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bandana face mask

How to Fold a No-Sew Bandana Face Mask

Make a no-sew bandana face covering with a square cloth and two hair ties or rubber bands, then check coverage, fit, and cleaning guidance.

By ThatPainter Team 2 min read
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To make a no-sew bandana face covering, fold a square cloth into a layered strip, secure it with two hair ties or rubber bands, then tuck the ends inward. The fold-and-tuck method is simple, but a folded bandana is not equivalent to a respirator; fit and the type of mask matter.

What you need

  • One square bandana or cotton cloth. A 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) instruction version specifies a cloth about 20 by 20 inches.
  • Two hair ties or rubber bands.

No sewing is required. The CDC’s 2020 instructions also showed an optional coffee filter insert, but that was part of a historical illustration, not a current CDC recommendation.

How to fold and wear the bandana

  1. Lay the bandana flat and fold it in half.
  2. Fold the top edge down and the bottom edge up to make a long, layered strip.
  3. Slide one hair tie or rubber band around each end of the strip, spacing the fasteners about six inches apart. This is the spacing in the CDC’s 2020 folding instructions, not a measurement of mask performance.
  4. Fold both ends inward toward the middle.
  5. Tuck each end around its fastener to hold the folded shape.
  6. Place the loops over your ears and arrange the cloth to cover both your nose and mouth. Check that it stays in place and sits close to your face without gaps.

What to know about protection and fit

The folding sequence comes from the CDC’s 2020 cloth-covering instructions. It explains how to make the covering; it does not establish a filtration level or show that this particular folded bandana prevents infection. No performance figure for this construction is provided in those instructions.

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Current CDC guidance says masks can be an additional way to help reduce respiratory-virus transmission, and that effectiveness depends on design and fit. It says cloth masks generally provide less wearer protection than disposable masks, which generally provide less than filtering facepiece respirators. The CDC advises: “Wearing the most protective one you can comfortably wear for extended periods of time that fits well (completely covering the nose and mouth) is the most effective option.” Read the CDC’s current mask guidance.

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For this folded covering, check that the fabric covers your nose and mouth and that the sides do not gape. A loose covering may fit poorly; do not assume that adding layers or an insert makes this particular construction equivalent to a tested mask.

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How to clean a reusable cloth covering

The CDC says cloth masks should be washed at least daily, or as soon as they become wet or dirty. If a cloth mask is wet or dirty and cannot be washed right away, keep it in a sealed bag until washing. See the CDC’s Mask Use and Care guidance.

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