Several folks have been wondering if My-Shield Hand Sanitizer or Surface Cleaner has a role adding to the safety or effectiveness of the latest fashion statement, the facemask. Prior to CoVid-19, disposable masks were exactly that, one use and thrown away. Now we have to use disposable masks many times and homemade cloth masks are commonplace.
Hand Sanitizer or Surface Cleaner can be used to disinfect the outside surface of the mask after you have been pulling questionable air through it as airborne particles will be trapped on the outside surface. On the inside of the mask, it has been rubbing on your nose and mouth and rubbing across the skin on your nose, chin and cheeks. Our skin is always covered with staph bacteria and a wide variety of bacteria will collect on the inside of the mask from sneezes, coughs or just speaking. Every time I use a mask, I will spray both sides with HS with the very fine spray from one of APR’s 20ml, 2oz or 4oz bottles. Since the fine mist is HS, it is already designed to be in contact with human skin, so the mask doesn’t even need to dry first.
Now for a brief explanation and disclaimer. Liquids that are developed and approved for use on human skin must be compliant with FDA regulations and the FDA labeling is on each container sold. Liquids for surfaces are regulated by the EPA and meant to be used that way. As a product representative, I cannot tell anyone to use them differently then the way they are intended on the labeling. I can however inform you that Hand Sanitizer lasts on hard surfaces for 21 days just like Surface Cleaner and both continue to kill many bacteria, viruses and fungi during those 3 weeks. I can also tell you that Surface Cleaner is very similar to HS, just diluted a specific amount. The bond made on skin must be made with a stronger formulation than that needed to bond effectively to hard surfaces.
When using cloth masks, they can be finely misted with my-shield liquid solutions over and over while being used to kill filtered pathogens and to keep the inside of the mask fresh and sanitary. Depending on how many masks that you are rotating, the cloth masks can be washed by hand or machine and then rinsed with my-shield Laundry Complete. Only 2-4oz to do an entire 10lb machine load, so it would take a small amount just to rinse a few masks and allowed to dry for the next days use. Machine drying will not diminish the effectiveness. A 40 day study on hospital sheets rinsed in Laundry Complete compared newly washed and rinsed sheets and those that had been an the shelf for 40 days and the pathogens killed were almost identical.
Please tell us how you find these products useful and keep the comments and questions coming.
Best, Shane
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