Hand-made comfortable covid mask

Sanitary masks made of fabric feel very unconfortable to me. They go into my eyes. They fog my glasses. They stick to my nose when I inhale, which makes it hard to breathe (only a few square millimeters of exchange surface) and smears them with snot.

I have decided to invent my own model. Using my default source material: soda bottle.

In this instance, a bottle of flavored ice tea Lipton, because they are quite supple and their neck is very large.

First step: cut off the top of the bottle. Make a deep narrow indentation for the nose and a wide shallow indentation for the chin.

Second step: I had a drop of self-adhesive gasket. I applied a length of it along the edge of the plastic, with some extra margin.

At this point, I can hold the mask on my mouth, it doesn't hinder breathing. But if I close the bottle, it prevents it.

Third step: I used a rubber band to attach a fabric mask to the neck of the bottle.

Fourth step: I stuck an elastic band to the sides. Yes, I reused the band from old underwear. I stapled the end of the elastic bands to adhesive electrical tape, and stuck the tape on the plastic.

Final trial. Breathing is easy. I do not feel air leaking on the sides. The fabric raises and falls with my breath. It works.

Update: with a custom-made fabric pouch.

I also read that paper napkins could be more efficient than cotton. Since all it takes is an elastic band to affix it, it is probably an option to consider. Here with a single sheet of good tissue paper.

Possible enhancements:

• Use transparent rubber like snorkeling masks for the sides.
• Use a small plastic buckle or a bit of velcro to make the elastic bands adjustable and easier to put on (especially with glasses).
• Move the fabric pouch to the chin, like a beard, or the sides, like whiskers, to make the mouth visible.

If you know somebody who manufactures sanitary masks based on similar principles, please let me know (my e-mail address is on the top of the page). If you want do do so yourself, please go ahead and let me get on.

New version:

• Make the indentation for the chin deeper, so that the bottle end is more slanted and the opening lower, less in the field of vision. Putting it much lower would make covering the nose hard.
• Use a strip of lightweight felt (arts and craft store, 1/10 of 3 €) instead of leftover gasket, much more comfortable, covers the edge of plastic better. I could have made the strip narrower.
• Glue does not adhere well to the kind of plastic of the bottle. I used staples to secure the felt to the rim.
• Use an elastic ribbon (haberdashery section of a convenience store, half of 6 €) to attach around the head. Elasticity is necessary: the exact length varies when we turn our head; with plain ribbons it comes off.
• Use a plastic side-squeeze clip (hardware store, half of 2 €) to close around the head. Much more convenient than passing it over the glasses. Use safety pins to secure the elastic ribbons, staples would not allow adjusting the length and tension.

The result is quite satisfactory.

By the way, this was my inspiration, and the kind of mask I wish we could buy, preferably a transparant variant: