How To Correctly Sanitize Your N95 Mask
https://www.tool-rank.com/media/listing/photos/thumbnail/300x300s/2e/4e/e8/gvs20mask-83-1588032935.jpgDue to the shortage of N95 respirators and similar masks people have had to turn to reusing the masks or filters they would normally throw away. There are a lot of ideas floating around the internet about how to best disinfect an N95 respirator, but instead of believing what Average Joe had to say, I decided to reach out to the mask manufacturer that makes the ELIPSE mask I use for work and ask them directly. Here is what they had to say.
GVS has set up a page that details a few different ways to disinfect their masks, but above all, they recommend using new filters or masks when possible. While they are still sending out masks and filters to distributors, they recognize that there is an ongoing shortage around the world.
Their first recommendation is to keep any potentially contaminated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) out of your house. This might mean stripping off your top layers in your garage or mud room. You also want to place you mask in a plastic bag so that you can transport it inside, then disinfect your hand afterwards.
One method of disinfecting a mask is by using a specialized UVC Lamp. This method might work better for a business, because there is going to be a cost to purchase the UVC Lamp. They recommend Exposing the mask to the UVC Rays for 15 Minutes. The effectiveness of this method is going to be dependent of the output of the lamp, and its ability to reach every surface.
Another method is to disinfect your mask by using Steam. GVS details a method of suspending a mask to the lid of a large pot, placing it in an oven at 65C (149F) and letting the steam from the pot disinfect the surface of the mask over the period of time. I am being a little vague on purpose, you can get the full details by visiting their website.
The final method is to use an autoclave, which uses heat and pressure to disinfect. The advantage of this is that it can disinfect a few masks at the same time. The disadvantage is the initial cost of equipment. GVS says this is the safest cleaning method for their ELIPSE mask.