Make sure to wash your hands properly with soap and water, or use a hand sanitizer or alcohol-based rub if you can’t, before putting on a mask. You should also be washing your hands as much as possible throughout the day to avoid getting sick.

Unless you’re a healthcare worker or medical first responder, the CDC recommends that you wear cloth face coverings. Surgical masks and N-95 respirators are in critical supply and must be reserved for those individuals only.

Ensure that the mask fully covers both your nose and mouth. There should also be no gaps between your face and the mask, so as to stop the spread of germs.

Your cloth mask should have a snug, comfortable fit with no gaps and be secured by being tied around your head or with loops around your ears. And of course, make sure you can still breathe easily.

It’s important to try to avoid as many germs as possible, and with so many hidden sources of bacteria in your home, your mask can easily come in contact with them. Do your best to avoid touching it, but if you do, make sure to wash or sanitize your hands again.

Avoid touching the front of your mask when taking it off. Remove it from behind, taking care not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth, and throw it out immediately in a closed bin or place it in a bag to be washed later. Make sure to properly wash or sanitize your hands again immediately after.

Your cloth face mask should be washed or otherwise cleaned regularly, depending on how frequently you use it.

Many organizations, including the CDC, have posted recommendations on how to make proper cloth face coverings. They can be sewn from scratch, cut from t-shirts or folded from bandanas but they should all have multiple layers of fabric to cover your mouth and nose. In areas where there is a shortage of N-95 and surgical masks, some people are making and donating masks to healthcare workers in one of many acts of kindness to emerge from the pandemic.

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