With a shortage of facemasks supply within the market, people are shifting towards making their own DIY facemasks at home. To ensure these masks are as effective as they can be, adding filters for additional protection has become a rising trend. A face mask filter is basically an additional layer of protection that adds to the effectiveness of a mask without impacting its overall aesthetics.

Several people have taken to making facemasks that feature small pockets that you can use to insert a filter of your choice. These filters are replaceable, so you can wear the mask on its own, or add a filter when you want to be extra cautious. 

A Filter Can Catch Particles More Effectively 

A lot of experts are now endorsing the use of a filter within face masks for added protection. By inserting a filter within the face mask pocket, the chances of air particles entering the fabric are greatly reduced. This way the face mask becomes more effective at filtering out unwanted particles. Apart from filtering out individual air particles, these filters provide maximum comfort so that you can breathe properly. Therefore, adding a filter to your face mask is a good idea.

Best Materials To Use For Facemask Filter Pockets

Several experts have suggested that materials like HEPA and polypropylene are effective face mask filters. You can further increase the effectiveness of these face mask filter materials by placing them between two layers of cotton, silk, or nylon fabrics. You can make DIY face masks out of these fabrics, and include a pocket in the middle by folding the fabric into two. By adding your expert-recommended filter material in the middle, you’ll have your own reusable, customized face mask that is highly effective at filtering out unwanted particles.

How To Properly Use Your Facemask 

No matter how efficient and creative your facemask filter is, it is of no use if you don’t know how to get the maximum benefit out of it. The following are some ways you can ensure you’re using your face mask the right way. 

• The mask should fit you properly. 

This means that it should not be loose or and must fit your face properly. There should be no hollow spaces around the mask, especially around the nose or the jawline. A loose mask is as ineffective as no mask. 

• The mask should be adequately strapped. 

Straps add security and excellent fitting to the mask, so they’re vital to the design of the face cover.

• The mask should have layers.

The ideal way to layer your face cover is to fold the mask-fabric in half so that both the layers are equally dense and of the same material, and add a facemask filter in the center. 

• Reuse it and keep it clean.

The best thing about DIY masks is that they are reusable. However, it is incredibly crucial that you clean them regularly. Unwanted and harmful air particles hanging on to your face mask can be very dangerous and can quickly go into your respiratory tract through the mouth or nose when you put the dirty face mask on again.

To avoid this, make sure you always put on a clean face mask filter.   The expert-recommended way to clean your face mask is by washing your mask in a washing machine, with soap or any other reasonable detergent. You can wash both your DIY mask and filter this way. Be sure to wash them as regularly as you possibly can, depending on how frequently you use them.