Our batik face masks have pocket for filter and we often get question about what filter people should get for the face mask.
The New York Times in its article "What's the Best Material for a Face Mask?" (the same article that batik is one of the best material for face masks) interviewed the researcher Yang Wang, an assistant professor of environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Wang recommended three layers of coffee filter as a filter option. He also recommended HVAC filter and furnace filter but noted that "the problem with air filters is that they potentially could shed small fibers that would be risky to inhale" so with that, we like coffee filter as a safer option.
A Stanford physician Sudeb C. Dalai told HuffPost that HEPA-certified vacuum filters are among the best household items to use. “HEPA vacuum filters have a high efficiency for filtering very small particles, including the microscopic droplets responsible or the majority of respiratory virus transmission,” he told HuffPost. You do have to make sure that these vacuum filters are made of polypropylene, and not with fiberglass, since the inhalation of glass fiber can cause respiratory diseases in humans.
Another article by People.com on "Where to Buy Filters for CDC-Approved Cloth Face Masks" interviewed Joel Burken, Ph.D., the chair of the department of civil, architectural and environment engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, and he stated that "a PM2.5 filter is a good option. It won’t be perfect, he says, but any filter is still better than no filter." So what is PM2.5? New York State Department of Health website explained, "Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an air pollutant that is a concern for people's health when levels in air are high. PM2.5 are tiny particles in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated." PM2.5 filter is meant to filter out this fine particular matter from the air. One thing to note is that virus is much smaller than Particulate Matter 2.5 so there's no data yet if PM2.5 filter can filter out virus.
Our Kasih Co-op fans have also shared that they used the following filters inside their batik face masks: surgical mask, coffee filter #2, paper towel or tissue paper for extra protection.
To summarize, here are some options you can look for filters into our face masks if you choose to wear with one below.
- Surgical Mask
- Coffee Filter
- PM2.5 filter
- Paper Towel or Tissue Paper
We also saw recommendations to use HVAC filter, furnace filter and HEPA-certified vacuum filters but they are not as easy to get, you will need to ensure they are not made of fiberglass and they are not as easy to breathe through.
Each of these would have different level of filtration on virus and just remember to change the filter often when you choose to do so.
Here are some pictures of how the filters look and fit into our face masks. The PM2.5 filter and coffee filter even fit into our kids size batik face masks:
Here are pictures of how the filters look like inside our batik face masks:
Below are some links to filters that you can purchase from Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Kasih Co-op earn from qualifying purchases.
To shop our Batik Face Masks collection, see our batik face masks below