A Proposal for Choosing the Right Non-Disposable Mask During a Pandemic
Four months into Metro Manila’s quarantine, I’m the type of person who has to walk to work every weekday (a 15-min. walk), ascend 14 flight of stairs, and go about doing my job for the next 9 hours.
It is imperative that I wear a mask, not just for my safety, but for the safety of others. But I also need to acknowledge my own privilege, at how I still have work when others have lost their jobs, and I earn enough income so that meeting my daily needs is not a concern.
It is from that perspective that I am writing this, and I am aware that sometimes, being able to choose, much less afford, the best non-disposable mask can be a luxury.
Disclaimer: I am a layman and not a medical practitioner. Do not take this post as medical advice. I have tried my best to do the proper research, but this has not been peer reviewed by medical professionals. Also, at the time of this writing, there is still a lot we do not understand about COVID-19, so it is possible that some conclusions may turn out to be outdated or flat out wrong.
Why Non-Disposable Masks
If I’m being honest, the reasons why I prefer non-disposable masks over disposable masks can be summed up in three reasons:
- It produces less physical waste and disposal is not an issue.
- Reusing non-disposable masks is easier.
- I can afford to invest in a non-disposable mask.
These are my motivations for choosing a non-disposable mask. It is understandable if your motivations are different from mine, and prefer to use disposable masks. In that case, this post is not for you.
The Improper Use of Masks
After four months of going outside the house, I have witnessed people temporarily take off their masks, wear them improperly (to the point where I question why bother wearing a mask), or simply made a bad choice in the type of mask they wear.
It is important we discuss these points because they will factor into our criteria on how to determine what is the ideal mask for you.
People Who Take Off Their Masks When Talking
Probably one of the main reasons people take off their mask, aside from eating or drinking, is because they want to communicate. Sometimes it’s talking to someone beside them (which defeats the point of the mask) or sometimes they’re on the phone.
I’ve experience this myself, when the mask is too close to my mouth, which impedes movement and sound.
The positive note here is that this problem can be solved by choosing a different — or better — mask. If you find yourself talking a lot, then you need to find a mask that’s comfortable enough for you to talk.
Masks that Leaves Noses Exposed
I’ve seen numerous people whose masks only cover their mouth and leaves their nose exposed.
There can be several reasons for this. Perhaps the mask is too small, so the simplest solution would be to find a bigger mask.
Another reason is the mask is too loose, so a tighter mask is needed.
And there will be people who only wear mask as lip service rather than actually fearing the possibility of catching or spreading COVID-19.
Masks with Valves
Some people might think wearing a mask is good enough in doing their part to combat COVID-19.
This is not enough.
In certain Western cities, masks with valves are banned (there is no such restriction here in the Philippines). The short answer is this is because masks with valves allow air from you to escape — which in turn could spread COVID-19 to others.
There are probably two types of people who wear masks with valves: those who are unaware of the fact above, and those that don’t care and are only concerned about their personal safety.
Masks that are Not Worn Properly
I’m a lay person. Wearing a N95 Respirator requires training. If I was given a N95 respirator, chances are, I’ll don them improperly, and they won’t confer as much protection as they should.
Which is why my criteria will involve masks that are easy to use or wear.
Reasons Why People Wear Masks
I’ll be upfront about this: there is no single mask recommendation that’s perfect for everyone.
There are several reasons for this, some practical, and some philosophical.
On the philosophical side, it’s because people have different motivations for choosing the best mask for them. These include (and are not mutually exclusive):
Lip Service
These people only wear masks because it is socially acceptable to do so. They need to wear masks so they can go out and do their daily routines, but would otherwise choose not to wear one.
Fashion and Style
In addition to other factors motivating them, the way their mask impacts their fashion and style is a significant criteria to them. I’ll tell you right now that this is not a factor in my recommendations, but it should be acknowledged that this is a criteria for some people.
Social Impact
Some people might favor certain mask makers because they are local manufacturers or part of a marginalized community.
Safety of Others
These people want to limit the spread of COVID-19. That’s why wearing a mask is important, but these people might also not be aware that masks with valves run counter to their agenda.
Personal Safety
Probably the main reason why we wear masks during the pandemic, we don’t want to catch the disease. This is, first and foremost, my main concern.
Criteria for Choosing the Best Mask
Having said all that, here are some considerations to take into account when choosing the best mask for you.
1. Does it Fit Your Budget?
We can make recommendations to others regarding what the best mask is, but we also need to take into account a person’s budget. A specific mask might be suitable for a specific person, but if it’s outside of their price range, then the recommendation is moot.
2. Does it Provide the Protection You Need?
There’s a lot of caveats here.
Again, there’s not a lot we don’t know about COVID-19. For example, we’re still not sure how exactly it spreads, but right now, we assume they’re spread via droplets and aerosol particles.
Another thing people should be aware is how N95 Masks work and the implications of these for other types of masks: how effective masks are at filtering depends on their material and construction, and what you are trying to filter against.
For example, the mask I would wear to prevent inhaling ash particles might be different compared to the mask I would wear to prevent inhaling pollution or smog. The reason for this is that these particles have different sizes, and specific masks are effective at screening out particles of a certain size.
It’s important to understand the science behind this because we need to take into consideration two things:
- What is the size of the thing we are trying to filter against, and
- Is our mask actually good at filtering objects of that size?
In the case of COVID-19, we are making some assumptions. A lot of non-N95 masks aren’t really good at filtering the actual virus (it’s too small), but that’s okay. We don’t need to filter the actual virus, but we do need to filter the medium the virus clings to. In this case, it’s theorized that respiratory droplets are the main source of transmission, so ideally the masks we should be wearing are those that can filter particles that are 5–10 μm in diameter.
However, if you believe they’re being transmitted via a different medium, then the mask you need to wear should accommodate the particle size of those mediums.
Here’s an article on various mask fabrics and how effective they are.
3. Does It Fit and Is It Easy to Wear?
These two things go hand-in-hand because if it’s not easy to wear, then it’ll probably be worn incorrectly.
For a mask to be effective, it needs to be a tight fit. Some masks come in different sizes, so this is a good option for people to evaluate which size best fits them.
It’s also possible that your face might have an unusual shape or size, so what’s a good fit for most people might not be a good fit for you.
If you wear glasses, then a nose strip or nose bridge might also be something you will want to look for in a mask to prevent or reduce fogging.
4. Is It Comfortable
This will encompass several things:
- Can you wear the mask for long periods of time? For example, there was a mask which I couldn’t wear for more than two hours because the straps would bite into my ear and the pain was very uncomfortable.
- Can you speak while wearing the mask? A mask is not optimal if you are placed in a situation where you have to frequently talk and you are tempted to remove it to make yourself coherent.
- Can you exercise while wearing the mask? This might not be relevant to everyone, but a question I see pop up from time to time is what mask to wear while running or biking. It has to the type of mask where you shouldn’t have trouble breathing and it can handle body sweat. (Just be aware that there is also the recommendation that masks are best worn indoors as the wind will disperse droplets — but this is in the context of exercise, as opposed to crowded gatherings such as protests or queuing outside a mall.)
*5. Is It Aesthetically Pleasing?
Again, this is not a criteria specific to me, but some people will also want to factor aesthetics into the mask they choose.
My Recommendation
Taking these factors into consideration, my all-purpose recommendation is the Banale Active Mask for Adults (available in the Philippines here). (Disclaimer: A friend is the local distributor of this product.)
Price: $25.00 (or P1300.00). It’s on the expensive side and is limited to 30 hand washes.
Protection: From the product page, it “filters 90% of the particles with size 20 Micron and 70% of the particles with size 5–10 Micron”. If you’re afraid of catching/spreading COVID-19, it’s the latter that you want to focus on, as respiratory droplets are in the 5–10 Micron range.
Tightness and Ease of Use: Donning the mask is very straight-forward, as long as you know where the right pouch should be (right cheek). It comes in two sizes, Medium and Large, so as long as the distance between the junction of your nose and your ear is within 15–17.5 cm, then the Medium size should be a good fit.
As far as I can tell, there’s been three versions of this type of mask that has been released. In the photo above, the top-most is the latest version, and for me offers the best features so far. It feels tighter my glasses haven’t really fogged (or at the very least, required little adjustment to avoid doing so), whereas there were still some adjustments I had to make for the previous two versions before glass fogging was eliminated.
Comfort: The mask is quite comfortable as it’s spacious enough to breath and talk. If you’re sweating, you can feel the sweat dripping from your mouth, but never exiting the mask. I’ve worn the mask for hours, whether it’s inside the office, ascending 14 flights of stairs, or walking from one mall to the next.
Caveats: Well, first there’s the protection. It’s obviously not as good as an N95 mask when preventing COVID-19, so that’s one thing to consider. For some people, 70% protection against respiratory droplets is not good enough.
Another caveat is the side pouch. There’s a black strip on the right cheek that acts as a pouch for the mask. However, it’s also knitted there so should it be damaged (as was the case with one of my masks, when I actually tried using the pouch), it can drag the mask a bit and it won’t be as form-fitting.
The most recent version is also tight, but this also causes a minor strain on the ears and nose after wearing it for a long time. I usually need to take off the mask every 4 hours to rest a bit before donning it again. The earlier iterations don’t have this problem, but they’re also less form-fitting.
And again, this is a recommendation based on my experience. It’s possible that this mask is a poor fit for you, due to not accommodating your size or some other needs.
