Researchers from Florida Atlantic University put do-it-yourself and store-bought face masks to the test. They used a bandana, a loosely-folded cotton handkerchief, a cone-style mask that can be bought at the drug store, and a homemade two-layered quilting cotton mask in their research.
The stitched, two-layered cotton mask turned out to be the clear winner, blocking out the most droplets and limiting their spread.
According to ABC News, the researchers were studying both the material and the construction of the masks to verify their efficacy. They used mannequins that could sneeze and cough into the air and covered their faces with the different types of masks. Without a mask, particles traveled eight feet from the mannequin’s mouth. The bandana allowed them to travel three feet. The respiratory particles traveled more than a foot away through the handkerchief and eight inches away when the mannequin wore a cone, according to ABC News.
The quilting cotton mask allowed the droplets to leak only two and a half inches from the mannequin’s mouth, according to the study. Researcher Sid Verma said that the bandana was effective in stopping larger droplets, but two-layered cotton masks were superior in providing protection against the virus. He added that people should practice social distancing as well as wear masks in public.
According to Forbes, the research data published in the journal the Physics of Fluids, helps consumers decide which DIY face coverings are the most effective.
“Where there are a few prior studies on the effectiveness of medical grade equipment, we don’t have a lot of information on the cloth-based coverings that are most accessible to us at present,” said Verma. Here’s a video on how to construct one at home.