VERIFY: Sanitize your cloth masks in the washing machine, not the microwave

[KY_EnviroGuy]

28. N95s are not meant to be reused, so use caution.

The main thing is to not use liquid spray or cleaners that wet the paper material because that can break down the bonds holding the fibers in the correct array for trapping particles. Very strong UV rays may also damage the fiber structure, but that would need to be tested. Even handling them roughly can damage the filtration properties. The problem is that because they're not intended to be cleaned or used for extended perods of time, no one can officially publish a method and few labs are qualified to do those tests with live virus anyway.

The simplest way is to just store them away in a safe place for several days and the virus will expire on it's own, or possibly heat them in a temperature-controlled oven (which may also damage the fibers structure or shorten the life of the rubber head bands).

The Lancet Microbe seems to imply 5-minutes at 70 deg-C (160 deg-F) will do the trick, although I'm not clear on how or what they tested. Hell, I warm our dinner plates in a Breville toaster-oven at 170 deg-F.

See.....

Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions
Alex W H Chin, Julie T S Chu, Mahen R A Perera, Kenrie P Y Hui, Hui-Ling Yen, Michael C W Chan, et al.
Published:April 02, 2020

Link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(20)30003-3/fulltext

The most disturbing thing I saw in Lancet's tests was that some viable virus particles were found in surgical masks after 7-days of storage at room temperature and humidity.


KY............