r/Masks4All • u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 • 3d ago
Situation Advice started masking again! advice? :)
hi everyone! my partner and I (both 22f) just recently got our updated covid shots, upgraded our masks and started consistently wearing them again! I’d really appreciate some input on our practices since there’s a lot of conflicting information and we’re learning as we go :)
we’re wearing fit tested aura 9210+ n95s everywhere we go, only taking them off at home. we have two roommates who take less precautions than us, but they work very low-risk jobs (night shifts on manufacturing lines) and spend pretty much all the rest of their time in their rooms. they know to test, mask and isolate in the case of an exposure/illness and we do the same. we hardly ever see them, let alone get near them for any length of time, and I know that masking in the home would drive my already stressed OCD insane, so it’s a small risk I’m willing to take considering we mask everywhere else. that being said, whenever I get the chance I’d like to ask them to hop on the masking/vaxxing train with us, just to make this living situation extra safe. thoughts on this approach?
secondly, I’d like some input on how we’re storing our masks! we’re keeping them in individual, labeled paper bags in our closet and having them on a rotation to rest for five days after a day of use. we keep them in the paper bags whenever we’re home, but if we’re out and about and take them off in the car we store them in our backpacks (we make sure not to crumple them lol). some of the days we’ll be wearing them will be for our 6-8hr shifts at work (public-facing jobs, but not high risk ones), but others will only be for a collective 20-30 mins on our days off when we’ll be running quick errands and such. we plan to wear each mask for a cumulative five days before discarding them. is this too long to be wearing the masks, or could they be worn for longer if they’re still intact? is it chill for them to be briefly in our backpacks, or is there a better way to store them when we’re not home?
thanks so much for any advice!
edit: thank you all for your kind words and suggestions! I’ve been perusing air purifier listings and cr box instructions :D
bad news is that I had some unexpectedly big bills come up and my partner had her hours cut. after redoing the budget it’s looking like we’ll have to hold off on a purifier/cr box supplies for a bit :( good news is that my partner and I talked with our roommates, and they’re happy to start taking up precautions again too!! we’re also just investing more in lysol wipes and hand sanitizer for the apartment.
with these new developments I’m feeling a lot more comfortable being in this living situation while we’re saving up for air purification!
y’all are awesome!!
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u/Fearless_Impress_842 3d ago
good for you. If you have the funds, you might think of an air purifier/filter for your room. Put towels or blanket under the door of your room. I get wanting to be unmasked in your own space. Currently masking now with my partner as we were both in a high-risk situation this past week. I am sitting outside to just get some non masked air. Much needed. Good luck to you
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
thank you so much, and same to you! I’ve heard a lot of good things about filters but looking at those prices is making my wallet hurt LMAO. I know corsi-rosenthal boxes work too but they’re way too huge for our tiny room and my cats would play jenga with the thing. I think I’ll move up that convo with my roommates to today. saving myself the money is good enough motivation to be brave haha.
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u/VolcanicPolarBear 3d ago
im guessing you only seen the cr boxes that use 4 filters and a box fan. can make smaller ones they less effective but still really good. easiest way is just use 1 filter taped to a box fan. can also use computer fans and make some with 1 or 2 filters. can check out r/cr boxes learn more
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u/ProfessionalOk112 3d ago
Look on places like FB marketplace etc for filters too, I see people getting rid of ones in good condition pretty often.
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
I’m always forgetting about FB marketplace!! duly noted! it would be nice to have the layered protection of that alongside getting my roommates to mask.
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u/notmytruth 3d ago
The BlueAir filters are amazing and pretty affordable compared to others on the market. They were specifically tested for efficacy during the early stages of COVID and passed with flying colours, You could wait until they go on sale around the holidays, but it’s a very worthwhile investment, ESPECIALLY if you’re trying to protect yourself for airborne pathogens your roommates might bring home. Also amazing for improved air quality when you have pets. I’m not sure I understand your living situation or what areas are common between you and your roommates but having a BlueAir 511i in your common spaces and a BlueAir MiniMax in your bedroom would be game changing for your health. They’re available on Amazon if that is more convenient and the affordable filters only need to be replaced every 6-9 months depending on how bad your air quality is. Highly recommend!
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
thank you all so much!! thanks to @ProfessionalOk112’s advice I found a blueair 211 for the common area and a coway airmega 150 for the bedroom! I hear great things about both of these brands. both of these rooms are very small and the purifiers’ respective ranges far exceed their square footage. we all have pets and allergies, and one of my roommates has asthma, so these’ll be great for so many reasons :)
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u/bazouna 3d ago
Just wanna say thank you for masking again! This post warmed my heart
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
thank you so much 🥹 everyone here has been so kind and helpful!!
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u/bazouna 3d ago
Also not exactly answering your question but I am a mask chain evangelist lmaoooo and tell everyone to get some because they honestly have made masking so much easier / more fun to me. People are soooo much nicer when I wear them (literally random people compliment me or say they love my mask/chain, whereas I’ve had people scream at me and harass me otherwise with no chain)
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
omg I’d love to put so many charms on those!! would definitely make wearing it at work less nerve wracking. I live in very very south florida and work retail, no one’s given me any trouble yet but I’d love any extra buffer :)
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u/bazouna 3d ago
I put together this list of mask chain sellers in case it’s useful! https://www.reddit.com/r/Masks4All/s/WvPSN6WUjv
Also not sure if you know about the app Refresh but I’ve seen a few people In Florida on it!
Theres also a few Covid conscious fb groups for Florida if you’re on fb! It’s always helpful to have more community to make it less lonely. Let me know if you need some links!
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u/Ill_Television_5824 3d ago
I suggest having a backup on hand.
When reusing masks (and occasionally with brand new), I've sometimes had a band snap unexpectedly. This can be really disconcerting, for obvious reasons. Anyway, the weak spot is always the straps. They can loosen over time as well as snap. The filter media is only a worry if it's clogged with something like dust, or somehow soaked with rain/water.
So now I keep an extra on my person, so that if a strap fails, I can hold my breath, and have the backup mask on in seconds.
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
good call! I started out wearing the blue strap auras and it wasn’t too long before I had one snap. luckily I was in my car and had another one on me. that incident made me move to the white straps. I’m glad they’re individually wrapped so I can start carrying backups again!
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u/sapphiclament 1d ago
This Amazon owned company called Woot sells a bulk pack of 440 Aura masks for like $40-70, seems to fluctuate over time. I usually don't buy anything from Amazon if I can help it but this is one of my few exceptions since it's hard to find masks this affordable
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u/UpbeatJingle7710 2d ago
Thank you both for masking again!! As someone disabled by long covid thank you for bringing some brightness and hope to my day!
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 2d ago
thank you!! I’m so happy to be doing whatever I can again with this wonderful community to help guide me along!!! wishing you as much rest and relief as you can get :)
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u/crazyy8ths 3d ago
you got lots of good advice about masks - just want to let you know a great way to mitigate risk around people you can’t avoid (roommates) is to invest in an air purifier with good filters and a high clean air delivery rate! my parents don’t take precautions and my airfanata 3pro gives me some peace of mind.
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u/poppygirl420 3d ago
I’d recommend this zine!
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u/poppygirl420 3d ago
I also like r/CovidCautiousLesbians & r/ZeroCovidCommunity for advice and community if you’re looking for more resources. Thanks for masking again!
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
these are all awesome!!! I love that art style. I never knew about the cc lesbians community!! I think I’ll go there for advice on how my partner and I can safely celebrate our 4 year in october. much appreciated 🥰
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u/poppygirl420 2d ago
Love it! Me and my partner celebrated 11 years together earlier this year💖. We visited the botanical garden in our city, we went an hour before closing and it was empty. We love peaceful masked walked so it was perfect for us. 💞I hope you both find something special and safe for your 4th year together 🥰
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 1d ago
that’s so beautiful, congrats to you both 🥺❤️ right now we’re planning on driving up to gainesville and taking advantage of all the lovely nature walks and conservatories! and the bat houses haha. of course we’ll be waiting to go until two weeks after getting our 2026-2027 shots, and masking and serial testing the whole time. but I have to do more research on safety precautions to take in the hotel room and once we get home.
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u/WildCulture8318 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thank you for masking again it sounds like your have most things covered.
Definitely invest in a hep a air filter they will also help with wildfire smoke.
There are a few designs which are smaller or thinner using pc fans.
Lots of people like these as they are comfortable for long periods & reusable. There are some lovely designs. They are working on an updated design as well. I usally wear auras and a medium fits ok. They are relatively inexpensive so get a few different sizes
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
these are so pretty! might look into them once our current box runs out. cute designs and mask chains like @bazouna suggested are gonna be awesome for the long term. folks can’t look at me weird if my outfit is coordinated ✨
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u/sarahdayarts Duck(bill)s Fly Together 3d ago
I have a baggu fanny pack specifically because the outer/front pocket is the perfect size for all kinds of masks. I also wear Auras and I always have at least one (plus usually a duckbill, and a KN95 for outdoor or rapid grab and go situations) in that pocket. I don't really worry about keeping masks in my fanny pack for days on end, and I'll wear the same one days in a row until the elastic gets too loose or the nose wire gets too fucked up (or if I sweat really heavily in a mask, or spill food/beverage on it, that can also be cause for disposal). I usually clean my hands if I've handled the outside of my mask a lot, but otherwise I don't worry about "decontaminating" my mask. Quality respirators survive just fine in pockets, hung on hooks or doorknobs, left out on entryway tables...and they'll let you know when it's time to open a new one, you'll be able to feel the difference in the elastic and the nose wire.
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u/Difficult-Ruin-9669 3d ago
this is a big relief to hear. my OCD yells at me if I don’t handle my mask like a delicate baby bird and scrub my hands like crazy if I touch anything but the straps. nice to know my method of just keeping it clean and intact and using hand sanitizer throughout the day should be working just fine lol!
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u/Comfortable_Two6272 2d ago
I check mask for fit / wear vs strict number of days / hours
Mine gets stored in the plastic hard packaging it came in or zip lock in my bag if Im out and for some rare reason not wearing / extra in case of breakage.
At home I leave them out but I live alone. Paper bag I saw mentioned a lot in 2020.
Id add a hepa air purifier to bedroom and living areas as budget allows.
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u/totallysonic I ❤️ my Vflex 3d ago
Discard masks when they do not fit snugly anymore, which may or may not correspond with the length of time they have been worn.
You should store your mask in whatever place works for you to keep it clean and protected from damage. If it’s in a backpack, you might consider a hard plastic pencil case or similar rigid box to prevent damage.
I have not seen evidence that clearly supports rotating masks on some schedule, storing them in paper bags, etc. My impression is that these were all things done early in the pandemic to try to extend the life of what few N95s were available. Disposable N95s were not designed to be reused and people were trying to figure out how to reuse them safely. I would be happy to see updated studies demonstrating whether these things are necessary.
I personally just keep my N95 in my car, and I wear the same N95 each day until it gets dirty or no longer fits snugly. If it is dirty, wet, damaged, etc. I replace it.