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If you have a surgical face mask or cloth face cover, its important that you either dispose of and replace it regularly, or wash it after every use. This is because coronavirus germs may have landed on the outside of your mask and you dont want to risk becoming infected.
Surgical masks are tricky to clean because theyre made from a material that degrades pretty quickly. Paul Hunter , an infectious diseases expert and Professor in Medicine at University of East Anglia, previously told HuffPost UK theyre essentially made out of paper.
Some people have been trying different approaches including disinfecting them to try and reuse them but he stressed that their make-up is quite complex.
In the centre of the masks is a material thats better at trapping viruses, he explained, but if that gets wet, damaged or displaced during the washing process, the mask becomes useless. Its important to remember your breath alone on the mask will be enough to slowly disintegrate it. A general rule of thumb is that they should be replaced after three hours, said Prof Hunter.
Heavy duty masks worn by healthcare professionals such as N95 and FFP2 masks also cant withstand a laundry cycle as it damages the filters. They should be worn once and then replaced.
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