The Right Time To Change Types Of Masks KN95, N95 And KF94

Face Mask (Photo: Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Health experts recommend that you upgrade their face masks from cloth covers to stronger protection from surgical masks or known as respirators such as N95, KN95, or KF94. Unlike regular masks, dealing with respirators is a little different in that you can't wash them.

If you usually wear cloth masks, you may get into the habit of washing and reusing them, while for those who wear surgical masks, you can throw them in the trash after each use.

A respirator is between two options: you can reuse it without washing it between uses, as long as you are aware of your level of risk and care for the respirator between uses appropriately, Cassandra M. Pierre, an infectious disease expert and medical director at Boston Medical Center, said in a statement. quoted from Health.

Dr. Pierre said people who wear masks for a shorter period of time or in situations where they are physically away from other people throughout the day can use the same respirator for up to a week. But for people who are in high-risk environments such as health care facilities then it is best to change the mask after a day of wearing it.

Remember, every time you use a respirator especially if more than once, you have to make sure it's still in good condition.

"We recommend that every time you use a respirator, you make sure there are no rips, crevices, or evidence of dirt on the surface. All of these things can impair their filtering ability," says Dr. Pierre quoted from ANTARA.

There are several important ways to tell if your respirator has lost its density. First and foremost, if it loosens on your face and no longer has a tight seal, then it should be replaced, according to educator at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Jade Flinn, MSN.

Also, if the mask looks dirty on the inside due to makeup, sweat, or other moisture, you should replace it immediately and throw it away.

How to store KN95, N95 and KF95 masks between uses?

Since you can wear the respirator more than once and hygiene is an important factor in using it, you must store the respirator properly between uses for example when you want to eat which requires you to remove the respirator for a moment.

This starts with how you take off the respirator, which should be with clean hands and starts with the ear straps, so you don't touch the front which may have collected some virus particles.

After you remove the respirator from your face, keep it in a safe and clean place, not in your purse or hanging around your neck or even in the rearview mirror in your car.

"Keep it away from anything you're going to touch. Putting it in a paper bag so it's closed and doesn't mix with other things can help, apart from helping dry it," says Flinn.

According to Dr. Pierre, plastic food storage containers you can also use, but only if you leave the lid slightly ajar to prevent condensation on the mask. In addition, a tougher container can also help maintain the structure of the respirator.

Then, when it's time to put on the respirator again, wash your hands first, then check carefully for any damage to the respirator such as the front and others. If everything looks fine, use a strap to put it on, and avoid touching the outside of the respirator. Make sure the respirator fits snugly on your face, then wash your hands again after putting it on.

Another common question regarding respirators is, can you disinfect or clean your KN95, N95 or KF95 to extend their use? Unfortunately, there is no way to disinfect or clean respirators for the general public.

A study from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that four decontamination methods were able to remove varying degrees of detectable virus from N95 fabrics: vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP), 70 degrees Celsius heating, ultraviolet light and 70 percent ethanol spray.

Decontamination techniques are helpful in health care settings when respirators are in low supply, but are not of real benefit to the general population.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends health workers have five N95 respirators for each day of the week, keeping them for a minimum of five days between uses. But even so, the CDC recommends that N95 not be used more than five times separately.

How to properly dispose of a KN95, N95 or KF94 mask? Disposing of your N95 from another respirator starts with exactly how to store it: using clean hands to remove the respirator from your face and grasping the ear straps, being careful not to touch the front of the mask.

Then, throw the respirator directly in the trash. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), masks and other types of PPE cannot be recycled, and should be kept away from recycling bins. The EPA warns you should dispose of it properly so that other people don't touch it.