You can reuse disposable face masks but you must do it the right way.

When to change a disposable face mask

Although these masks are intended to be worn once, that amount of time can be vastly different between wearers. If someone puts it on just for a quick grocery store trip, can they rewear it for another short outing the next day? Or if they are wearing it for a seven-hour shift, will it hold up the entire time?

Turner noted that the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends throwing away a disposable mask if it becomes visibly dirty. This is probably a situation where common sense rules — masks will become less protective once they are wet or dirty. Using one per day is probably fine unless it's noticeably wet or dirty.

However, the greatest risk to re-wearing a mask after a quick use (for both disposable face masks and cloth masks), is the chance of contaminating it in the act of taking it off or putting it back on. It doesn’t matter if you’ve worn a mask for minutes or hours if you contaminate it or yourself.

You can reuse disposable face masks but you must do it the right way, Be sure to take it off by the straps, put it in a safe place and wash your hands. Wait a few days before reusing it, or put it in a paper bag and heat it with a blowdryer to kill any lurking viral particles.

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