YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS ONE COVID FACE MASK TRICK IF YOU WEAR GLASSES AND THEY FOG!!

[thewayne]

(after clicking through 37 pages of clickbait ads)

I attended an on-campus training meeting yesterday with my two library co-workers. One problem that I've had with every mask that I've tried is fogging my glasses, and all three of us wear glasses - library workers, who'da thunk!

We had a brief side conversation because the masks that the university bought and gave to all employees are basically junk. My boss was wearing one, and it kept sliding off her face. One of the women running the training gave her one that she'd made, and it worked much better, and the problem of glasses fogging came up. Pipe cleaners inserted or sewn on top were discussed, the problem that I'd found was that the pipe cleaners that I'd ordered the wire was far too thin, I'd considered entwining two or three together to see if that would provide enough stiffness, hadn't done it yet.

Then the training woman said they'd found the solution: 2" round top brass paper fasteners. These are the ones that you'd stick through punched papers to bind them together. You can mold them precisely across your nose and cheek-bones, and it greatly reduces fogging. It didn't eliminate it in my one test, but it did cut it down considerably. And they're cheap: box of 100 was $6 at Staples.

Staples only had one type: a unibody that you couldn't remove the round button top. So you look like you stole C3PO's nose. I'm OK with that.

Another trick that I've heard doctors use is to wash your glasses with soapy water and let them air drive, so that a film of soap stays on them. Apparently the soap film prevents the fog from forming on the glasses.

So a couple of things to try as some of us may be returning to work.

Comments

[moonhare]

Thank you. I’ve heard various tricks and maybe I can find those fasteners around. I’m only wearing my bandana mask at work when I can’t social-distance someone. If I go to a store (usually the packie) I suffer with it.

When we open in July I’ll wear something more often.

[silveradept]

That's a new solution to the problem. Good to know, just in case. Does it have to be that size of fastener?

[thewayne]

That size is best because that gives you 4" of malleable thin brass to form to your nose and cheekbones.  I'd recommend it.  A shorter paper fastener I really don't think will work as well.

[silveradept]

Okay. I don't wear glasses normally, but if we get to masks and sunglasses, which we probably will, having to deal with curbside in the summer, then that will be interesting to try and make work. How does the fastener attach so that you don't get foggy glasses?

[thewayne]

I should have added it to the post, perhaps I'll edit.  Most of the masks have an internal 'margin' or gap, and you can cut a slit and insert the brass arms into it.  Obviously YMMV.  If you can't do that, then it may require some stitching: get some strong nylon thread and obviously some needles, and see if you can tightly sew it to the mask and if that would be strong enough to hold the fastener in place.  The edges are not particularly sharp, so I don't think over time that it would saw through the nylon thread. I was thinking of sewing the entwined pipe cleaners onto the front of the mask using a similar technique.

[kraig]

I've never found the soap trick to work unless you leave enough film that you might as well not have bothered, but I can see the effectiveness being influenced by the shape of your face, your glasses, how close they sit to your eyes, etc.

My wife acquired some KN-95s that have a little metal strip and that works ok.

[thewayne]

I acquired a box of 95 masks before it became apparent that Our Beloved Leader wasn't going to do anything with the national stockpile except dole it out to his friends, and perhaps sell it, so we sent it to a doctor friend in NH.  She appreciated it.  Haven't seen them since.  I kind of wish I'd kept them for my dad, I haven't seen his numbers but he's still doing chemo for another month, IIRC.

[kraig]

I don't know about there now, but N95s themselves are impossible to find here as well. KN95s, on the other hand, are available in limited quantities and are not cheap. The N95s are 3M made in the US, KN-95s are mostly made in China and fit slightly differently.

But yeah, more important for immunocompromised folks to not just wear them, but to not be around the idiots who refuse to wear any.

[thewayne]

OK, I was wondering what the diff was between N- and KN-.  Thanks for the clarification! On-campus, we're requiring everyone to wear masks full-time.  Problem is, guaranteed that's not going to happen.  Too many idiots out, like the latest meme that says wearing one increases the amount of CO2 in your blood.  And locally we have the idiot who started the "The only good democrat is a dead democrat" - he's a County Commissioner.

[murakozi]

I've also seen folks recommend the two-wires-in-plastic thingy from coffee bags. I've not been able to get hold of any of those to try them out.

I couldn't get the soap trick to work. It seemed to require leaving enough soap film that it was noticeable.

I'm tempted to try pulling the metal fastener strips off some file folders. They'd be a bit long, but could probably be trimmed down to a more manageable size.

[thewayne]

I was looking at those file folder things, they were right next to the brass fasteners.  Those should work.

[halfshellvenus]

I wondered why I'd seen someone post a picture of a person using those metal Ace bandage clasps over where the mask covered the bridge of their nose. I thought it was a joke!

Because I kept thinking that the goal was to keep it on your face, and that would be accomplished by the metal 'feet' digging through the mask and into your skin. o_O

The person WAS wearing glasses, so there apparently was a whole 'nother purpose to the idea. I guess not clicking on the story was the equivalent of what happens when I watch live TV commercials with the sound off. It's all open to random personal interpretation! \o?

[thewayne]

The thought of Ace bandage claws digging into my nose.... shudder Yep, but I can't see how that would have sufficient 'contour conformity' to try to trap your exhalations from coming up and fogging your glasses.  You need to come along and contour along your cheek bones if you want to have much of a chance of success.