Benefits of Using Reusable Masks

With the second strain of Coronavirus spreading wildly, everyone must wear a mask when they step out of the house. The World Health Organization has mentioned that wearing a surgical mask by healthcare professionals and wearing masks by the public is the first step towards preventing Coronavirus transmission. With the growing usage of masks, there has been a myth about them. There is a wide mask sale available, ranging from single-use surgical masks to N95, to homemade masks, to cotton masks, etc. Read on to differentiate the myth from the fact and learn the benefits of using marks hearing the pandemic.

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Myths

If you don’t feel sick, don’t wear a mask 

I think by the sound of it, you can understand that this statement has no truth to it. Everyone is required to wear a mask to protect themselves from catching the virus. It does not have any relation with a person being sick or not.

Even if you wear loose-fitting marks, it is just fine.

Well, no, it isn’t. The primary motive to wear a mask is to cover your mouth and nose from being open to catch the virus. Its primary function is to prevent the respiratory droplets from the nose from either entering or escaping. While there are both single-use and reusable masks available, it is more recommended to use reusable masks because single-use marks cause more harm to the environment as they eventually end up in the ocean and the landfills. Here are some other reasons why wearing reusable masks is essential.

• There is a shortage of surgical masks, and they are a must for Healthcare professionals.

Surgical masks are usually needed by doctors, workers, and healthcare professionals who work in the frontline to save the people who COVID-19 has contracted. Since Coronavirus has come into existence and mass usage has been mandated, single-use masks have faced a shortage.  While the surgical mask is mandatory for such healthcare professionals, the public does not need them. A cloth mask will do the same job as a surgical mask and prevent the droplets from the nose and the mouth from traveling far and infect people.

• The public does not know about disposing of surgical marks properly.

Surgical masks that are used in the hospitals are usually incinerated or disposed off properly to avoid contamination. The public is not aware, and they also cannot follow the structured method of disposing of masks. Hence if the masks are not correctly disposed, they leave threats like unnecessary contamination of diseases and an adverse effect to the environment by filling up landfills rapidly.

• Disposable masks, made of single-use plastics, lead to a more significant environmental issue.

It is shocking to know that around 150 million tons of single-use plastic masks are produced every year. They are made up of polypropylene, a form of plastic that takes over a hundred years to decompose. The entire world is using masks today. If most of them are using single-use masks, imagine the number of masks thrown away and the amount of plastic contaminating the landfills and water bodies. With the increase in usage of single-use surgical masks by the public and their inability to dispose off them properly, single-use masks cause environmental issues and health threats to people. Thousands of masks are washed on the beaches of Hong Kong, which threatens the wildlife inhabiting the ocean. The reusable mask is made up of cloth and does not use plastic; hence, increased usage will help both human life and the earth’s environment. 

• Saves money

Reusable masks can be used many times if they are correctly maintained.  Statistically speaking, it can be used over 50 times. So, if you are buying one reusable mask, you are saving 50 single-use mass from being used.  In addition to saving your money, you also save the environment and keep the stock of single-use surgical masks replenished.

• No more worrying about improper disposition and unnecessary contamination of diseases.

If you notice correctly, you will find single-use marks dropped on the floor of parks, beaches, and roadsides. It means that there is a higher possibility of the disease being contaminated since people are responsible for keeping such parks and beaches clean; thus, they will touch these inadvertently.  You can keep reusable masks in separate pouches and reuse them after washing them.

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Cotton is a natural fabric and entirely biodegradable. It means that it is extremely easy to decompose. If we are conscious about both health and the environment, we must use sustainable materials to prepare the world for the new normal. Double layers cotton reusable masks are highly effective in protecting one from infections.