ABC6: Caring for Your Mask

As face masks have been recommended for use in public, more questions keep popping up about how to care for your mask and if they actually help slow the spread of COVID-19. 

According to Joseph Gastaldo, MD, OhioHealth system medical director, infectious diseases, masks may not necessarily keep you from contracting COVID-19, but they will help keep others safe from it. 

"When you cough and sneeze, when you talk loud or when you say certain words, you can transmit droplets that have COVID-19 in them," Dr. Gastaldo told ABC6 reporter Ben Garbarek. 

Some of Dr. Gastaldo's top tips for keeping your mask in good shape include using a washer and dryer to clean it every day, making sure it fits properly and washing your hands before putting it on and after taking it off. 

Don't have a mask yet? Avoid spending money, and try making your own instead. Dr. Gastaldo recommends looking around your house for common household items that can easily work as a homemade mask. 

"It's the fit, not the cost that matters," he said.