The UK government is now advising people to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces in order to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Officials have stressed that surgical and medical masks should be kept for frontline NHS and healthcare workers, so instead, people are being advised to buy non-medical masks or make their own ones, using materials found around the house.
Health Minister Jo Churchill said: ‘You do not need a clinical mask which are prioritised for our healthcare workers.
‘Instead a face covering is sufficient and we encourage people to make these at home with items they will already own.’
Thinking of giving it a go? Here are five different ways masks can be made at home…
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Using only a T-shirt
In terms of the best materials for a face mask, researchers at Cambridge University found that cotton T-shirts and cotton pillowcases are best for making DIY versions.
This is because they have the ability to capture small particles but still remain breathable.
The government has issued instructions for making face masks at home, using elastic bands and cotton fabric or an old T-shirt.
It advises to follow these four simple steps:
1. Cut a straight line across the width of the T-shirt (front and back) approximately 20cm from the bottom.
2. From a point 2cm below the top right-hand corner of the fabric, make a 15cm horizontal cut through both sides of the fabric that is parallel to the top of the rectangle.
3. Then cut down towards the bottom of the fabric until you reach approximately 2cm above the bottom edge. After, make another 15cm cut that runs parallel to the bottom of the fabric to make a rectangle that can be discarded.
4. For the ties, cut open the edge of the two long strips of fabric. Then unfold the main piece of fabric and place over the mouth and the nose. These four strips act as ties to hold the cloth face covering in place and should be tied behind the head and around the neck.
With a bandana
An alternative method is to use a banana and two hair bands – as demonstrated in a viral tweet which has now been liked more than 85,000 times.
This involves just five simple steps:
1. Fold the bandana horizontally to about the size of four fingers.
2. Place the hair ties over the folded bandana. One should be around either side, at the general width of your face.
3. Fold either side of the bandana over the hairbands and into the middle, tucking one side into the other.
4. Place the mask over your face with the hair bobbles over your ears to secure.
5. Adjust to make sure it fits over your full nose and mouth.
Making a masks with a sock
For those limited with materials, a single sock can be used – but it’s important to consider the fabric’s breathability, as really thick socks might be more difficult to breath in.
Another Twitter user showed how to achieve this in five easy steps:
1. Fold the sock in half and cut off the toe and ankle sections.
2. Open up the sock and cut down the edge opposite to the heel.
3. Fold the sock in half again and cut into the heel’s edge by about two thirds and about 2cm from the ends.
4. Open out the sock completely and trim off the corners into curves.
5. Loop the cut outs around your ears and cover your nose and mouth with the rest of the sock, so the heel fits securely over your nose.
Using a tea towel
On a segment on ITV’s This Morning, Home Genie Georgina Burnett explained how to fashion masks out of different materials around the house, including a tea towel.
All you need is a clean tea towel, scissors, thread string, ribbon or shoelaces and some sticky tape – then to follow these instructions:
1. Cut a 20cm/4 inch strip off the width of a tea towel.
2. Snip the corners so the seams are open.
3. Thread string, ribbon or shoelaces through the seams at both ends.
4. Place the fabric on your face and tie the strings at the back of the head. The ends of the string can be made harder with tape.
5. For added protection, add a coffee filter, piece of kitchen paper or a paper napkin.
Pleated face masks
Pleated masks are a popular choice because they expand to cover a face completely.
There are a number of YouTube tutorials explaining how to make different versions of pleated masks.
A video by Hobby Lobby shows how to make one in a few simple steps.
1. Start by cutting a 15 inch by 8 inch fabric, then fold it in half and measure three inches in from each side.
2. Then bring the seam to the centre and cut two 7 inch pieces of elastic and pin each between the layers of fabric – one end at each corner on each side of the mask.
3. Then sew along the edges to close the sides and secure the elastic.
4. To make the pleats, mark the fabric by placing pins one inch from the bottom of each side of the mask, then keep pinning all the way across (the video provides the correct spacing measurements).
5. When the pins are in place, fold the fabric lining up the pins and sew along the edge.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/13/five-ways-make-face-mask-12695693/
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