This year everyone got a new accessory, a face mask. When the wearing of face masks began, I don’t think anyone could have foreseen how long it would be required. With so many masks being worn and disposed of, the importance of wearing a reusable mask was recently brought to my attention by an organization called United We Mask.
United We Mask is a nonprofit organization with a mission to encourage sound public health practices and make PPE more accessible. They have provided over 10,000 handmade masks to their communities.
Last week I was invited to Maskerade Hour hosted by United We Mask. I attended this virtual event with my oldest daughter, McKenna.
During the event, in addition to discussing the importance of wearing a sustainable mask, we discussed statistics on masks, maskne (mask acne), and were read the children’s book “Smiling from Ear to Ear” by the author, Kaitlyn Chu.
In an effort to reduce the waste created by disposable masks, I hope you can join me and my family by wearing only reusable masks. If you don’t have one, don’t worry! Here is a tutorial on how to make your own with items from your home. McKenna and I recently made our own DIY face mask, so you can follow along with us.
To get started you will need the following:
- Fabric (12″ height x 18″ width), T-shirt, bandana, or baby blanket
- 2 hair ties or 2 shoelaces/ribbon
- Coffee filter, small fabric piece, or paper towel
Step 1
Cut Fabric: Lay fabric on a table so that the longer side is going from left to right.
Step 2
Filter: Place coffee filter, small fabric piece, or paper towel in the center of the fabric.
Step 3
Fold: Fold the top edge down and fold the bottom edge up to meet in the middle.
Step 4
Pull: Pull hair ties though the side or place shoelaces/ribbon on the left and right sides.
Step 5
Fold/Pull: Fold side to the center (over hair ties) and pull hair ties to the side.
Step 6
Place/Tuck: Place mask on face (around nose and mouth). Tuck hair ties around ears or tie laces behind your head in a single bow.
Step 7
Show it off! Your mask is complete!
Repeat this process every time you go outside. Don’t forget to wash your mask after each day you use it outside. You can machine wash and dry with the rest of your clothes or hand wash your mask with soap and water in the sink for at least 20 seconds.
I hope you enjoyed this tuturial. Be sure to share this knowledge with your friends, family, and community.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Be sure to share this knowledge with your friends, family, and community.I hope you enjoyed this tuturial. Be sure to share this knowledge with your friends, family, and community.
My family and I have decided to only use sustainable masks after learning all of the ways it can help. I hope you will too. Not only are we saving money, we are also helping out the environment and saving medical masks for those at high risk of COVID exposure.
Compensation was provided by United We Mask via Momtrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of United We Mask or Momtrends.
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