Sterilizing N95's

[Frozen Tundra]

This probably isn't the right place for this post, buy here goes anyway... my wife is a RN at the clinic in town. They are out of masks, and are looking for options. I gave her half of my stash, but that isn't going to last long. Has anyone heard of a way to sterilize N95's? I was thinking of dipping them in isopropyl alcohol at the end of the day and then letting them dry over night so they'd be good to go in the AM. I'm sure someone else would have thought of this, if it would work. I'm curious if anyone here has any other ideas. I figure if anyone is going to be resourceful enough to figure it out, it would be someone here. Thanks in advance!

 

[Proud Prepper]

You can use Ultraviolet light for a few minutes each side, or put them out in the sun for 30 minutes of direct sunlight for each side. It's best to use cloth or plastic fiber masks and wash them. The thing is they wont last as long, as the micro holes in between the fibers get clogged up and reduces the airflow.

 

[Helen Back]

Mold doesn't grow without humidity, I believe. What if you baked them in low heat in the oven, or put them in a food dehydrator?

 

[BillMasen]

strong uv light from aquarium sterilising lights supposedly works on bacteria, but i dont know about viruses.

 

[GaRp58]

put anything you want to sterilise into the microwave...as long as there is no metal parts. STEAMING is also a good way, the steam is at or over 100 degrees C. and will kill anything just a boiling will get your water drinkable. DO NOT DRY CLEAN ANYTHING. The chemical used to dryclean is usually "carbontetrachloride". You need 160 ppm of gasoline in the air to be deadly. CTC only needs 15 ppm to be deadly, even after drycleaning enough of the CTC is left on the mask to be re-activated by the moisture in your breath and it WILL KILL YOU FAST. ((another reason to NEVER dry clean a sleeping bag. If you pull your head inside, you will not wake up)) GP

 

[Maverick]

I heard people are dipping the mask in a bowl of alcohol for 30 seconds then hang dry.

 

[Proud Prepper]

strong uv light from aquarium sterilising lights supposedly works on bacteria, but i dont know about viruses.

It works on viruses, at least 20 seconds direct exposure.

 

[Brent S]

The uv light is interesting. It seems like the least invasive way to clean but I wonder if it would get all the way down into the fibers. The alcohol dip is what I would probably do. The problem is every time you do anything to the mask, including wearing, it is going to loose some of its effectiveness. The fibers get stretched or clogged etc. this is a really bad situation for the health care workers all over the world. No matter though, it is what it is, and any mask is better than none. As the CDC even said now, a cotton bandanna is better than nothing. Also, for the average person just going to the grocery during slow times of the day a reused mask is still a decent barrier. I feel that your hands picking it up off surfaces are likely more dangerous to you as a regular person.

 

[DrHenley]

One purpose of a mask is to keep you from touching your face with your fingers. Another purpose is to act as a shield against "ballistic" droplets. Both of these will still work on any kind of mask. It's the tiny floating droplets that you need a fully functional N95 mask for. Once it gets clogged up, it leaks around the edges more. And once it gets worn, it's no longer "N95".

 

[Kevin L]

As a veteran paramedic with considerable experience working with contagious multidrug resistant TB patients, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of sterilizing and reusing any disposable PPE isolation gear.

However, I also recognize the people must play the hand that they are dealt . . . and that these are not normal times.

With that in mind, I believe that a N95 respirator could be put in a vegetable steamer on the stove for about 5 minutes, and be disinfected enough to be reused.

The issues that may complicate this process is that the elasticity, tinsel strength, and density of the fibers used in many cloths, plastics, and fabrics can change when exposed to heat and moisture, so the mask--although disinfected--probably will no longer fit properly, and will cease to protect the user. To understand this, consider that when you steam broccoli, it turn from a crisp material when raw into a softer vegetable after cooking, which remains soft even after it cools down.

So, this defeats the purpose of disinfecting it to begin with.

On the other hand, masks worn by contagious patients to prevent them from spreading it to others would probably still benefit from disinfection, as even coughing into the inside your elbow is supposed to help prevent the spread of disease.

 

[Helen Back]

Honestly, it seems like wearing a one gallon ziplock on your head, or something like this is a pretty good idea, when you have few options.



Breathable, won't touch your face, can speak clearly, shouldn't suck particles up under it...

This family is ahead of the times

 

[Brent S]

Honestly, it seems like wearing a one gallon ziplock on your head, or something like this is a pretty good idea, when you have few options.



Breathable, won't touch your face, can speak clearly, shouldn't suck particles up under it...

This family is ahead of the times

Wow, they are definitely taking this seriously!

 

[Kevin L]

Honestly, it seems like wearing a one gallon ziplock on your head, or something like this is a pretty good idea, when you have few options.



Breathable, won't touch your face, can speak clearly, shouldn't suck particles up under it...

This family is ahead of the times

I cry "foul" here.

Maybe it's my paramedic experience, but plastic bags and faces don't mix . . . especially with children.

There is a very real danger of suffocation with what I'm seeing in these pictures.

If you guys knew how many kids I've seen die from plastic bags . . . it would make your skin crawl.

Even adults die from this, especially when they've been drinking (or doing drugs), or from dementia.

There was a very famous writer named Jerzy Kosinski who died this way. If you guys have seen the movie "Being There" (with Peter Sellers, Shirley McClaine, and Richard Basehart), it was based on Kosinski's novel of the same name.*

Please don't use plastic bags for respiratory isolation.

-----------------------

*As an aside, the movie is highly reccomended. This movie satirizes our American "television culture", and would be of interest to any prepper who has an interest in sheeple.

 

[JackDW]

My opinion, I would think using anything with Steam would not be the proper approach. I would think moisture could aggravate the situation. Using ultraviolet (or even the sunlight) would be more beneficial. After all the virus only remains active for a while, on surfaces. Add moisture to the surface, the virus may remain active longer (if the heat does not kill it). I really like the idea of microwave just, how long does it take to kill the virus without damaging the material?

 

[GaRp58]

any time in the microwave which gives the molecules enough time to start vibrating and producing enough heat to reach at least 80 degrees C. Which destroys any liquid celled virus. they would burst like popcorn.

 

[Frozen Tundra]

Thanks gang. Some great ideas here. I just spoke with the wifey and she said right now they are brown bagging them at the end of the day, labeling them with their name and date, and locking them away... after 10 days, they plan to use them again. At the end of the day, it's probably a little like pee'ing on a wildfire, but you gotta do something right?

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

put anything you want to sterilise into the microwave...as long as there is no metal parts. STEAMING is also a good way, the steam is at or over 100 degrees C. and will kill anything just a boiling will get your water drinkable. DO NOT DRY CLEAN ANYTHING. The chemical used to dryclean is usually "carbontetrachloride". You need 160 ppm of gasoline in the air to be deadly. CTC only needs 15 ppm to be deadly, even after drycleaning enough of the CTC is left on the mask to be re-activated by the moisture in your breath and it WILL KILL YOU FAST. ((another reason to NEVER dry clean a sleeping bag. If you pull your head inside, you will not wake up)) GP

Oh my! You are just full of interesting and needed information!

 

[Kostis]

I do know if it's a good advice. But I rotate my masks 3 of them. Lack of more masks, I place them in a zip lock bag first sealed under on my car's dash then after humility rises i open it up and still leave the.mask i. To cook with the bag open to let the steam out. I have not noticed any big difference but it will have to do since I have no other option. Again this is not an advice. It's a bad tactic but have no other options