How to Distinguish the Front and Back of Disposable Masks?

Why should we correctly distinguish the front and back of a mask?

Many people may think it's all the same, as long as you're wearing it. This is not the case. The front and back functions of masks are different. Many masks use a three-layer design. The filter layer for filtering germs is located in the middle, the outer layer is a waterproof layer, and the inside is a water-absorbing layer. If you wear it backwards, the water-absorbing layer will become a waterproof layer, and the waterproof layer will become a water-absorbing layer. This will cause the saliva to adhere to the surface of the mask, and the more it accumulates, it may wet the mask and make the mask lose its filtering function.

How to distinguish the front and back of the mask?

First, distinguish the upper and lower parts, "the one with the metal strip is on the top", because the metal strip can be used to adjust the fit to the nose.

After the above is confirmed, let's judge which side is outside and which side is inside.

Disposable mask manufacturers have listed the characteristics of several common disposable masks, and you can judge by checking the number.

Judge by color

Generally, what we see is a blue medical surgical mask. The blue side is the outside, and the light (white) side is the inside (to the face). There are also pink and black ones, which can also be judged according to this principle.

Judge by printing

If there is a logo or brand name printed on the mask, it is easy to judge. The embossing of the logo or brand name is usually printed on the outside, and then you can know which side is outside by seeing whether the words are correct.

Judging by the direction of the folds

What if the mask you bought is pure white without any fonts? It's okay, we have an ultimate method of judgment: look at the direction of the folds!

There are two kinds of folds of the mask:

Three folds

The direction of the folds down is the outside:

Four folds

There is another kind of mask with four folds, which is better to judge. You naturally open it, the middle one is convex, then this side is the outside. In fact, it’s easy to understand when you think about it. This allows our mouth and nose to have a certain amount of space to breathe.

After spreading, the direction of the upper two folds is upward, and the direction of the lower two folds is downward.

Judge by fabric material

Didn’t I say at the beginning of the article that the design of the front and back of the disposable mask is different, and the inside is a water-absorbing layer, so the materials on both sides are also different. We can use this to judge the front and back of the mask.

Those with obvious grids look a little hard, this side is the outer waterproof surface

There is a soft fabric feeling inside.