If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that face masks (along with social distancing and hand washing) are one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Although people are starting to be vaccinated, the coronavirus is raging throughout the U.S., with more than 21 million cases, 365,000 deaths and 132,000 people hospitalized as of Friday.
With that in mind, it’s still crucial to wear a face covering, said epidemiologist Rashid Chotani. Until the entire public is vaccinated, he said, wearing a mask can go a long way toward helping keep people safe.

“We will still lose Americans to this disease, but wearing a mask can decrease the virus circulation, which will decrease hospitalizations and mortality,” said Chotani.

But as straightforward as wearing a mask may seem, there are many ways we continue to misuse them.

A 2020 study conducted by mask company Signs.com homed in on these mishaps by surveying 1,000 mask owners on how often they wear masks and how they care for them. Some of the study’s findings were alarming, revealing that many mask wearers have shared masks with others and have waited days to weeks to wash them.
As startling as this sounds, these mask mistakes are easy to fix. To help you improve your mask hygiene, we asked Chotani and other public health experts for advice on how to rectify all the mask mistakes you may be making.

Mistake: You aren’t washing your hands before and after you take off your mask
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands before and after using a face mask, the Signs.com study revealed that many mask users neglect to do so.
Up to 35% of study participants, for example, reported not washing their hands before putting on a face mask, while another 43.7% admitted they have taken off their mask without washing their hands first.

In order to prevent transmission of the virus, Chotani advised washing your hands for a complete 20-30 seconds before putting on and removing your mask, as infections transferred to hands can easily be transferred to the nose, mouth and eye areas.

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