Cleaning and disinfecting reusable respirators

This is an updated version of a video I produced 2 months ago on cleaning and disinfecting 3M reusable silicone or elastomeric respirators.
I have no connection to 3M. This video has not been reviewed or endorsed by any health service state or federal.
The paper referred to in the video is: Bessesen, Adams, Lewis et al "Disinfection of reusable elastomeric respirators by health care workers: A deasibility study and development of standard operating procedures." American Journal of Infection Control 43 (2015) 629-34 dx.doi.org/10.1...

[@smellslikebillydoo]

Awesome update! Very helpful, as there is alot of vague cleaning info out there. Thank you for the better details. Pittsburgh, USA.

[@tradsasaiyen6795]

Thank you Doctor. From ICU nurse, Miami FL USA

[@maiita123]

Thank you very much, greetings from Bolivia

[@joeblack621]

Thanks for the tip about water reducing the effectiveness of static electricity against Covid-19 That probably applies to my Aviche M1 also!

[@yovelazulkarnain9338]

Thanks for sharing

[@henrymazariegos1148]

Mil gracias por la información !!

[@staffnsnake]

De nada!

[@carloalbertoranzani8041]

That won’t be a problem probably in most hospital environments, but we should also take into consideration that common household bleach degradates with time and temperature, kinda linearly, so if the bleach is not “fresh” higher quantities should be used www.powellfab.com/technical_information/tools/decompsoftware.aspx , while once diluted it’s good for no more than 24h and then it should be discarded even if not used.

[@MrKaidman]

Ty very clearly explained👍

[@achamess]

Thanks for the update. I’ve been using dish detergent soap and warm water. I thought that Sars-Cov2 was susceptible to soap alone so I’ve been doing that. In the paper you cite they do both. Do you use soap water to clean and then bleach as well or just the bleach?

[@donko3674]

Yes, it seems that any sort of warm-water intrusion combined with some form of basic soapy detergent intrusion and combined further with some form of sunlight, warm heat and even UV lamp light intrusion, will disrupt the otherwise average sitting life span time of the Sars-2 Pathogen - if simply preserving in a controlled environment...

[@staffnsnake]

Both. I cannot comment UV light, suffice it to say that I can’t see how the light would get access to all the surfaces on the respirator.

[@VT-mw2zb]

@@donko3674 Avoid using UV for disinfecting plastic and elastomeric, they are known to degrade and weaken the plastic. The general guide for storing of respirators is actually to avoid UV.

[@VT-mw2zb]

There's a different paper (doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2017.06.034) that tested the cleaning ability of soap or soap + bleach influenza virus sprayed on the respirator and soap alone worked quite well. Except for the fabric straps. In some models, bleach will deal with the fabric strap; but not always.

[@Sam-lk6eo]

Awesome ! Thank You 👍

[@andreidede459]

Great video. Just bought one. Anaesthetists rule! :)

[@shireenshora8931]

Thank u from India

[@mattizzle81]

I am getting conflicting information on whether bleach is necessary. Some say not to use any harsh chemicals on the masks as it may degrade the material, and to only use a mild/non citrus dish soap, while others recommend bleach. I am confused now.

[@Jasruler]

Follow the instructions from 3M, as this video shows. 3M is the final arbiter of best practices, period.

[@VT-mw2zb]

for non-porous surfaces, soap is enough (doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2017.06.034). But your respirator has fabric straps, which are not sufficiently cleaned by soap alone, so consider bleach. The mask material are designed to withstand chemicals, a little bit of bleach won't harm it (but will eventually do the straps in), so consider asking for spare parts.

[@mattizzle81]

@@VT-mw2zb Ok thanks for the clarification. Apparently this virus is very susceptible to simple plain soap and water, and bleach is actually overkill for Covid. I have athsma so breathing in a lot of bleach over time could be an issue. Though bleach does kill other microbes that soap wouldn't. I mostly use the full face respirators that have rubber straps, not fabric. So my current routine of washing with soap is hopefully not a terrible idea. I also have 3d printed plastic covers for the filters that i wash instead of disinfecting the filters themselves and risking getting liquid in them. The covers can be fully submerged for as long as needed.

[@VT-mw2zb]

@@mattizzle81 Do consider wearing a coverall with the hood going over the strap or at least a hood. That way, the majority of contamination is to the front, which you should avoid touching when doffing. Doffing should be according to CDC guidelines, which recommend double gloving; outer gloves for patient contacts and inner gloves for doffing safety. Perform hand hygiene with hand sanitiser (or according several video of Chinese practices, buckets of 5,000 ppm or 10% bleach) in between doffing tasks (remove booties, gown, etc ...). Typical decontamination procedure involves three successive scrub and rinse with soap and water (with possible bleach in-between). So three soap washes and do reach into the nooks and crannies and you should be fine.

[@marknewcombe2757]

excellent video- thanks very much. What comms headsets are you using?

[@staffnsnake]

Sorry I missed this comment before. We use AfterShokz bone-conducting headsets, via a Discord live chat.

[@DrTJTechie]

Hello Sir, I am using Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate Tablets (2 grams) for disinfecting the 3M 6800 Mask. Is 200ppm and 10 mins dipping time enough for disinfection? I also wash the mask with detergent before and then spray Hypochlorous Acid (HOCL 200ppm) and then go for dipping in Disinfectant for 10 mins.

[@sunshinekenya]

Thank you

[@donko3674]

Thank you and good luck to you too... OK, first off, this is a quite effective and straight forward instructional vid. Secondly, I have the Swedish brand Sundstrom half-face mask, as well as the 3M silicone half-face and even the Moldex brand silicone half-face mask too (at roughly 15-20% cost of the Full-face mod), as I wanted to maximize a flexible supply chain option for replacement filters & cartridges and the such. So a question for you would be: in your opinion, is the protective value fairly similar between the half-face mask variant and a full-face variant if one is wearing a non-vented protective goggle w/ said half-face ?? And then if so, is the maintenance required any less, or more simplified for cleaning the half-face, vs the Full-face variant ?!? And second question: My theory would be to spend less time (time = money) maintaining / deep-cleaning the respirators and instead utilize multiple respirators and rotate them with other respirators every 3rd day perhaps? Simply do a quick warm water detergent soaking and potential 2-3 hr exposure near a UV lamp, or out in the open sunlight for 3-4 hrs ? And then rotate use of respirator as said, ever 3 days?? Thanks for any response .

[@staffnsnake]

Hi Don. I cannot see how UV light would access all the surfaces on the respirator. I have done quantitative fit testing for full and half face 3M respirators. While the full face was very much better, it was a bit like the difference between a Rolls Royce and a Mercedes Benz, where the pass standard was equivalent to a push scooter. So the half face with goggles would be as good for aerosol, but if there is significant droplet risk, you would also need a face shield.

[@donko3674]

Thanks for the reply sir... and I understand what you're saying with respect to UV limitations. I actually bought a small lamp a couple months back merely as part of a layered supplemental system, indeed to hopefully help clean some of the surfaces exposed to the UV. And I also appreciate your feedback with recommending a face shield if using a half-face + goggle layout. I actually did acquire a couple different brand poly face shields for any eventual contingencies, so I'll take your added advice in that regard when feel it's a beneficial added layer . Have a good day.

[@Jasruler]

This is just me, but I'd avoid trying to get too fancy with maintenance routines -- properly clean your masks as dictated by 3M/SOP everytime. The last thing you want is to be staring at three masks after a sleepless week and trying to remeber which one is ready. Don't underestimate the ability of sleep deprivation and stress to ruin even the best laid plans.

[@donko3674]

@James -- Thanks for your service to the public sir, wherever your service detail is ... but I'd have to respectfully disagree in my reply. From experience, I'd personally recommend to like 80% of peoples using such equipment, that the last thing most of us should be doing is taking apart and then re-assembling respirators and inhale valves and exhale valves, etc, etc... as it can cause premature wear and tear and poor re-assembly if not done perfectly each time! That and yes, time = money, hence down time for other more important productivity -- including vital sleep and healthy food preparation and eating!! As for having 3 (or 4?) separate fairly affordable half-face respirators (@ $28-37 per pop) to rotate between, perhaps just lay them out on a towel on a closet shelf in order with a 2nd towel over lay? Change out in order, left to right? Or right to left, accordingly, whathaveyou? It would be as simple (and automated) as rotating between work uniforms, or shirts on a hangar, or shoes, etc, as well ?? Cheers and have a good day (and sleep), sir. To good health... : )

[@VT-mw2zb]

Assigned Protective Factor (APF) of half face respirator is 10, and full face 25. In industrial context, that means with a half face respirator on, the use can be exposed to a maximum contaminant concentration of 10 and 25 times the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) with a half face and full face respirator, respectively. PAPR APF is 100. I'm not sure what's the PEL of virus. One suggestion to shorten the amount of time required for cleaning is if you can shower after work, doff everything except respirator. Go in to the shower, remove cartridges and store them in the "dirty" respirator bag, and start the shower by rubbing diluted dish soap thoroughly all over your respirator that is still on your face. Hold your breath, cover the intake valves, and rinse off under the shower. Then wash your hands and remove the respirator. Shower normally. That's the cleaning of the outside done. Repeat for the inside. Bleach the respirator and disinfect the filter surface if you are using hard case filter. Alternatively, if your site is adopting it en mass, have a central reprocessing unit that handle mass cleaning and disinfection of respirators for workers at the end of the shift. It can be as simple as sign in and receive a respirator of a specific size and brand, sign out, hand it back for cleaning. Just like scrubs.

[@marknewcombe2757]

thanks for the video- just wondering if you mind sharing which comms units you are teaming with these masks? thanks Mark Newcombe EM and Retrieval Specialist Sydney HEMS

[@staffnsnake]

Hi Mark, We have been using AfterShokz Aeropex and Trex bone-conducting Bluetooth headsets over a group voice chat over Discord. When there is an airway call, after donning PPE, we pair our phone with a headset (some also have their own headsets), sign into the Discord chat, comms test and proceed.

[@fadyadel8062]

DOCTOR I WEAR PRESCRIPTION GLASSES .IS FULL MASK SUITABLE FOR ME OR DO I NEED TO STICK TO HALF FACE MASK ,AND WHICH HALF FACE MASK YOU WOULD RECOMMEND ,THANKS

[@staffnsnake]

Unless you can wear contacts, you would need to stick to the half face respirator.

[@fadyadel8062]

@@staffnsnake Thanks doctor I bought the 7503 and the 6503 QL and going to use 6035 filters as per one of your videos

[@HoOGenghisB]

Maybe this is a stupid question, but does high humidity play a factor in degrading the static charge of the filter?

[@jbalazer]

I wouldn't worry about a filter getting moist in use. Disposable N95 and P100 masks are regularly subjected to the wearer's moist breath, which isn't reason for them to be replaced. 3M calls the 2091 filter "water resistant". Just let the filter dry out between uses. Wetting of electret polypropylene filter media with water does not cause it to immediately lose its charge: www.jem-journal.com/article/S0736-4679(20)30369-3/fulltext The gradual loss of charge is somewhat faster in a high humidity environment: scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Effect+of+air+humidity+on+charge+decay+and+lifetime+of+PP+electret+nonwovens&author=Motyl,+E.&author=Lowkis,+B.&publication_year=2006&journal=Fibres+Text.+East.+Eur.&volume=14&pages=39%E2%80%9342 Wetting with organic solvent droplets (e.g. alcohol) can cause a rapid loss of charge: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02786826.2015.1086724 Wetting with oils masks the charge: multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/150740O/understanding-3m-p-series-particulate-respirator-filters-technical-data.pdf

[@VT-mw2zb]

@@jbalazer HEPA-type cartridges (like 3M 7093) uses paper-like filtration media. They are very efficient but will lose effectiveness at humidity above 80%. So avoid standing over a pot of boiling water, for eg.

[@wildandcrazygirl09]

As an Anaesthesist in Australia do you also manage covid patients in an icu setting with this respirator?

[@staffnsnake]

When we had covid patients, I managed them in the ICU and Emergency Departments in this respirator when called upon to intubate a covid patient. I was a part of the anaesthetic covid intubation team at the hospital where I work the most. If for some reason we get another wave, I will again be on that team. Since these videos were produced, that hospital has managed to procure CleanSpace Halo PAPR respirators, so we will be using them. But we will keep the 3M respirators as a backup.

[@naylampchimu]

Doctor, I am getting this respirator for my sister that is Doctor in Peru. Which filters do you recommend to protect against COVID? This respirator is for her (there are not many resources there). I'll be traveling and bringing this with me for her. Thank you for your help.

[@VT-mw2zb]

Filters that fit the mask and are rated P2, P3 (EU, Aus standards) or N/R/P 95/99/100. Check the local industrial PPE stores

[@larrymolina9047]

Does the bleach damage the anti fogging coat of the mask?

[@VT-mw2zb]

Yes. But you don't need an anti-fog coat. The mask are pretty well designed so that if you wear it correctly, when you inhale, fresh air will flow over the visor, defog it. So what is wearing it incorrectly? If you wear a protective coverall, the hood goes over the mask, not under it.

[@annadenaro9919]

Im sorry did you say when brand thr cleaning cloths were?

[@staffnsnake]

Clinell

[@RenaldoRamai]

What is the brand of the wipes used in this video?

[@staffnsnake]

Clinnell

[@johnjohnson6647]

what is the size of the 3m mask small,medium or large

[@staffnsnake]

They come in Small, med and large. The one in the video is medium

[@pdinizfisiobh]

🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@warreng.m.g6733]

first like again