Having difficulties finding a mask, and other COVID-19 questions.

April 27, 2020 3:14 AM

I'm having difficulties finding a mask, and my situation is a bit unique, given I have a half-grown ear, so can't use the common ear-strap masks. I tried T-shirts and a wool scarf, with difficulties. I also have a couple of questions relating to COVID-19.

Bear with me. I'm experiencing "being different" fatigue right now, and processing this whole COVID-19 mess. (No, per my previous post, I didn't go home. I'm still where I was then.)

This whole COVID-19 thing has been taking a toll on me—socially, emotionally, and physically. Being deaf means that I have to keep up with the news and captioning, which can be fatiguing in itself. It's hard to keep up with an ever-changing environment and a changing landscape, and some of what our leadership here in the good ole USA is suggesting is, er, distressing. Adding to that, it's not easy being isolated at home; yes, we're lucky to have technology, but I miss actual human connections! I'm surviving and making the best out of this time as much as I can. Commentary aside, I would like some help.

a) I need a mask. I've tried t-shirts and an old wool scarf a family member sewed for me. Not working well. They keep coming loose, won't function well in hot weather (thick material), and are too bulky, and I can't breathe well. Don't have any sewing material, not knowledgeable at all, would really prefer to buy something than make. I tried searching Amazon for masks, and found some great masks here.

Challenge? I have a half-grown ear (ie, one ear is normally sized–fully grown; the other ear is half-grown). The condition is called microtia. This has always been a challenge, as I wear eyeglasses, but always adjustable. Those linked mask straps won't work, as they're ear straps. I seem to be having trouble finding masks that would fit my situation, be breathable, and comfortable. I prefer a mask that has a full head strap vs. ear straps, but open to other options. Can I get some direction, tips, or helpful links? I'd prefer Amazon or a reputable site with fast shipping and availability.

b) I'm almost out of rubbing alcohol. Haven't been able to find it anywhere. What am I missing, what can I do to get some, and are they really sold out everywhere? In lieu of rubbing alcohol, what would you recommend I get, that works and eliminates any virus strains (I have Clorox wipes, want to preserve them as much as possible) while being able to be used for bodily functions? Would hydrogen peroxide be an acceptable replacement? Can I make my own rubbing alcohol? I've seen conflicting information about that online. I primarily use rubbing alcohol to clean my iPhone, sanitize keys, clean some body parts, and other miscellaneous stuff.

c) Bonus question. I'm struggling to find Zoom-able games to play with friends. UNO, Phase 10, other classic card games seem to be lacking for playing together with friends online, either through Zoom/FaceTime, or even through an app platform. The UNO app I downloaded for my iPhone is, sorry to say, crap—it's confusing, loaded with bloat, and it's not even clear how to begin a game. I'd love to play UNO, Cards Against Humanity, Phase 10, etc. with friends virtually, but cannot seem to find out how. Any pointers would be awesome; keeping in mind this is for a deaf group, so audio, etc. is not an option.

Thanks so much. Apologies in advance if this question is a bit different in terms of style; I know it's a bit of a grab bag kind of question, not a very specific one for one specific situation, but I figured it'd be easier just to bundle all of my burning COVID-19 related questions in one question and hopefully find a solution for all the issues I'm experiencing. I tried Googling, but it's an overwhelming jumbled mess right now with a hodgepatch of old and new information, and some of them unclear. To be frank, I miss that human connection, and AskMe has always helped greatly in the past, so thought I'd do this here and see what comes out of it, especially given that there are some unique factors in my given situation.

Thanks!

posted by dubious_dude to Health & Fitness (28 answers total)

Maine Stitching Specialties offers an N95 cover with straps that go over the head with no ear involvement at all. They do have a minimum order of 4 masks at this point, but they shipped quickly for me. (And said covers pass the candle test.)
posted by smangosbubbles at 3:25 AM on April 27, 2020 [3 favorites]

My local sewing shop is making masks with three strap choices: (1) over ear (no good), (2) elastic behind head, and (3) fabric ties behind head. I think the latter two choices would suit.

Unfortunately my local sewing shop is not local to you; they ship but since everything is made to order you might be waiting a while. But, perhaps there are similar options in DC. Good luck and stay well!
posted by shb at 3:47 AM on April 27, 2020 [1 favorite]

Amazon sells this mask strap extender thingy that can be used on ear-loops.

Extender

Surgical masks designed for Muslim countries have straps that tie around the head or a head-loop. You can try googling "hijab surgical masks" or "headloop surgical masks". You may have to buy online from abroad.
posted by whitelotus at 4:01 AM on April 27, 2020 [1 favorite]

Gizmodo article with diagrams on how to cut up a t-shirt to make a mask with ties that go around the head. Unlike some of the other "wrap a t-shirt around your head" mask ideas, it's only 1 layer of shirt material, so it should be easier to breathe through. (Also a bandana + coffee filter mask that uses rubber bands or hair elastics as ear loops but I think could be modified to use longer string to tie around the head, especially if you have a needle and thread (which I know you don't have but you should be able to get.))

Also, look here on Ask, there have been several questions about making or buying masks and at least a few of the answers have had some non-ear-loop options. (Pretty sure one of the most recent had a link to a company selling ear loop masks with a Velcro loop thing that pulled the ear elastic around to the back of your head, which might work.)

Lots of people are trying to make some money by making masks and selling them on Etsy. Etsy has a pretty good search function that should help in finding masks with head ties, and it lets you do some sorting by state & shop location, so if you can find somebody relatively close to you it should reduce shipping delays.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:56 AM on April 27, 2020

You can use a headband / beanie with large buttons sewn on it to serve as a proxy for the ear; many medical staff internationally are doing this because it's uncomfortable to wear a mask over your ear long term
posted by chiquitita at 4:59 AM on April 27, 2020 [4 favorites]

Jackbox games work over Zoom; there is audio but it's not needed for a lot of them. Out of what I've played, Quiplash has audio but it's mostly color commentary and explaining the game- which is pretty figure-out-able (fill in the blanks in the prompt, then vote). Drawful (draw thing, guess what everyone else drew), likewise, t-shirt wars (draw/write things, vote) and fibbage (write things/vote). Bombcorp will likely not work too well, though.

It also looks like Party Pack 6 has subtitles.
posted by damayanti at 5:06 AM on April 27, 2020 [2 favorites]

I primarily use rubbing alcohol to clean my iPhone, sanitize keys, clean some body parts, and other miscellaneous stuff.

If you (and your housemates?) are making a reasonable effort to social distance & shelter in place you shouldn't have to be sterilizing your phone or keys all that often, only after trips outside and those should be really minimal, so maybe consider whether you're using more rubbing alcohol than you really need to.

As far as body parts, soap and water really really works to kill the coronavirus - explainer from The Guardian - so maybe ease up on using the alcohol on yourself.

Haven't been able to find it anywhere.

Maybe you need to expand where you're looking? While there are certainly supply glitches and therefore some seemingly random shortages, most of the drugstores, grocery stores, or convenience stores in my area have had at least some of the basics like toilet paper and rubbing alcohol available most of the time, especially once they started putting limits on how much people can buy (since like mid-March.)

Which is to say, if you're looking to buy online only you might be having problems, so switch to checking in local stores either in person if you feel you can make the trip safely or by contacting them online/text/TTY to arrange for a delivery. (For example, searching for "rubbing alcohol" on both the CVS and the Walgreens websites every single product is listed as "out of stock online" or "only in stores", but I have been to the local branches of both in the past month and they both definitely had rubbing alcohol on the shelf.)
posted by soundguy99 at 5:35 AM on April 27, 2020 [2 favorites]

Thirding that your most effective search terms will be ”cotton mask fabric ties”

Re alternatives to rubbing alcohol: Everclear 151 or 190 have the requisite proof to clean as effectively as rubbing alcohol. Don’t know about topical use though.
posted by donut_princess at 5:40 AM on April 27, 2020 [1 favorite]

You can make a free substitute for that Amazon thing to link the ear loops together, by unbending the middle of a paperclip. It should have a hook at either end when you're done.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:44 AM on April 27, 2020 [4 favorites]

Memail me your address and I will send you a mask. I've been making some at home and I have different types. I have a family member with hearing aids and I made them some that do not go around the ears:)

As far as alcohol, you can use any cleaning spray that has bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Most of antibacterial/antiviral sprays from Clorox, Lysol, 409, etc. would work. You can't use them for cleaning yourself, of course, but easier to get than wipes and alcohol at the moment.

Take care!
posted by jraz at 6:35 AM on April 27, 2020 [10 favorites]

There was an AskMe about where to buy reusable masks just the other day: link.

Many of the masks people provided links to have elastic loops that go around the back of your head, rather than around your ears. Going through those links and ordering the ones that look most comfortable and are in stock/shipping currently would be a workable solution to your question.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:40 AM on April 27, 2020

I can vouch for these masks on Etsy. They have ties that tie at the back of the head so might work for you?

If you join your local NextDoor groups, people in mine in Arlington have been very helpful about pointing people to where stuff like rubbing alcohol or clorox wipes may be available, if you ask.

Also try out local App Our Streets for shopping info..
posted by gudrun at 7:42 AM on April 27, 2020

In the same way that soap and water work for the body they also work for your phone and keys. Use a damp* cloth with washing up liquid. Rinse the cloth and wipe again. Remove any residual dampness with a dry cloth. Wash cloths as you normally would.

* The aim is to create enough moisture to allow the washing up liquid to loosen dirt and germs so you can wipe them off the item, not to have water dripping off your electronics. I do this for my phones, tablets, laptop and external keyboard, remote controls with no ill effects.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:01 AM on April 27, 2020 [1 favorite]

I don't know if I can help with any of the other questions, but in response to your question about masks, a family member with a similar issue bought masks from Groceries Apparel and says they work well. They have two elastic straps that go all the way around the back of your head.

It looks like there are masks with a similar mechanism on Etsy, too - I found them by searching "cotton mask elastic strap" in the search bar.
posted by cimton at 8:14 AM on April 27, 2020

Put your phone in a ziplock plastic bag when you go out. The plastic bag is easier to sanitize, including by using soap and water.
posted by chromium at 8:21 AM on April 27, 2020 [3 favorites]

I have also seen some people using headbands with buttons sewn on at the sides that you can hook the straps over, rather than over your ears. They're designed to give your ears some relief, but it sounds like they might work for you, too. The Maine Stitching Specialties ones are definitely over-the-head though, no ear involvement. They ship fast and they're relatively inexpensive for sewn cloth masks.

Remember that when you're staying inside, you don't need to be sanitizing your stuff. I mean, you should still practice ordinary household hygiene, but this is exactly not like ordinary household hygiene, where you're primarily trying to avoid surface-to-surface contamination with pathogens you're generating yourself which are independently harmful to you. If you have the virus and are living alone, it doesn't matter if your things get contaminated with the virus, because you already have it and aren't spreading to anyone (and also because you're depositing it with your breath on, like, every surface near you--you're not going to be able to create an uncontaminated environment no matter how hard you try). It's after going outside that you need to give some thought to sanitizing things.
posted by praemunire at 9:31 AM on April 27, 2020

"Ear saver" appears to be the term of choice for "a thingy that keeps you from having to loop medical masks around your ears, which starts to chafe and cut after a while even under optimal circumstances". If you know someone with a 3D printer, there's a bunch of free files out there for printing them, and then there are many craft-based options.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:40 AM on April 27, 2020

I suggest trying 7-eleven and/or local “international” grocery stores for cleaning supplies (including rubbing alcohol).
posted by oceano at 9:51 AM on April 27, 2020

Hardware stores also have alcohol, both denatured and (usually) Isopropyl.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:25 AM on April 27, 2020

People seem to have handled your other questions well, I'd also suggest the website BoardGameArena that I hear another MeFite mention.It has sound cues but to the best of my knowledge none of them are mandatory to the games (i.e. every one has a visual component too), there is an in-game chat feature, and there are basic games like Yahtzee and Reversi/Othello as well as more complex board games that I haven't tried yet.
posted by jessamyn at 10:45 AM on April 27, 2020 [1 favorite]

Anecdata, but hydrogen peroxide (just a regular first-aid type bottle) was my doctor father's first recommendation when I told him I was running out of rubbing alcohol.
posted by hippugeek at 11:30 AM on April 27, 2020

For games, I've been using Trickster Cards (spades, hearts, euchre, etc.), Jackbox (audio is not necessary; my favorites are Quiplash, Drawful, and TeeKO), and Codenames. Codenames and Trickster are easier on the set-up, as you don't need a central screen. Everyone joins on the website and has the Zoom or chat open next to it.
posted by quadrilaterals at 11:56 AM on April 27, 2020 [1 favorite]

Re: finding alcohol, I just asked at my drugstore when they get restocked. Apparently their shipments always come on Saturday mornings, so I showed up then and hey! they had alcohol! So far everyone's been friendly when I've asked about stuff, so now I know when the bread we like gets delivered to the neighborhood produce market, etc.

I've played some of the Jackbox games over Zoom with friends, and the ones we tried were infinitely more enjoyable without the soundtrack.
posted by mumkin at 12:32 PM on April 27, 2020

Lots of good suggestions here already but just adding that these masks from CamCam and these from Artifact look like they could work.
posted by Mender at 7:27 PM on April 27, 2020

I didn't previously know that isopropyl alcohol is also called isopropanol, which got us a bottle when this all started and IPA was suffering price gouging on Amazon and eBay. Agree with other posters about soap instead though where more appropriate.
posted by lokta at 5:31 AM on April 28, 2020

I just saw this article about "ear savers" that hook onto the straps from behind your head. I don't know what your locale is (the article is local to me in Philly), but this should give you a starting point, or you could reach out and see if he'll mail you a couple.
posted by DoubleLune at 10:38 AM on April 28, 2020

Also see this link - apparently he’s taking orders, not sure if it’s supposed to be local pickup or what. Link This is a reputable local Instagram account that has local content and has been sharing Covid-related updates for the community
posted by DoubleLune at 10:41 AM on April 28, 2020

Response by poster: Thanks so much for all the helpful answers!

A bit of clarity: I use rubbing alcohol to clean my belly button and occasionally, the waxy skin behind my ears. Nothing related to COVID-19 cleansing.
posted by dubious_dude at 8:12 PM on April 28, 2020