N95 Masks – Have you checked your garage, shop area, and craft supplies?

I confess I’d never thought to look to see what an N95 mask looked like. I figured it was something specialized, or fancy, or one of the blue masks that surgeons wear. But when I was reading online about whether homemade masks could be effective, I came across this chart from the Centers For Disease Control with an image of a N95 mask:

“Hold on!” I thought, “That mask on the right looks a lot like the masks I buy to combat my allergies while I am cleaning.” Bingo. And, Rats – I wish I could say I had a full carton or two that I could donate to a health facility, but I’m down to a couple. I’ll get them to my niece who is working with COVID-19 patients.

My experience got me to thinking, who else might have a few masks squirreled safely away and not know what they have? It’s worth a look.