10 Tips To Test and Tweak Your Mask

As the pandemic continues into 2021, we must remain vigilant for more contagious variants of the virus that have reached Colorado. Even with the rollout of vaccines in the spring, we are in a race to beat this virus and must continue to prevent its transmission as best we can.

Research by CU Boulder experts and scientists around the world has now clearly shown that aerosols are the main transmission route for SARS-COV-2 as outbreaks continue to occur in crowded, poorly ventilated areas. These invisible particles in the air are so small that they float in the air like smoke, yet large enough for the virus to hitch a ride. This allows the virus to travel more than six feet and remain contagious for up to two hours in the air.

Aerosols are different from larger droplets that quickly fall to the floor after you speak, cough or sneeze, although they are sometimes both referred to as “breathing particles.”

How can you tell if your mask is actually working to capture both aerosols and these larger droplets? And how can you spice it up if it isn’t? We’ve got you covered.

Test your mask

Hold your mask up to a light. Can you see through it?
Compare a cloth mask to a neck cover and you will notice how much easier it is to see through the cover. The easier you can see through your mask, the more likely those infectious aerosols will get through as well. The exception to this test is surgical masks, which may look thin but are electrostatically charged to enhance their filtration, but you will need to adjust a surgical mask to better fit your face (see below).

Try blowing out a candle.
Put on the mask you want to test and then light a candle. Try to blow it out! If your mask has adequate filtering power, you shouldn’t be able to. Again, if it’s too thin and you can blow out the candle, this mask will likely let aerosols through.

Try sticking your fingers through the sides.
Use your fingers to check for gaps around your nose and on your cheeks. Even a very small gap between your skin and the mask can allow up to half of the air you exhale to escape unfiltered – and the virus with it. Surgical masks are a common example of an ill-fitting mask around the cheeks, and many cloth masks leave holes around the nose.

Inhale while wearing.
The easiest way to test that your mask is completely sealed against the air around you is to wear it and breathe in quickly. You should notice or feel the substance being sucked into your nostrils or mouth when you inhale.

Exhale while wearing.
The easiest way to test that your mask is capturing all the aerosols leaving your mouth and nose is to exhale heavily. Are your glasses fogged up? The area around your nose is not closed off. Did you hear a “woosh” through your ears? The mask is not flat enough against your cheeks. And if you don’t seal your cheeks, you’ll be shooting your aerosol cans straight at the person behind you.

Tweak your mask

Shape the mask to your nose.
To cap off those aerosols, wear a mask with a wire or metal noseband sewn in so you can shape it around your nose. In a pinch, you can use a band-aid to seal the mask on your nose and prevent your glasses from fogging up. If you have masks that can’t seal the area around the nose, wear masks outside where aerosols quickly thin and disappear.

Get an “ear saver”.
Ear-savers are pieces of plastic that you wear on the back of your head and that you hook the earloops of the mask through, relieving pressure on your ears. They improve the fit of your mask by hugging it closer to your face, especially around the cheeks. They are inexpensive and come in all shapes and sizes, as well as fun colors.

Turn and stop your mask.
If you wear a surgical mask, a few quick adjustments can improve the fit. See here how to do that in less than 2 minutes.

Buy a face adapter.
Facial adapters, such as Fix The Mask, work by flattening a mask against your face in a way that seals off the cheeks and nose if the mask itself isn’t properly designed to do this.

Wear a multi-layer cloth mask or double mask.
Applying a cloth mask to a surgical mask improves both the fit and the filter of a face covering. You can also put filters in some cloth masks to increase their ability to trap aerosols, or you can wear a bandana or cover over a cloth mask in a pinch. Just remember: never double mask with N95’s or KN95’s. If you are double masking, make sure you do this only to cover gaps. Two masks directly on top of each other can cause more air to seep out the sides of your cheeks, which is not what you want.