How to make or buy a covid-19 face mask that actually works

DIY mask: If you have sewing supplies and cotton fabric (like an old t-shirt)

If you don’t have any non-woven polypropylene fabric to work with, a tightly-woven cotton is your next best choice. You can follow our no-sewing-machine mask tutorial using two layers of tight cotton in lieu of the more effective hydrophobic fabric. The best fabric scraps to use would be stiff, 100-percent cotton textiles like bandanas or high-quality bed sheets.

DIY mask: If you can’t sew but have a t-shirt to cut up

The CDC has a quick tutorial for cutting a t-shirt into a no-sew face covering. This tutorial, however, leaves you with a single-layer mask, which is not ideal. At the very least, you’d want to wear two of these masks together, secured as tightly as possible. If you have a needle and thread and can learn to do the most basic of stitches, you can attach those two layers together and add a pipe cleaner or twist tie as an adjustable band to make the mask more effective, as described in this tutorial.

DIY mask: If you can’t sew but have a bandana or t-shirt and two hair ties (or some socks)

These easy instructions yield a mask using just a bandana and a pair of hair ties. You can also substitute other squares of fabric—old t-shirts in tight cotton weaves or sliced-up sheets that aren’t stretchy—and use cut-up socks or leggings if you’re short on hair ties. Because these masks leave gaps around your nose and cheeks, they’re much less effective than masks with adjustable nose bands. You can tuck a pipe cleaner or plastic twist tie into the top portion of the mask to make it mold more tightly to your face.

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