MakerMask collaborated with the Energy and Aerosols Laboratory at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to explore filtration and breathability of nonwoven and woven fabrics for reusable masks before and after washing. This post summarizes the key findings. See the paper for details: https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.220044 Motivation Although mask mandates have been rescinded, washable masks remain widely […]
A Mask Fabric Combination Better Than Cotton
In this guest blog post Ania Mitros, Ph.D. discusses the laboratory testing data and science behind her preferred fabric combination for masks: two layers of ~65 gsm (gram/m²) spunbond nonwoven polypropylene (NWPP) plus one layer of ~130 gsm woven cotton. Her recommendation comes after reading dozens of scientific publications on the subject and investing thousands […]
Fabric Mask Material Testing Results! ASTM 2100 and F3502
A huge thank you to everyone that has contributed to our fabric mask material testing campaign! The results from the testing campaign are finally in. We tested two different 3-layer fabric combinations to establish baseline performance for fluid resistance, breathability, bacterial filtration efficiency (~3um particles), and submicron particle efficiency (~0.3um). These tests focused on two […]
Masks for COVID: Literature Highlights
In this post we share some of our favorite articles about mask science. Since the beginning of this pandemic over 6000 papers have been published on masks. For scientists and sewists alike, sorting through all this information can be daunting! We have gathered our top recommendations for those looking to join us in immersing themselves […]
Washing Fabric Masks: Knowns and Unknowns
Recently, we’ve been hearing a lot of questions about washing and reusing fabric masks. There are a wide range of “best practices” emerging from government organizations, sewist groups, and journalists. This post discusses cleaning of masks containing spunbond non-woven polypropylene (NWPP) layers, and clarifies some distinctions between washing and disinfection. Introduction First, a caveat — […]
Finding and Selecting Polypropylene for Washable Masks
In this post we discuss how we think about selecting spunbond nonwoven polypropylene (NWPP) fabrics for washable masks, where we have found spunbond NWPP, and why we’ve chosen Smart-Fab® Double-Thick for our next round of testing. Our Mission Our mission is to share information with the public about the best emerging mask science to help […]
Constructing Masks for Singers
Dr. Jocelyn Songer In this guest blog post, Joan Fearnley, a soprano, a choir director, and the creator of the open source “Singer’s Mask” pattern/design, teams up with MakerMask to discuss some of the science and special considerations for masks for singers. The five sections of this post answer key questions about masks for singers: […]
Research Highlights: NWPP Filtration Efficiency from Long et al 2020
This post is the first in a series of “Research Highlights” where we discuss select data and research from the literature in the context of community mask making efforts. In this post, we take a look at the filtration and breathability data for nonwoven polypropylene (NWPP) mask materials presented in: Long KD, Woodburn EV, Berg […]
Fluid Resistance: Mask Material Test Results
New test results show that upcycled spunbond nonwoven polypropylene (NWPP) mask materials can provide high-level (ASTM Level 2) fluid resistance. MakerMask has supported the use of spunbond NWPP in homemade mask designs because of its unique combination of breathability and hydrophobicity, or water resistance. Thanks to community contributions, we were able to put the fluid […]
5 Key Considerations For Window Masks
One of the challenges with face masks is that they often cover key facial features and expressions that are important for communicating speech and emotions. For many people, this means missing out on smiles, and having a little bit more trouble understanding other people in noisy environments. For people that are deaf, hard of hearing, […]
