Replaceable Layer for a Fabric Face Mask: Materials and Notes
Important: this is a craft project, not medical advice. Homemade fabric or knitted masks are not a substitute for certified protective equipment or advice from qualified professionals.
Disposable masks and replacement inserts for reusable products come in several types. Multilayer options are considered the most effective for retaining foreign small particles (droplets of saliva) and viruses. In factory masks, they are made of non-woven composite materials. Let's figure out what it is and how to make a filter for a mask with your own hands.
Meltblown or SMS composite
- This material is widely used in medicine; not only masks are made from it, but also protective clothing, as well as hygiene items. What are its advantages:
- Made from very fine fibers (1-5 microns), therefore it is highly uniform compared to any fabric.
- It allows air to pass through well and quickly retains the smallest particles of moisture.
- It has small pores, therefore it provides a high degree of “isolation”, preventing the passage of large molecules of viruses and bacteria.
- Does not cause allergies upon direct contact with skin, even in sensitive people.
- The bactericidal properties of meltblown are 7 times superior to spunbond and 10 times superior to medical woven materials.
Where can I get SMS composite material? Even if shops and post offices are closed in your city due to quarantine, there is always the opportunity to purchase adult and children's diapers that have an absorbent meltblown layer. Women's pads are made from it.
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Spandbond***
It feels like cotton to the touch, does not “stick” to the mouth and nose when breathing, and does not cause skin irritation even in children. Spandbond retains up to 60% of large bacteria (coronavirus is also large), and products made from three-layer material - up to 90% of bacteria. What are its advantages:
- Very thin and at the same time durable, does not tear even when wet.
- Permits air and does not create a greenhouse effect. You can safely wear glasses with a spandbond mask!
- Completely environmentally friendly, does not emit harmful substances even when processed with steam or iron.
- Not afraid of contact with disinfectants and alcohol-containing liquids.
Disposable medical gowns and underwear are sewn from spudnbod, but when purchasing, pay attention to what kind of material was used. To do this, look at the Delta P item in the characteristics; the higher it is, the better the protective properties of the fabric work. Ideally, the indicator should be from 1.7 to 1.9.
The ideal filter for a mask: what is it?
When making your own, assemble a filter from 4 layers: a top and bottom layer of thick spandex, plus 2 inner layers of meltblown. This option has high filtration properties in both wet and dry conditions, and protects well from contact with viruses and bacteria.
Spunbond is the most ideal option for sewing not only replaceable filters for protective masks, but also for making the protective gear itself. The price of such material is very pleasing (up to 30-40 UAH per linear meter). But due to the justified hype and the lack of primary protective equipment in pharmacies, the demand for such material has increased significantly. Instead of spunbond, you can use agro-spun, lutrasil, or agril (there is no significant difference between the materials, if you don't take into account that this material is used in the agro-industry). In terms of density and performance qualities, these materials are in no way inferior to spunbond. But agro-material has a number of undeniable advantages:
If you have doubts that agro-fiber can provide proper protection, you can use another lint-free fiber as a filtering element, for example, special lint-free wipes for removing nail polish and gel polish.
Since the size of such wipes varies, you can easily fold a filter of the size and shape you need (just lay out the pieces into the required shape with the necessary number of filter layers and stitch them on a machine or sew by hand).