Clear face mask reviews get started
The Let’s Be Clear campaign is asking the people of Gloucestershire to consider wearing a clear face mask. But with so many to choose from, how do you know which is best?
We recently ordered a selection of clear masks from different suppliers and reached out to people across different sectors in Gloucestershire to try them out. We wanted to know if they are comfortable and feel secure to wear, if they are easy to clean and maintain, how much they help with clearer communication, and how other people react to clear face masks.
The reviews have started coming in, and – as we expected – there’s not a clear winner! Some people are reporting panels fogging up (see below for a tip to overcome this) and others have told us positive stories of people loving the difference it makes.
Our reviewers are certainly getting lots of interest in their clear face masks, highlighting that many of us want to know more about easier communication and connection!
Here are some of the comments so far:
“Everyone seemed interested and said they hadn’t thought about masks being difficult for anyone before, so it was a great way into talking about communication disabilities.”
“The best thing about wearing a clear face mask in my experience is that people ask me why I wear it, especially children, which gives us the opportunity to talk. A lot of people are unaware of the challenges, particularly in communication, that some people face when others wear masks that aren’t clear.”
“Yes, it has most definitely made communicating easier. I work with very old people and they are often hard of hearing and get very frustrated when I’m wearing a regular mask, as they cannot lip read. This has made both our lives slightly easier and has definitely improved communication. Lots of people commented positively on the mask whilst I wore it in public.”
So, the jury is still out on which clear face masks work well but watch this space as more reviews come in – we’ll be back soon with an update!
In the meantime, if you have tried a clear face mask that works well for you, we would love to hear from you. Get in touch with Lucy via lucy.adam@barnwoodtrust.org
Handy tip: to prevent fogging of your clear panel mask, have a look at the toothpaste trick on our ‘Make clear face masks’ page here.