair clip work? (I mean the ones with a spring and forks) Some of the cheaper masks might break the elastic with that stretch I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/40 "2021-02-25T17:05:46Z")
> [@Tfletch1](#): > > > [@FigNorton](#): > > > > That’s about a billion times better suggestion. However, I call bullshit on making it comparable to an N95. I’ve been bleating this for a while but N95 have electrostatic fabric that are complete game changers for filtering. > > Good surgical masks also have electrostatic material. They’re just not fitted as well and not as thick. There is data from more than one lab that shows that surgical masks with some kind of fitting approaches that of the N95. If you use another mask to do that fitting, it can bet pretty close to an N95. > > The trick for all these is breathability, of course. If you have to start huffing and puffing to breath, you’ll either have to remove the masks or the masks will start puffing out when you exhale. That defeats the purpose. So only two masks maximum. The best layer system is a surgical mask with a cloth on top or a cotton cloth with another one of synthetic material. Those provide two different type of filtration. Make sure at least one of the masks ensures a good around nose and mouth. Before I bought my reuseable N90 masks with a forgiving silicone seal, I used a loop cut out of the upper leg of a nylon stocking to hold the mask close to my face, and seal the sides. I read some article somewhere that said it improved many masks (including surgical masks) to be about as good as N95 masks. It was fussy to place, but it didn’t impede my breathing at all, I mean, besides forcing me to breathe through the filter below it. It did make me look a little like a bank robber, though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778/41 "2021-02-25T17:08:03Z")
> [@Dark\_Sponge](#): > > Masks are primarily intended to stop the wearer from infecting others. They work when everyone wears them. If you’re worried about protecting yourself from COVID infection invest in onion goggles or similar eye protection. As others in this thread have stated, double masks, if done correctly, do protect the wearer. There are also some pretty nice masks with filters that do a good job. People who live in covidiot areas cannot rely on others to protect them. As far as goggles, they’re a good idea, but eyes are not as much of a transmission route as the respiratory systems simply because eyes don’t breath. So, you’d have to get a spray right in the face, a huge cloud of floating aerosol, or a transfer straight from someone’s hand to your eyes. This kinds of things are less likely to happen than someone breathing in aerosols from another person. If ventilation is bad and time is long, someone can breath in enough aerosols from someone who was more than 6 feet away. Personally, if I were worried about sprays from people up close to me, I’d wear a shield instead of goggles. That’s just my personal comfort level. However, when I go out shopping, etc. I just wear a good mask system. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-suffer-from-floppy-ear-mask-fit/932778.md?page=3)