AUSTIN, Texas — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it’s important to keep practicing habits to help slow the spread. One way to slow the virus is to wear a mask while going out in public. Although there are many feelings about whether or not you should be required to wear masks in public, the Centers for Disease Control says it is one of the easiest ways to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
As COVID-19 started to spread across the country, masks were in short supply and many people started wearing cloth face coverings. Now that wearing a face mask is becoming the new normal, it’s important to remember to take proper care of your cloth masks.
According to the CDC, cloth masks should be washed after each use. You can wash your face masks with your regular laundry with detergent at the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the face covering.
If you’d rather hand wash your masks, the CDC recommends using five tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water or four teaspoons household bleach per quart of water. Soak the face masks in the bleach solution for five minutes, then rinse with cool or room temperature water.
When washing cloth masks it's important to never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.