[cdevidal]

There is some research which suggests you can steam sterilize masks at home. Effective in some situations but more testing needs to be done. Something to consider if you have no other options, as long as you do not get a false sense of security about it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3078131/

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I don't thin a microwave oven is an effective way to sterilize anything. Some claim it is a way to sterilize sponges. I disagree. The temperature will be too uneven and the items will be burned if you apply power too long.

Boil water in a pot and immerse the item.

 

[KarQuinn]

Do you mean to create or reuse? Wouldn't the heat deteriorate parts of the material since it's not really built to last. Sounds very interessting.

 

[Snyper708]

I don't thin a microwave oven is an effective way to sterilize anything. Some claim it is a way to sterilize sponges. I disagree. The temperature will be too uneven and the items will be burned if you apply power too long.

Boil water in a pot and immerse the item.

Not everything can be immersed.
I don't think you read anything at the link that was posted.

 

[cdevidal]

Do you mean to create or reuse? Wouldn't the heat deteriorate parts of the material since it's not really built to last. Sounds very interessting.

To potentially reuse. The most relevant paragraph:

The goal of this study is to evaluate the use of two commercially available steam bags, marketed to the public for disinfecting infant feeding equipment, for FFR decontamination. The FFRs were decontaminated with microwave generated steam following the manufacturers' instructions then evaluated for water absorption and filtration efficiency for up to three steam exposures. Water absorption of the FFR was found to be model specific as FFRs constructed with hydrophilic materials absorbed more water. The steam had little effect on FFR performance as filtration efficiency of the treated FFRs remained above 95%. The decontamination efficacy of the steam bag was assessed using bacteriophage MS2 as a surrogate for a pathogenic virus. The tested steam bags were found to be 99.9% effective for inactivating MS2 on FFRs; however, more research is required to determine the effectiveness against respiratory pathogens.

 

[Freja]

I imagine you could let each mask lie dormant for 5 or whatever days and let the irus die on them and reuse..???

 

[Dixie_Dude]

If UV rays kill the virus you could lay them in the sun all day on a sunny day and it might kill the virus.

 

[CrypticCRICKET]

UV would have to penetrate all of the fibers to kill off everything in the mask. Some of the bugs could hide from the UV behind a fiber.


The same thing happens in solar disinfection of cloudy water in clear bottles. the bacteria, mold, and viruses are riding around on particulates and if they can stay on the shaded side of the particulate, they won't be irradiated (oxidized) by the U.V.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Not everything can be immersed.
I don't think you read anything at the link that was posted.

You mean this bit?:

"In healthcare and home environments alike, the performance of the steam, and microwave ovens, may demonstrate some variability."

Anyone who has used a home microwave oven will find that there can be cold spots when you heat food. The turntable or stirrer in some models is supposed to even out the heating. But at 2.4 GHz the wavelength is rather long so there will be standing waves, resulting in nodes where there is little energy. If you can get all the steam to circulate homogeneously, then maybe it will work. But if you are dealing with pathogens, why would you take a risk?

 

[bunkerbuster]

Most preppers have a PRESSURE COOKER (PC) for canning.
A PC will "sterilize" bandages.
Seems to me they would also sterilize masks.

No PC, submerge in a Lysol solution & air dry.

 

[Surviving Suburbia]

I did some casual research about this last night, actually. Seems most viruses die quickly when they are outside a host and in a dry environment.

HIV lives 30 seconds.

Influenza up to 24 hours.

Seems if you leave the mask out to dry (or pressure cook and then dry to be darn sure) for a few days and rotate fresh masks while you wait, it would work.

YMMV

 

[swamppapa]

Aren’t most N95s paper and don’t they have an aluminum strip across the bridge of the nose ? I’ve had them disintegrate and collapse with sweat, and the aluminum strip makes the microwave a single use item. Doesn’t it?

 

[Jack Swilling]

I have an ozone cleaner for my CPAP machine
It will, for sure sterilize an N95 mask and not damage it in any way, short term at minimum
The stretch band might be affected after a while

 

[kev1n69]

LIVING AIR ion /ozone generator could do a whole house slow or a room pretty quickly when set to high. no idea on concentration- amount of time needed to kill pathogens. any one have any data / idea

 

[woozy]

Time will work, depends on the temperature. A black trash bag and time will work, time depends on the temperature. Quick in hot summer., outside in the sun. If you do the masks alone, and they're damp, use a paper bag.

Once a paper fiber mask gets really wet, it's toast. Fog from breath is OK, but if you haven't been exposed, switch them out when they get damp.

 

[Snyper708]

You mean this bit?:

"In healthcare and home environments alike, the performance of the steam, and microwave ovens, may demonstrate some variability."

Anyone who has used a home microwave oven will find that there can be cold spots when you heat food. The turntable or stirrer in some models is supposed to even out the heating. But at 2.4 GHz the wavelength is rather long so there will be standing waves, resulting in nodes where there is little energy. If you can get all the steam to circulate homogeneously, then maybe it will work. But if you are dealing with pathogens, why would you take a risk?

It's got nothing to do with "heating food".
It's just generating steam inside a bag.

All that needs to be heated is water.
Convection will provide circulation.

 

[cdevidal]

But if you are dealing with pathogens, why would you take a risk?

If I'm low on masks I'm taking the risk. Better than nothing. I just won't get a false sense of security about it as I said in the OP. This isn't plan A or plan B, it's plan G, or maybe even plan Q.

 

[GrizzlyetteAdams]

Speaking for myself, I would never dunk a n95 or any other disposable mask in liquid (water, Lysol, etc.) because it may compromise the integrity of the spun/woven filter material in the middle layers of the mask. Even small shifts in the material would not be good. Neither will breathing a high concentration of dried Lysol for hours. Keeping the lungs in tip top shape is a good idea as well, to help fight this respiratory virus.

In all my searching, I could not find any info about disinfecting disposables with Lysol or any other disinfectant. But I did find a lot of "do NOT attempt to clean or disinfect a disposable mask" (n95s, surgical, etc.)

This was typical of what I have been finding:

https://www.nap.edu/read/11637/chapter/6#59

"Any method of decontaminating a disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirator must remove the viral threat, be harmless to the user, and not compromise the integrity of the various elements of the respirator. The committee found no method of decontamination that met all three criteria."

The metal strip that is inside the portion of the mask that goes against the topside of your nose will not go well in a microwave!
(And besides, that plan will fly out the window anyway during power outages.)


***EDITED to add: I do not have any solid evidence that this is accepted protocol, and I am not recommending it to anyone, but this is what I would do***

I wondered if steaming in a vegetable steamer basket would work.

I want to do more looking into this, but a quick search suggests that 150 degrees F will kill the virus, if this can be believed (it's NPR):
(https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsa...asks-help-is-the-disease-really-so-mysterious)

If this is true, then ordinary steaming should work:

"Since the boiling point of water is 212° F (100° C) at sea level, the highest temperature at which steam can cook food is 212°F/100°C."

If you are not familiar with the technique of steaming, here is where you can learn about steaming foods such as meat and vegetables: https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/steaming-technique/

"Your mileage may vary," but I definitely think this is worthy of more research. My biggest reservation with this idea is that the synthetic components of the filter (such as super thin spun fibers, etc.) may be compromised. I really don't know, but if anyone finds more info on this, please post your findings!

 

[GrizzlyetteAdams]

There is some research which suggests you can steam sterilize masks at home. Effective in some situations but more testing needs to be done. Something to consider if you have no other options, as long as you do not get a false sense of security about it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3078131/

I liked this so much, Slobro, I had to quote it for truth and to thank you again. (One little measly thanks from me at the bottom of your OP wasn't enough to suit me, lol.)

 

[GrizzlyetteAdams]

If for some reason you are caught without a way to steam a mask properly (whatever that entails), here's how you can reuse your masks if you absolutely need to or if you need to extend your supply:

CDC guidelines, etc. in post #27 in this thread:

https://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=935500