In these tough times, people are scrambling to stay healthy and safe. Naturally, this means staying at home. But when necessity (i.e. the need for groceries) calls, there’s no other choice but to go out and brave the crowds in order to get what you need.
But how can you get your supply of face masks when they’re all in low supply, you’re stuck inside and don’t have a 3D printer?
Using a couple of soda bottles and simple materials found throughout the house, YouTuber The Q shows how to make a face mask which will protect you from the harmful contaminants in the environment:
1. Cut The Soda Bottles
Using a width of masking tape as a guide, The Q cuts out the bottom and top parts of a drained liter bottle of soda. While a single bottom will serve as the face mask, three bottle tops will make up the filters.
To make room for the filters, he cuts three holes on the bottom part using the top cap as a guide.
2. Make The Bottom Part of The Mask
Turning the top halves into filters is easier said than done. The Q has to first take the caps of three soda bottles and drill holes into them.
He then takes the caps and traces them around a surgical glove; cutting out the material to fit the small circle.
The Q cuts out a large circular piece of plastic from the soda bottle which he places underneath the glove material and the bottle cap. Using two pairs of nuts and bolts, he affixes the three separate materials together to form the bottom part of the face mask.
This allows the carbon dioxide from your nose to be easily ejected from the mask without having to pass through the filters; allowing only for sweet, sweet oxygen to flow into your lungs.
3. Make The Filters
He does this two more times without the circular piece of plastic to make two filters; one on either side of the mask. He stuffs two top bottle pieces with medical cotton wool before sealing it off with some medical gauze and taping the whole thing shut.
4. Attach Everything to the Mask
With the important parts finished, they can now be screwed onto the face mask. This is as simple as putting the top halves through the mask and screwing the bottle cap on.
5. Add A Seal
Now that the filters are working fine, The Q turns his attention to sealing the mask around the edges. He wraps a self-adhesive window seal around the edge to prevent unfiltered air from entering.
6. Add An Elastic Strap
After stapling on an elastic strap to hold it in place, the mask is finally done! This do-it-yourself beauty can prevent sawdust and other airborne particles from entering your lungs during workshop sessions and serves as temporary protection from COVID-19 (just be sure to change the filter material often).
You can find more of The Q’s DIY goodness over on his YouTube channel.
