Staying safe and protected during the COVID-19 pandemic should be everyone’s priority. We are all being urged to wear a cloth face covering while out in public places, which can prevent us from passing on the virus if we unknowingly have it.

Trying to get your hands on a commercial face mask might be difficult right now. Demand for this product has soared, and retailers simply can’t keep up. Whether you’re struggling to find face masks for yourself and family members, or you just want to save money, making your own is simpler than you may think.

There are DIY face mask recipes littering the internet, but what if you don’t have the appropriate materials for the job? Or what if you don’t have a sewing machine, or hours of spare time to work at an intricate pattern?

One woman is here for us all. She has shared how to make a DIY cloth face covering – out of a sock.

Known as @safiaaggoune on TikTok, this everyday hero showed us just how quickly you can transform a standard mid-ankle sock with just a few chops of her scissors.

@safiaaggouneMaak een mondmasker van een sok##mondmasker ##inventief ##hoemaakjeeenmondmaskervaneensok ##2bfunkychick ##covid_19 ##bescherming ##momsontiktok♬ origineel geluid – safiaaggoune

If you want to make your own sock face covering, here’s what to do:

1. First, grab yourself a spare sock that you don’t mind chopping up for the cause.

It’s probably best that you look to use a sock that’s fairly new for this job, because no matter how good you cite your laundry detergent to be, there’s something a little bit disturbing about using that sock you’ve had since your college days to cover your face and nose.

2. Cut the tip off the sock.

3. Carefully cut along the front fold and open your sock out.

4. Fold the sock in half, so the puckering of the sock (or the heel part) is facing upwards. Then flip it so the heel is facing downwards.

4. On the left and right-hand sides of the sock, cut a straight line from bottom to top. Don’t cut all the way – you still want this material to be attached to the sock.

6. Round off the top of the sock by cutting a diagonal line from the top-middle to about 1/3 of the way down on the left and right-hand sides.

7. Open the sock up, then tuck it behind your ears using the holes. You might need to make the holes bigger if they’re not quite right at this point.

8. Adjust the material and pull it tight under your chin to keep it in place.

And that’s all it takes!

You’ve got yourself your own sock face covering. It cost you nothing, it does the job fine, and it looks surprisingly professional.

The CDC recommends wearing cloth coverings especially if you are in an area of “significant community-based transmission”. So make it your mission to keep yourself and those around you safe.

Of course, it would be better to wear commercial PPE, like surgical coverings and N-95 respirators, but it’s more important that healthcare workers and those working on the frontlines are offered the highest quality equipment first. That means that we need to make do with what we’ve got – scarves, bandanas, and now socks.

If you’ve got 10 minutes of time on your hands and fancy making your own sock face covering, be sure to show us your pictures in the comments!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Heart, CDC