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Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

news.illinois.edu

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Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#61

Post by noelsusman »

foobiekr wrote: post #57

Related: can anyone explain why there are still no n95 masks available? It seems like, a few months in, it's surprising that there are none available for non-medical buyers. Is this perception wrong?

They're not widely available to non-medical buyers because they're still not easily attainable for medical buyers. N95s aren't the easiest thing to manufacturer, so ramping up production to fully satisfy current demand would require a significant investment in time and capital. Companies aren't going to do that without some certainty that they'll actually be able to sell enough of their extra production to cover the initial investment. Nobody has provided them that certainty, so they haven't made the investment. Instead they're (mostly) just maxing out production on whatever equipment they already have.

I work for a hospital and have been heavily involved in our COVID-related supply chain efforts. Six months into this we are still struggling to find a reliable source of high quality N95s. Our standard suppliers are getting us 100-200 per day, but we're using 10 times that every day.

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#62

Post by hbcondo714 »

Johnny555 wrote: post #50
hbcondo714 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, my wife went all out and got one of those UV sanitizer boxes[1] too along with the Under Armour face masks[2]. Their instructions say to wash it but it's convenient to just place in a box. We have also been cleaning other items in there including baby toys. [1] https://lumolite.com/ [2] https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/p/ua-sportsmask/1368010.ht...

I can understand how UV light can sterilize hard surfaces like a cell phone, but how does it sterilize multi-layer fabrics where the virus may be shaded from the UV light by the fabric?

Their website states and shows that face masks are items you can sanitize. They also have a testimonial from a health care worker that uses it for masks. Neither go into details but their FAQ page says "UV-C light only sanitizates surfaces it can reach" so that is a fair question you are asking they should address.

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#63

Post by Wowfunhappy »

asperous wrote: post #2

The main thing is consistency, as ovens/cookers are temperature controlled. Other bootleg options are available: Household clothes driers can get hot enough as well, but not all of them do. Cars on a hot day can also get to the desired 140-150f+ range. Many dishwasher sanitize cycles as well https://www.who.int/csr/sars/survival_2003_05_04/en/ https://dailyhomesafety.com/does-dryer-kill-bacteria-and-ger... https://he…

Question is whether the oven / dryer / dishwasher damages the mask's filter.

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#64

Post by kovach »

Jerry2 wrote: post #54

My family has been decontaminating our N95 masks with ozone. I bought a battery-operated O3 generator and if you place it into a tupperware container along with the mask, it will decontaminate it and then you can use it the next day. Yale School of Medicine has done a study on the efficacy of this method. [1] I prefer this method because it doesn't degrade the mask at all, it needs no disinfecting/harsh chemicals, it…

Can you please link your portable ozone generator? Or at least what the name/brand is?

Is it something like this? https://www.boneview.com/collections/boneview/products/ozone

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#65

Post by necovek »

Abishek_Muthian wrote: post #45
necovek wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am sure they perform sterilization effectively, but introduction of water/steam (which is under pressure in a "pressure" cooker) will almost certainly deform a mask like an N95 mask.

I thought electric cooker uses less water in contrast to no water.

My reading of the OP was that no water was to be used, and a towel is placed at the bottom to shield the mask from touching the heating element altogether.

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#66

Post by Voliokis »

noelsusman wrote: post #61
foobiekr wrote: post #57

Related: can anyone explain why there are still no n95 masks available? It seems like, a few months in, it's surprising that there are none available for non-medical buyers. Is this perception wrong?

They're not widely available to non-medical buyers because they're still not easily attainable for medical buyers. N95s aren't the easiest thing to manufacturer, so ramping up production to fully satisfy current demand would require a significant investment in time and capital. Companies aren't going to do that without some certainty that they'll actually be able to sell enough of their extra production to cover the…

I don't understand why governments haven't made the contracts and guarantees to ensure increased global production over the long-term (not just for Covid-19). We're going to need a much higher rate of production for years to come, yet everybody keeps thinking "Next month! It'll all be over next month!". I'm tired of this shit, and I'm tired of governments thinking so short-sightedly. The EU alone could make a huge difference in this area, but they're so unwilling to actually effect positive change in the world by using their position as a unified region.

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#67

Post by stubish »

petra wrote: post #7

Generally,the instant pot requires at least 1 cup of water when running, according to the manual. How does this work without water ?

The ones requiring water are pressure cookers, and not suitable for this purpose (steam, high pressure + high temperature will cook your mask). I think the article is discussing a multi-cooker with a 'slow cook' setting, and using the 'instant pot' term to mean multicookers in general rather than the 'Instant Pot' brand name cookers.

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#68

Post by Jerry2 »

kovach wrote: post #64
Jerry2 wrote: post #54

My family has been decontaminating our N95 masks with ozone. I bought a battery-operated O3 generator and if you place it into a tupperware container along with the mask, it will decontaminate it and then you can use it the next day. Yale School of Medicine has done a study on the efficacy of this method. [1] I prefer this method because it doesn't degrade the mask at all, it needs no disinfecting/harsh chemicals, it…

Can you please link your portable ozone generator? Or at least what the name/brand is? Is it something like this? https://www.boneview.com/collections/boneview/products/ozone

Hi, this is exactly the same model that I got. Mine has a different branding on but many sellers seem to have re-branded the same white-label model from China. They work well. They generate ozone for 30 min and then for 5 min every hour until the battery runs out. It has a micro USB battery charging port.

You can search for them by using the model number (ST-807A) or by searching for "ozone generator fridge" on your fav shopping sites.

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#69

Post by mistrial9 »

tarikjn wrote: post #60
foobiekr wrote: post #57

Related: can anyone explain why there are still no n95 masks available? It seems like, a few months in, it's surprising that there are none available for non-medical buyers. Is this perception wrong?

I think price-gouging laws could also have something to do with this. Suppliers have increased their prices in what is essentially protracted inflation from demand. But in most states retailers are not legally allowed to increase price tags which was triggered in March when most states entered a state of emergency/declared disaster [1]. So the results is that retailers have to stop stocking these or they lose money;…

Please clarify ".. So the results is that retailers have to stop stocking these or they lose money .. "

Re: Electric cooker an easy, efficient way to sanitize N95 masks, study finds

#70

Post by birdyrooster »

foobiekr wrote: post #57

Related: can anyone explain why there are still no n95 masks available? It seems like, a few months in, it's surprising that there are none available for non-medical buyers. Is this perception wrong?

Just have to spend $10/mask on ebay
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