No-sew pattern for protective masks from the CDC:
…But that’s NOT ALL!
A t-shirt or piece of fabric will provide some protection, however the type of fabric will greatly affect the AMOUNT of protection to the wearer.
In order to “beef up” your face mask, insert a middle layer inside the folds of the cloth. A middle layer can consist of a cut-out piece of a vacuum cleaner bag, HEPA filter, or coffee filter.
You will have to find a balance between an effective filter and being able to breathe (coffee filters will help keep virus-containing droplets out, however it also makes it harder to breathe).
Below are a few patterns to create your own face mask. If you add an additional layer of some type of air filter (like a vacuum cleaner bag), place it between the layers of soft fabric. This accomplishes two things:
1) comfort to the wearer, and more importantly
2) it will prevent the wearer from breathing in the filter’s particles, some of which may be dangerous to inhale.
Finally, make sure whatever materials you put on your face are not carcinogenic. For instance, you can’t use the material from a furnace filter because of the fiberglass it contains.
Don’t forget: Wearing a mask doesn’t automatically prevent you from contracting the Covid-19 virus. You still have to stay home most of the time, refrain from touching surfaces outside of your home, and wash your hands religiously.