Homemade DIY Face Mask

Below you’ll find a video demonstrating the simplicity of the DIY Koozie Mask, scroll down to view supplemental how-to photos to build your own.

The Healthcare Arena: Inspired by Teddy Roosevelt

As of right now, I don’t have the sharpened skills (yet! ~view my collection of Safer at Home educational resources) to create a Tinder-Esque match site, like the folks at Mask Match have done. They’ve developed a site that pairs Healthcare Personnel (HCP) with people who have N95 masks to spare and are willing to ship, kudos to the Mask Match team.

If you have a N95 mask and want to support the men and women in the arena of today, visit their site and send a healthcare worker the mask they really need.

Not HCP? Wear a Homemade Face Mask Anyway

The value of wearing a face mask in public is widely debated and probably for good reason:
No, we don’t want people hoarding Personal Protective Equipment, limiting supplies for the people on the front line.
Yes, it’s more likely for you to infect yourself by touching an inanimate object with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.
Yes, wearing a face mask can elicit a false sense of security and become counterintuitive.
It cannot be stressed enough, washing your hands often and well is the most reliable way to avoid becoming infected.

Nonetheless, in order to reduce my exposure, aka my family’s exposure, I have grown to err on the side of caution and wear a face mask when I HAVE to venture out to a public setting. *Imagining someone sneezing with minimal coverage while shopping in the produce section.*

Although, it’ll be nearly impossible to gauge my personal contribution to curbing the spread of COVID-19, it’s a collective effort of millions of personal contributions that’ll make the difference. Plus, you can’t discount the possibility that you’re a carrier and you don’t even know it yet.

As of today, April 1st, 2020, the anticipated projections suggest that even if we maintain current COVID-19 mitigation guidelines, the coronavirus could claim the lives of up to 100,000 and 240,000 people in the U.S. alone. If that scenario doesn’t spook you into wearing a mask, well…
wear one for the sake of the nurse who lives by you,
for the grocery clerk, despite their income, has persisted in the face of inherited risk,
or for the rando you’ll never know, who pulls up to the gas pump after you leave..,
because, even though you may not be worried, there are plenty who are. Until we’re out of this mess, do it for them.

Of course, a koozie mask is no N95 substitute, but any mask is better than no mask, no? So why not a Koozie Mask?! It covers what I want it to, it’s incredibly simple to throw together, and the supplies are readily available. So yeah, all kidding aside, I’ll happily wear a beer hugger on my face.

If you don’t own a koozie, phone a friend or most big box retailers carry them. If not, I would love to see a company like Walmart, Krogers, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes start a collection site where I could donate my seldom used HOARD of koozies.

I know this seems too silly to be serious, but, I came about the Koozie Mask by complete accident and it turns out they’re BREATHE-able, SEAL-able, WASH-durable and an impeccable fit on the face.

Don’t take my word for it, you be the judge… but don’t knock it till you try it!

Items needed:

• Koozie
• Hair Band(s) or any substitute you can come up with
• Utility knife of sorts
• A binder clip
• EXTRA: you can sew a band to the koozie, but is not necessary.

Next, try it on!
Adjust band placements as needed.
I typically use one band but the second band does provide a better seal and can go underneath the hat with comfort.

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Finally, use a clip for maximum seal-age.

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#DIYKoozieMask #QuarantineGoals #GetCreative #WallyWorld #BeTheWrinkle