PLEASE DO NOT SELL MASKS FOR PERSONAL PROTECTION MADE FROM VACUUM CLEANER BAGS FOR PROFIT.
Many people are buying disposable HEPA vacuum cleaner bags and making them into homemade masks to try and protect themselves from the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus better known as COVID-19.
I understand that constructing masks made from HEPA vacuum bags may bring a little comfort during this time, but vacuum bags were never intended to be converted in such a way. I do not want people getting a false sense of security believing these homemade masks will offer protection like an approved N95 mask will do, if any. But...I get it. I had an older woman tell my wife that it was just she and her husband and something covering their face was better than nothing.
Not all disposable vacuum cleaner bags are actually made of or constructed in the same manner. Just because the packaging says HEPA filtration or the product is made from a white, cloth like material, does not indicate the material can or will filter the air the same as the next brand. High-end vacuums and their manufacturer's bags are truly engineered in a way that will give those products the best performance and filtration. These bags are constructed to filter the air from the inside out. Better HEPA bags use multiple layers of material as the air pushes through, to trap particles from exiting the thinner exterior layer. The material is constructed for vacuum cleaners in mind with no thought of any PPE application.
Please don't purchase these bags from us if you are making masks and selling them for profit. If it's for yourself please reconsider. I don't want bags that I sell contributing to someone catching or spreading the virus because they fail to maintain the guidelines that have been put in place to reduce the spread. The CDC does recommend face coverings in public to protect others in case you are a carrier and are not showing or experiencing any symptoms. The material used in HEPA bags has never been tested for use as a face mask nor has the the FDA approved such use. I know the uncertainty can be extremely stressful and creating such a mask may offer a sense of control. However, I sell these bags and I would never consider going out in public or using one when repairing a vacuum solely for protection.
Please be safe.John