Masks are effective protection from airborne pollutants such as PM2.5, viruses, bacteria and allergens. In general, there are 2 common types of masks: surgical masks and respirators like N95 and N99 masks. DIY face masks can be used when surgical masks and respirators are not available. Read more to learn if masks actually work, how long masks can be used and how to wash them.
After testing 31 masks from 19 suppliers in China, we discovered that almost half of the masks were not meeting the N95 standards for filtering particles. What’s more, out of the 17 masks that did meet the N95 standard, most of these broke when we tried some simple structural tests. … Read more
News media like The New York Times and Today have been talking about using HEPA filters as a material to make DIY face masks. There are even YouTube videos showing how to DIY a mask out of a HEPA filter. But just how well can HEPA filters capture … Read more
Every year, spring’s blossoms bring with them wave of pollen. For places like Beijing, it’s also the start of the ‘snowy season’, with the hundreds of willow trees producing their fluffy catkin friends and the sniffles that follow. But how can we avoid the uncomfortable coughing and sneezing? Which masks … Read more
With mask shortages during the coronavirus outbreak, some doctors are sanitizing masks with alcohol so they can re-use them. But this raises questions about whether alcohol actually works and whether it degrades the masks. Does Alcohol Kill Viruses? The research on alcohol is clear. Alcohol kills viruses. Technically, viruses aren’t … Read more
One month ago, we published one of the first rundowns of data on the best materials for making homemade masks. Fast forward and the CDC is now recommending face masks for everybody, spurring a worldwide movement to make homemade masks. The first summary (viewed over 4 million times!) was a … Read more
This article accompanies our Ultimate Guide to Homemade Face Masks for Coronavirus article, and covers our testing method and provides the original data. WATCH: Smart Air’s Paddy Explain How We Ran These Tests The Cambridge researchers used a fancy piece of kit called a Henderson apparatus to run their tests. … Read more
With masks in short supply, many people are being forced to re-use masks. That means the idea of microwaving masks has gone from a crazy-sounding idea to a critically practical question. Does Microwaving Masks Deactivate The Coronavirus? Another reason this question is critical: Smart Air tests found that washing N95 … Read more
Scientists have actually randomized people to wear N95 or regular surgical masks, then tracked how many people got infected with viruses similar to COVID-19 such as the flu. This data can tell us whether N95 or surgical masks are more effective at preventing infection of respiratory viruses including COVID-19. The … Read more
With the shortage of masks during the coronavirus outbreak, many people are wondering if washing masks is an effective way of cleaning and re-using masks. There are companies that claim to have washable anti-pollution masks. This company in India claims to have washable masks washable and can capture air pollution, … Read more
In a recent study, researchers tested household materials that could be used to make DIY masks, but they left out one common material—paper towel masks (also called “kitchen paper”). Could paper towel be an effective material for making homemade masks in times of crisis and shortages? Smart Air Engineer Paddy … Read more
