Facemask Grab Kit: Simple Kit for Mask Essentials

Today, there is one thing that we always have with us: face masks. Our first line of defense against viruses, face masks are essential to our new everyday life. By wearing one, we are protecting ourselves and our loved ones.

That is if we are keeping them clean.

Cleaning reusable masks ensure that the mask is clean and that any airborne particles/viruses are washed off. However, we don’t have a sink or a washing mashing with us everywhere we go.

That’s where the face mask GrabKit comes in. Using a few household materials you can have a clean and compact place to put your masks, deposit your used masks, and sanitize. All this in a box that slips right into your bag or to keep in your car. For my brother and I, incoming sophomore and eighth-grader respectively, this is something that will be essential for back to school.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

You will need the following materials:

• A clean baby wipes/disinfectant container with a small lid - This will be the container that holds your GrabKit

• Two sandwich size Ziploc bags - These two bags will each contain masks, one for dirty and one for clean masks

• A mint tin - This is where your face mask essentials will be kept, such as hand sanitizer, lip balm, and even gum (what? Ever wore a mask after eating? It’s not great.)

• Dryer sheets (Optional) - Dryer softener sheets will help keep your clean masks smelling fresh, which is especially helpful if you’re containing multiple masks for the family or packing for a trip. However, some might find that the fragrance can be overwhelming. This one’s optional.

Some tools you’ll need:

• Scissors

• Hot glue gun or tape

First, find your wipes container. This will be the GrabKit container. There should be some sort of small lid at the top of the container that would normally allow for you to pull out wipes. We're going to use this the lid for the "Dirty" mask container. In order to keep everything else in the GrabKit clean and separate from the used masks, we will attach a Ziploc bag to the underside of the lid.

Using scissors, cut a Ziploc bag along the bottom of the zip seal. You should have two pieces: the thin plastic of the Ziploc bag and the thicker plastic seal. We will only need the plastic bag.

Next, open up the container so that the inside of the lid is facing up. Open up the plastic bag and place it over the inside of the container so that the lid is inside the bag. Using a hot glue gun, glue the plastic bag to the container by lifting up the lip of the bag a little, applying a strip of glue, and then lowering the lip over the glue. By doing this in 1-inch sections, it's easier to create a tight seal. If there are any holes or leaks, use the glue to reinforce the seal. Avoid touching the plastic bag with the hot glue gun itself, as the heat will melt the plastic.

Allow to dry. Once finished, you should have a plastic bag attached to the inside of the GrabKit with the lid opening to the inside of the bag. This is where the used masks will go. Since the used masks are separated from the rest on the GrabKit, there is no contamination. While you wait for the glue to dry, there's a couple more things to get together.

Small containers like mint tins are great for storing the things you'll need in a pinch when removing or switching masks. Some examples of what you can put in this are:

- Gum, or other mints/breath fresheners

- Lip balm

- Hand sanitizer

- Disinfecting towelettes and hand wipes

This tin will go inside the GrabKit. Since the used masks are kept in a separate bag, the tin and anything inside will remain clean.

You will also need a bag to hold all of your clean masks, which is where a Ziploc will come in handy to keep those masks clean. Adding a dryer sheet can help keep the masks fresh, but beware: the fragrance can be overwhelming.

Once you've got everything together, it's only a matter of putting it all together! You'll see that I've also taken the opportunity to decorate with a few stickers. For families, using a larger container will help store more masks as well as more essentials.

And that's the Face Mask GrabKit! When changing a mask, simply slide it through the lid at the top, sanitize your hands, and put on another mask. The used masks will stay in the bag until you're ready to pop them out and wash them. With this, the used masks will not make contact with either you or your belongings.

Thank you, and stay safe everyone!