There’s a term used to describe how long something will work before it breaks. That term is “Mean Time Between Failure” or MTBF for short.
I used the same face mask for the last 87 days. It’s typically kept in the cup holder in my car beneath my travel mug. If I’m going to go someplace where I’m forced to wear a mask, I stick it in my pocket until I get to the door and then I put it on. After I exit the building, “Masky” (we’ve been together so long I had to name it) immediately comes off, gets scrunched back into my pocket and ultimately ends up back in my cup holder.
That worked well for nearly 3 months. One of the strings must have gotten tangled with my car keys yesterday because when I pulled the mask out to toss it back in my car, it was broken. I tried to fix it with some duct tape, but I couldn’t get the tape to stick properly. It’s time for a new mask. RIP Masky.
So, I have concluded that the MTBF of a standard disposable face mask (as shown above) is about 3 months. However, that number is subject to environmental variables such as how many other things you have in the same pocket.
Oh, in case you’re wondering. I’m fine. Even after completely ignoring all of the best practices for wearing a mask, I’ve managed to somehow, miraculously, not catch the virus.
