Fighting against CoViD-19 is a task that everyone needs to partake in. And from what we hear and see in the news, the best ways to combat this virus is by practicing and social distancing.

When you are out in public, there is always a chance that you’ll get exposed to the deadly coronavirus, which is why proper distancing and wearing the right mask is very important. The need for facial masks around the globe has been at an all-time high since the outbreak of the pandemic, leading to a shortage of the said protective item and leaving people to do their own versions of a face mask.

Everyone needs to be protected, of course, but due to this shortage in protective equipment, the little number of supplies should be reserved for doctors, nurses, and other health workers who are fighting the pandemic in the front lines. One thing that we can do to still be protected is by making our own versions of protective face masks.

Now, the question is this: What material should we use in making our own DIY masks?

While the surgical masks and the N-95s are designed to keep us safe from any harmful virus and particle, our DIY masks might not be as effective unless we create them from materials that are best suited for protection. DIY masks may not be as fully-equipped as the surgical masks and N-95s, but they will surely help in minimizing exposure to the virus especially if we strictly follow the rules of social distancing.

According to a new study conducted by Smart Air, an enterprise that “promotes cost-effective, data-backed air filters as a solution to indoor particulate air pollution”, the best materials to use for our DIY masks are none other than canvas and denim.

In an interview with Huffington Post, the Smart Air team said that when it comes to blocking out germs and viruses, denim and canvas are the best choices out there.

In order to truly evaluate the fabrics available for creating face masks in terms of effective stoppage of germs and viruses while still remaining breathable, the Smart Air organization tested about 30 different kinds of materials that people usually utilize in making their own versions of face masks.

Some of these materials are coffee filters, cotton T-shirts, bra pads, denim, and canvas. With the use of a popular research system at Cambridge University, the team at Smart Air breathed through each material and checked how well each material filtered their breath, considering there are both small and large particles involved in the testing.

They considered the size of coronavirus as well, noting that the virus particle can be as small as 0.06 to 0.14 microns. Using this information and after conducting the test on all materials, the team found that canvas and denim fabrics are the best choices when it comes to blocking out the virus while remaining breathable. Other than these two fabrics, coming in next are fabrics made of 100% cotton.

The Smart Air organization aims to help in informing people with what they can do to really fight the virus through the test that they conducted.

Aeronautical engineer Paddy Robertson, the company’s CEO, wanted to uphold the dissemination of the right kind of information to help people in becoming more aware and equipped against the coronavirus.

“There is a huge demand for information worldwide right now about what makes a safe and effective DIY face mask, but there is also a lot of fear and misinformation,” Robertson said. “By releasing this data, and continuing to be totally transparent about our methodology, we hope to help individuals, institutions and potentially even governments make good, data-backed decisions about how to make face masks that will actually protect them.”

We are all affected by this pandemic, in one way or another. In order to truly be equipped in this fight against the pandemic, we need to know the right kind of information because incorrect information can bring more harm than good.

With the testing done by Smart Air and its transparent way of informing people about this new research, the organization hopes to make everybody safer by being correctly informed.

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Source: Martha Stewart, Smart Air Filters