Mask Washing and Care

A Science Based Advise

Know your enemy to learn how to get rid of it. We have summarized below instructions for Washing and Care of your miamasuku® Face Mask and some additional hints and recommendations for every day usage of a 100% cotton clothing. Cleaning a cotton face mask as a topic is new to many of us – therefore we have added some background on the SARS-Cov-2 Virus to create a better understanding for what it is and what it is made of. As the pandemic evolves we are seeing a constant flow of new scientific insights on the virus and the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Much of what was published only a few weeks ago and remains prominent on many webpages may not be up-to-date with the most recent scientific advances – that specifically applies to widely spread recommendations on how to clean a cotton face mask. We are trying to stay tuned to science and base our recommendations on the most recent scientific insights.

How to appropriately clean, dry and store your miamasuku® Face Mask

Washing your face mask

You can wash your miamasuku® Face Mask up to 60 degrees celsius applying a normal washing program and a usual household detergent in your washing machine. Please use a laundry net or bag to avoid straps or other parts of the mask to tangle up with other pieces of your laundry or penetrate your washing machine.

However you may also choose to wash your miamasuku® Face Mask at lower temperatures such as 30 degrees using a color detergent. You may even hand wash. To kill the Coronavirus the addition of any detergent or soap is mandatory – temperature is less of a matter (please refer to our “Four ways to destroy the Coronavirus” section below for more background). Lower temperatures or hand washing will provide more protection to fabrics and colors and therefore will extend your pleaseure of wearing your miamasuku® Face Mask.

Drying your face mask

Always let your miamasuku® Face Mask air dry – preferably leave it to dry in the open air, at best expose it to some sun light untill it is fully dry. Do not put it in a laundry drier and do not iron it as this will damage the fabrics and straps.

Storing your face mask

Please do only store clean, washed and fully dried miamasuku® Face Masks in closed containers. Viruses and bacteria will get destroyed much faster when exposed to air circulation – therefore your miamasuku® Face Mask should always be left to fully dry in the open air (even immediately after use before washing). Air tight sealing of wet cotton fabrics on the other hand will propagate the population of mold and odor-producing bacteria that can quickly render your miamasuku® Face Masks unusable.

Please refrain from other forms of cleaning as seen on the internet

Please do not use aggressive detergents or disinfectants to clean your miamasuku® Face Mask – that is not required and rather damages the fabrics as opposed to adding any hygienic benefit
Please do refrain from alternative cleaning strategies as seen on the internet such as using an oven or a microwave. WARNING! This is hazardous and may cause injury and severe damage through sparks or fire. It is completely useless anyhow.
We do not recommend to boil your miamasuku® Face Mask in a cooking pot in your kitchen. For temperatures only (without any soap added) to have an effect on the Coronavirus you would need to heat up the water to anything above 90 degrees celsius. That will damage the cotton fabrics of your miamasuku® Face Mask. Scientists have shown that soap or detergent is much more effective in eliminating the Coronavirus than heat.
Please do not use chemical or dry cleaning for your miamasuku® Face Mask.

General Advise on using your miamasuku® Face Mask

Before first use	Wash your miamasuku® Face Mask after unpacking before its initial use.
Continue to follow COVID-19 recommendations	When wearing a face mask continue to follow public health and distancing recommendations. Regularly washing your hands is an important contribution to halt the spread of COVID-19. When returning home with your mask we recommend to wash your hands after (and not before) removing your mask from your face. Your national health authorities will provide additional rules and guidance. Wearing a face mask is at no point in time a replacement for any of those rules or guidance.
Ensure its proper function	Your miamasuku® Face Mask’s principal funciton is to stop the spread of small water droplets and so called aerosoles (smallest water droplets), that you inevitably emit when speaking, sneezing or coughing by simply catching them from the air flow out of your mouth and nose. Please pay attention when wearing your miamasuku® Face Mask, that it can always and fully live up to this task by covering mouth and nose.
Do not exchange worn masks	Your miamasuku® Face Mask is your personal hygienic clothing piece – please refrain from exchanging worn, unwashed masks with other people.
Do not leave it lying around	Out of consideration for the people around you, please do not leave your miamasuku® Face Mask lying around anywhere outside of your own house. Droplets with sufficiently high virus loads may inadvertedly be transfered to other surfaces and provide a source of infection for people touching your mask or the contaminated surfaces.
When to wash a worn mask	At least wash your miamasuku® Face Mask when moistened from use – e.g. from longer periods of wearing and breathing or from sweating.
Single short use may not require washing	Following a short use (such as a quick stop at the local grocery store) we deem it to be sufficient, to leave your worn miamasuku® Face Mask at a clean, dry place in your home (ideally out of reach for other members of your household and visitors). You may however for safety reasons choose to wash it after each use – that is what it is made for.