topic Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters in Community Chat

Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

stuyvesant — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 11:18:00 GMT

If you have those cloth masks with a slit in them to add a filter you might think about using blue shop towels for the filtering material. If you Google 'blue shop towels' for masks you'll see information about this. The blue shop towel filter should be doubled for the mask.

Those PM 2.5 filter inserts are hard to get. Just like everything else, they are on hold for several weeks while they get manufactured.

I just went on a mission to ordere some, but just using my common sense, I think the blue shop towels make more sense.

But that's just my opinion. We're all flying in the dark here Apologies if this thread is redundant, I'm not sure if I posted this before.

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

Preds — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 11:29:29 GMT

Thank you @stuyvesant . DH has a good supply in his shop and now he may have to give up some...to me. LOL Anything is worth a try and this sounds like a good one. Thoses towels are fantastic for other things, so why not?

ETA: Home DEpot, Lowes, maybe Target and Walmart are good places to check for them. Some garden centers have them, but we got ours at Lowes or HD.

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

ciao_bella — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 11:33:41 GMT

@stuyvesant wrote:
If you have those cloth masks with a slit in them to add a filter you might think about using blue shop towels for the filtering material. If you Google 'blue shop towels' for masks you'll see information about this. The blue shop towel filter should be doubled for the mask.

Those PM 2.5 filter inserts are hard to get. Just like everything else, they are on hold for several weeks while they get manufactured.

I just went on a mission to ordere some, but just using my common sense, I think the blue shop towels make more sense.

But that's just my opinion. We're all flying in the dark here Apologies if this thread is redundant, I'm not sure if I posted this before.

@stuyvesant I was able to grab some Scott blue shop towels just before the crisis escalated and have made masks from the towels themselves. They masks work very well and, as noted, filter a lot.

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

namaste000 — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 13:40:37 GMT

I have one mask but it doesn't have a place to insert a filter. Looks like this will be going on for awhile (I'm in NY). Decided to get a 2nd mask - so I will be able to wash them daily.

So I just ordered a new mask that has such a pocket. Plan on cutting up coffee filters.

Stay safe everyone!

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

sann — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 13:42:37 GMT

Coffee filters also work.

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

Ibby114 — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 13:51:17 GMT

TPTB don't stress this enough when discussing masks- but it's most urgent to adhere to the other social distance guidelines. Those are proven effective- 6ft (minimum) between people, lots of hand washing and hand sanitizer. I also wear gloves whenever I'm out- and wipe everything down before it comes into my home.

All these generic face coverings do is protect others from you. Multi-layered or not! They're limited in protecting you from others (unless you're using N95 masks).

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

Still Raining — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 14:17:02 GMT

The shop towel idea has been out there for a while. But I can't help wondering that they might have something on them in/on them which might be not good to inhale. They were never made for breathing.

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

Anonymous032819 — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 14:35:56 GMT

Here's an idea.

Use cloth diapers for a face mask.

If they're good enough for a baby's butt, it should be good enough for a mask.

Just a thought.

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

Silver Lining — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:12:11 GMT

@Still Raining wrote:
The shop towel idea has been out there for a while. But I can't help wondering that they might have something on them in/on them which might be not good to inhale. They were never made for breathing.

@Still Raining, with all due respect, many of the products being used to make those masks were not "made for breathing."

DIY instructions are practically everywhere to make masks out of teeshirts, bandanas, dish towels, scarves, clothing, other random materials, etc. Many of those items probably have chemical or other questionable contents. I think some of them can be washed or otherwise neutralized. Also, coffee filters or other tested things can be the layer that covers the nose. Only my thinking, could be incorrect.

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

noodleann — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:27:59 GMT

I have a six-roll pack of Scott blue shop towels I got at WM a while ago that I'm planning to use for disposable masks. If I can make them washable, I'll do that and reuse them. For now, I'm using a gaiter, but it's going to be too warm to use it come June.

There's at least one YouTube video with a tutorial on how to make a shop towel mask.

What I really want is an N95 mask. I want to be able to protect myself as well as others.

Re: Blue Shop Towels for Mask Filters

Moonlady — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 19:16:45 GMT

Yes. If you need shop towels for your...shop or automotive needs, or need coffee filters for...coffee, you'd best get them now before stores are ransacked, and you can't find merchandise to use for its intended purpose.