Many people are starting to make their own masks.
But there are some problems with that.
In a study completed by Smart Air Filter Company, they tested 10 different materials.
The materials included things like t-shirts, dish towels, pillowcases.
Pillow cases were one of the worst performers, only filtering 57% of airborne material.
T-shirts were slightly better at 70%.
But what they didn't test, which is absolutely critical, is the fit of the mask material.
If you're making your own mask you must create an airtight seal around the edges of the mask.
If you've tried to make masks at home you know how hard this is.
It's nearly impossible to make a mask at home that doesn't leave a gap around the nose or below the chin.
If there is a gap around the face, the laws of physics say that most of your inhaled air will come through those gaps!
It's better to use a tight-fitting, engineered mask for maximum filtering capability.
We don't blame you for using a homemade mask in the past, but there's no excuse now.