How to make your surgical mask more effective against COVID-19
A mask's ability to block viruses and bacteria improves by adding a paper towel soaked in salt, research suggests
When paper towels are soaked in a saline solution and then allowed to dry, they can effectively filter out particles comparable in size to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a US study suggests.
The ability of kitchen paper towels, laboratory paper towels and surgical mask filters to block tiny particles was dramatically improved by salt soaking, researchers report in the American Journal of Infection Control.
