I wonder if you might like to clarify this, cause it sure looks like you are saying that unless we have sanitized and properly fitted masks, we are doing no good at all. If that is the case, should we all throw out our off-the-rack, one-size-fits-all fabric masks?
I only have 2 custom fitted masks, and they match my go-to-court suits so aren’t daily wear. I would hesitate to bleach them because I don’t want the colors to fade. From my understanding, putting them through a hot dryer is enough to kill all the germs.
If I am wrong, please give me some cites, I will read them and try to improve what I’m doing.
Or, as I live in a state (idiotic state of Texas) where masks will never be mandatory, maybe I’ll just stop wearing them for fear of being accused of virtue signaling.
My cotton masks were made of pre-shrunk fabric. I’ve been hand-washing them, because I modified them to insert a wire to shape them to my face, and while the wire (aluminum) doesn’t mind getting wet, it DOES mind being smashed around by the machine.
Ask whoever made your masks if they are drier-safe. Odds are pretty good that they are.
**I don’t know the underlying science, but the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology tells me that all reusable hair salon linens such as towels and capes “shall be laundered either by regular commercial laundering or by a noncommercial laundering process which includes immersion in water at least 160[sup]o[/sup] F for not less than twenty-five (25) minutes during the washing or rinsing operation. Alternately, it is acceptable if the commercial laundry opts to use chemicals and cold water to reduce organisms on laundry, provided the laundry follows manufacturers’ instructions for washing machines, dryers, detergents, rinse aids, and other additives. The laundry detergents used are not required to have stated antimicrobial claims.”
This, by the way, is their normal code of regulations that we had to follow last year - Covid-19 did not cause them to enact any increase in wash temp or time.
For the OP - in general, you can’t sterilize fabric at home unless you have an EO gas autoclave. The best we can do is to sanitize fabric, which can be done in the washing machine using the time and temp I quoted above. Chlorine bleach helps as well - please note that oxygen bleach will NOT sanitize your laundry.
According to this, the virus is undetectable on cloth after sitting around for two days. So, of your 14, those from earlier in the week are good to go after a couple of days.
As it happens, i realized that I was going to wash them all no matter what the outcome of this discussion was. I am wearing them on my face, not washing them after every use would feel rather squicky to me.
Yeah, the virus is not very sturdy. Lots of bacteria live indefinitely on surfaces, but not coronavirus. I’ve also read that 20 seconds exposure to soapy water kills it pretty reliably, although I’m struggling to find a proper reference to support that. Here’s some stuff about handwashing that explains how soap actually kills the virus, and doesn’t just remove it from your skin: