How to Dispose of Surgical Masks

Surgical masks are loose-fitting face masks that cover your nose and mouth. While they can be helpful in preventing germs, bodily fluids, and pollution from getting into your body, they do have the potential to get contaminated or ripped. If your surgical mask or N95 respirator is no longer usable, make sure you throw it away carefully to avoid spreading germs around to other people.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Removing the Mask

1. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Using warm water and hand soap, scrub your hands thoroughly, making sure you get your palms, the top of your hands, and in between your fingers. Wash your hands for 20 seconds, then rinse them off and dry them using a clean towel.^[1]
   
   • Soap is very effective against most germs.
2. Hold the mask by the ear loops or the ties. Grab the mask by the bands, not by the mask itself. If your mask has ear loops, grab onto those, and if your mask has ties or straps around the back of your head, untie them and hang onto those.^[2]
   
   • Surgical masks usually have ear loops, while N95 respirators usually have straps that go around the back of your head.
3. Pull the mask away from your face, being careful not to touch the front. Keeping your hands on the straps only, gently pull your mask away from your face. Try not to touch the actual mask itself the entire time you take it off.^[3]
   
   • Touching the front of the mask can contaminate your hands with germs.

[Edit]Putting the Mask in the Trash

1. Place the mask in a sealed plastic bag. Be careful not to touch the front of the mask still. Then, seal the plastic bag and press the air out so it’s mostly flat.^[4]
   
   • Sealing the mask in a bag will keep any germs or contamination out of the air and surrounding area.
   • If you don’t have a plastic bag handy, you can throw the mask directly into the trash as long as there's a plastic bag in it.
2. Throw the mask and the bag into the trash if you’re not sick. The only safe place to put a mask is in the trash can. Make sure you put the mask in the trash right away, and don’t leave it sitting out on your table or the countertop.^[5]
   
   • It’s better to bring your mask home with you and dispose of it properly than throwing it away in a public trash can improperly.
3. Place the bag into a hazardous waste container if you’re sick. If you have symptoms of a virus or you know you’ve been contaminated while wearing your mask, put your mask into a hazardous waste container so it can be disposed of properly. If you don’t have one nearby, contact your local dump to see if you can drop it off.^[6]
   
   • If you have visited your doctor recently, you can ask them for a special hazardous waste bag and where the nearest dropoff facility is.
4. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Repeat the same hand washing process you just did using soap and warm water. Scrub the tops of your hands, your palms, and in between your fingers for at least 20 seconds, then rinse them off and dry them on a clean towel.^[7]
   
   • This will get rid of any accidental contamination that you may have picked up while throwing the mask away.
5. Disinfect your sink and the surrounding area with a cleaning product. Even if you were careful, there’s a potential for infection to spread from your mask to the surrounding area. Wipe down your sink, the faucet handle, the outside of the garbage, and anything else you touched with an ammonium-based cleaning product to get rid of any germs.^[8]
   
   • Citric acid and hydrogen peroxide are 2 common cleaning agents that you may already own.

[Edit]Knowing When to Throw Away Your Mask

1. Throw away your mask if it gets ripped or damaged. If your mask gets a hole in it or it’s visibly damaged, it’s not useful to you anymore. Throw it out and get a new one as soon as you can.^[9]
   
   • Masks with holes in them are not effective in keeping germs in or out, so they’re essentially useless.
2. Discard your mask if it’s visibly dirty or contaminated. If you know you’ve been around someone with a contagious virus or your mask looks dirty, throw it away. This will keep you safe and ensure that you aren’t breathing in dangerous germs the next time you wear your mask.^[10]
   
   • If enough dirt gets on the outside of your mask, it can be hard to breathe through.
3. Dispose of your mask if it gets hard to breathe through. Sometimes, pollution in the air can clog the holes in your mask and make it difficult to get air in and out. If it’s hard to breathe through your mask, throw it away and try out a new one.^[11]
   
   • Masks can be hot and uncomfortable to wear, but they shouldn’t ever hinder you from taking a full breath.
4. Throw away the mask if it gets damp. If your mask gets water or bodily fluids from someone else on it, you need to replace it. Take it off right away and replace it with a new one to stay protected.^[12]
   
   • Masks dampened with an infected person’s bodily fluids can infect you as you breathe in.
   • Masks dampened with water can be hard to breathe through.

[Edit]Tips

• Surgical masks are only meant to be worn once.^[13]

[Edit]Warnings

• Always throw away your mask if it gets dirty, contaminated, or hard to breathe through.^[14]

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

• Plastic bag with seal
• Trash can with bag

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.sfcdcp.org/communicable-disease/healthy-habits/how-to-put-on-and-remove-a-face-mask/
2. ↑ https://www.sfcdcp.org/communicable-disease/healthy-habits/how-to-put-on-and-remove-a-face-mask/
3. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/coronavirus/do-you-need-a-mask-to-prevent-coronavirus/
4. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/coronavirus/do-you-need-a-mask-to-prevent-coronavirus/
5. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/coronavirus/do-you-need-a-mask-to-prevent-coronavirus/
6. ↑ https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/know-about-proper-usage-disposal-and-reuse-of-mask/
7. ↑ https://www.sfcdcp.org/communicable-disease/healthy-habits/how-to-put-on-and-remove-a-face-mask/
8. ↑ https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2-covid-19
9. ↑ https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/n95-respirators-surgical-masks-and-face-masks
10. ↑ https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/know-about-proper-usage-disposal-and-reuse-of-mask/
11. ↑ https://www.narayanahealth.org/blog/know-about-proper-usage-disposal-and-reuse-of-mask/
12. ↑ https://www.sfcdcp.org/communicable-disease/healthy-habits/how-to-put-on-and-remove-a-face-mask/
13. ↑ https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/n95-respirators-surgical-masks-and-face-masks
14. ↑ https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/n95-respirators-surgical-masks-and-face-masks

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