Hey /sci/, I was hearing recently on the news about how a lot of people's choices in masks are fairly ineffective, so I decided I wanted to test the masks I had for which might be effective at preventing the spread of coronavirus. Given the fact that coronavirus spreads via water droplets, I developed the following procedure for an at-home mask testing:

1. Stand 1 inch away from a mirror with no mask on, breathe on it, and observe the amount of fog that develops on the glass.
2. Repeat step 1 with the mask on, trying to maintain the same level of intensity of exhalation.
3. The effectiveness of a mask can be measured by how much the quantity of fog on the glass is decreased.

I applied this test to four masks that I have been wearing. Two were standard manufactured cloth masks with ear loops. The other two were a bandana and headband that I had been wearing a few months back, folded up and with hair ties used as ear loops. From my observations, the cloth masks yielded no observable level of fog, while the bandana and headband showed no improvement. Rather than reducing the total amount of moisture, it seemed to spread it out over a larger area. I will thus not be wearing these masks any further.

Is this an okay test? I do not have a background in medicine or biology, but it seemed like a good idea. Discuss.

Pic unrelated.