Why use a reusable face mask?

There are three reasons why you should choose a reusable face mask over a disposable mask for private use. 

1. They are cheaper 

You would at the least need one disposable mask per day. But realistically many more if you leave the house several times a day.  

A reusable, washable mask is significantly cheaper than buying heaps of disposable ones. If you are currently using disposable masks, you should consider getting a reusable one. It will save you a lot of money. 

2. Limited supplies of disposable masks 

You have probably heard that there is a shortage of disposable face masks. Especially N95 Respirators and Surgical Masks. Currently, some hospitals are even struggling to get any for their staff. There just aren't enough available. 

This means that in some places medical staff has to work with no protection. Every disposable mask that someone uses privately, would have been desperately needed in the medical sector. 

Make sure you aren't the reason why hospitals can't protect the people that directly fight the virus. A reusable face mask can be absolutely sufficient for private use. 

3. Impact on the environment 

Have you ever thought about the impact that all these disposable face masks have on the environment? Let me tell you. It is absolutely catastrophic. Landfills are already saturated with them and we aren't even close to the end of the pandemic yet. 

Just do the math. even if just 20% of the world's population wears a reusable face mask that's 1515426080 masks. Every day. 

Much sanitary protective equipment such as face masks, gloves, and sanitary wipes have already been dumped into the ocean. If this keeps going the worlds beaches will be covered in them for decades to come.

Picture Credit: OceansAsia.org and Naomi Brannan

What to consider when buying a washable face mask 

There are some things you should consider when buying a reusable face mask. A good face mask is more than just a piece of fabric covering your mouth and nose.

Material 

• Make sure you get a mask made out of a high-quality material such as cotton. 
• Unfortunately, the majority of reusable face masks that are currently available for sale are made of materials such as Polyamide, Polyester, Polyethylen, Polypropylen, or Polyurethan. 
• All these materials are essentially plastic. They are incredibly popular among manufacturers of reusable face mask as they are dirt cheap. 
• That comes at a cost though. They aren't as durable, have a chemical smell to them, and have been proven to be toxic in a study by the King’s College, London.

"Plastic fibers have been observed in pulmonary tissue, suggesting the human airway is of sufficient size for them to penetrate the deep lung" 

I will leave it up to your own judgment whether it is a smart idea to inhale plastic fibers to protect your lungs from dust, pollution, or viruses.

Get a mask with anti-bacterial properties. 

Wearing a piece of fabric in front of your mouth and breathing into it will turn your mask into a warm and moist paradise for bacteria. This could cause rashes or even make you sick. Wouldn't that be ironic? 

When deciding on a mask make sure to pick one that is comfortable to wear and doesn't make you feel silly. If it is not, you will probably have a hard time wearing it regularly. 

How to clean everyday masks and how often? 

• Ideally, you should wash your mask every day.  
• Having more than one will make that quite easy to do. 
• Make sure to laundry it at 60 degrees Celsius. That is absolutely sufficient to sterilize it and will keep the antibacterial properties of your mask intact. 

How to avoid getting scammed when buying a mask? 

Sadly, there are many scammers out there trying to abuse the pandemic. If you find masks sold for a price that is way too good to be true, it might be a scam website that has no intention of shipping the mask and will just disappear once people demand the product that they paid for. 

You should also be really careful about long shipping times. Especially cheap masks are often produced in China. Currently, shipping from China can take up to 3 months.  

Often times online stores try to hide that they are producing and shipping from China. If the website doesn't state where the masks are produced and shipped from it's most likely somewhere in Asia. 

Where can I get a facemask that meets all these requirements? 

We couldn't find any high quality, reusable face masks online that are made of cotton, have anti-bacterial properties, are comfortable to wear, and are looking great.

That is the very reason why we created Happy Mask. If you are looking for a great mask for everyday use you are in the right spot. In fact, you are actually already on our website. 

Feel free to have a look around and find the mask that is not only tailored to your face mask needs but also will make you look outstandingly stylish.