Experts say to wash cloth masks daily
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Health experts said on Wednesday face masks need to be washed or thrown away, depending on the face covering, each day for general hygiene purposes.
MU Health Care Chief Nursing Officer Mary Beck said masks the public should be wearing need to be washed each day, but those who are sick and coughing into the masks should rotate masks throughout the day and wash those as well.
Beck said cloth masks, bandannas, or other cloth-like material face coverings should be washed in a washing machine with other clothes or washed by hand after each day it's worn.
“At the end of the day," Beck said. "I'm just gonna wash it with my regular clothes, on... the highest heat possible, and then you're just going to dry it in the dryer but make sure it's thoroughly dry.”
The CDC recommends making sure your cloth face mask is completely dry after washing.
The website says to put the mask in a dryer at the highest heat setting until it's dry or lay the mask flat in direct sunlight until it's completely dry.
Beck said her staff wears surgical masks during their entire shift unless it gets wet or damaged, then after their shift the mask should be thrown away, which is what she said the public should do as well.
“We have them throw it away because they're typically wearing it for eight to 12 hours," Beck said. "And they are not washable, so if you're out in the public, and you're wearing it all day, you probably need to throw it away.”
Beck said hospitals have a cleaning process specifically for N-95 masks, so they can be worn more than once, but she said when it comes to the public wearing them, they don’t have the proper cleaning process so those masks should also only be worn once.
Beck said she also recommends having multiple masks on hand during days where temperatures are high or when the mask could get wet.
Beck said she is not aware of any dangers or sicknesses that could happen if someone does not wash their mask routinely, but that it is more for general hygiene purposes.
