Cloth masks are better designed to protect from COVID

Posted Oct. 5, 2021

By Ethan Donahue

Staff Editior

Masks are made to protect the wearer, but cloth masks are better designed to protect from COVID than medical masks are.

Medical masks, or surgical masks, were designed to protect the wearer from outside liquids that could contain germs. This means that medical masks are loose-fitting to allow breathability, which is the opposite of what we want. Cloth masks are intended to trap respiratory droplets that are produced when the wearer talks, breathes, coughs, or sneezes. They also protect the wearer from other’s respiratory droplets. The most effective cloth masks are made from multiple layers of tightly-woven fabric, like cotton. The masks with more layers will be more effective in stopping respiratory droplets from entering or exiting the mask. One upside that has been mentioned for medical masks is the bendable metal prong that rests over the nose, but most cloth masks that can be bought also have this feature.

Beyond the security provided by cloth masks, cloth masks offer the wearer many upsides. The cost of buying a few cloth masks and being able to wash them routinely is less than the cost of having a medical mask that can only be worn once before being thrown away. When purchasing a cloth mask, there are options in every color and almost any design. In Portland, one of the most popular stores to go to for cloth masks is Folly, their cloth masks have made it to Washington, D.C., and have been worn by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley.

Some are concerned about cloth mask materials beginning to loosen after being worn and washed multiple times, but it’s shown that ironing the mask after it has been washed will help the mask last longer and continue performing at maximum ability. Another feature that will help fight the loosening of the seams is wearing multi-layered masks, wearing a two-layer tight-weave cotton mask can filter more than 35% of small particles, adding a filter made out of two layers of charger polypropylene can boost that filtration to filtering more than 75%.

Multi-layered masks, along with filters, can be bought at Walmart, Target, and Fred Meyer for around $20. On Amazon, cloth masks start at $7 for one, but there are options to buy a case of a thousand, along with a filter pack costing around $8.

All in all, the reusability, reliability, and the customizable options of cloth masks make them the clear choice of what to wear while COVID restrictions are still in place.