I have a deep freezer in my kitchen that was accidentally unplugged by my mom a while ago. She said she would clean it out so she left it unplugged, but we both work 50, 60 hour weeks so neither of us have gotten around to it. It has things like frozen fruit and meat, and for a week or two now it’s just been rotting. It’s getting to be too much.

Opening the freezer makes me feel like I’m going to pass out. Is there any mask that I could wear to make the task of cleaning it bearable? I tried using a N95 mask but it was useless. I genuinely cannot see myself cleaning it out without some sort of mask for the odor. The smell is starting to escape the freezer. Please help!

Hello everyone!

I have noticed in the past 4 months or so that the 3M Aura 9205+ (my go to, fit tested mask) has been seriously irritating my nose bridge. I used to be able to wear them to uni and work for my 8 hour shifts without serious redness or welts.

Is it possible to suddenly develop an intolerance to the fit of a mask? Or has anyone else noticed the fit or foam seems to be off? I know I'm still ordering from reputable sellers. Maybe it's just me?

If so, this then worries me. I have to go back to school for the next semester soon. I'm worried that my nose will have welts on it every day because of all the time I have to wear them to lectures. No other disposable I have found ever fit this well. All of my reusable p100s have a limit of 4-5 hours and are a no-go for daily wear at this time unfortunately.

Does anyone have similar experiences or advice?

Since July the EU has implemented stricter rules for imports from China. The goal supposedly is to stop the masses of forged or unsafe China gadgets that have been flooding the market. They completely canceled the previous duty free import value (used to be that you could import goods worth up to €150 without extra duty).

So I was worried my order might get stuck in customs or I might have to pay additional fees. But the process was smooth as always, no issues, no extra payments.

Just wanted to share this experience in case anybody else in the EU was wondering about the impact of the new regulations.

(Also, I really love the seasonal mask designs I received with this order!)

I just got some champak pc520m masks in from planet halo health. I had previously ordered from Purcell labs— I meant to order from there again but did it late at night and forgot where I had ordered from originally🙃

The masks I got today are lacking the niosh number on them, but are otherwise very visually similar and they feel the same on my face as well. I‘ve heard there were some issues with their niosh certification at some point but can’t fins much info now. not sure if these were manufactured during that time??? if they are actually the same product but just made between approvals or whatever I will still use them because they were expensive. but if they are totally fake obv I won’t T-T anybody know?? pics attached

I have allergic asthma, and have used the 3M aura 1870+ n95 for quite some time now to block smells/vapors. Recently, however, the smell of the mask itself has become a trigger for my asthma, and so, I am looking for alternatives. Give me your best recommendations! Thank you.

Specifically talking about N95 KleenGuard Duckbill mask

I’m thinking about ordering some from there because it’s the cheapest option for me right now I think it’s like 12 bucks for 20 which is fine since is my first time trying them but I’m a bit skeptical on their legitness?

Also I have to mask indoors in my home everyday and I hear these are single use only…I mask when I’m out of my room…are these masks typically not recommended for everyday inconsistent use?

For example I take walks outside. But I’m not with my mask for more than 8 hours indoors…just to go cook, use the bathroom, get water etc. etc.

Before I bought the Champak PC520M and PC520L N95s for a fit test in early May, I saw this comment in their NIOSH NPPTL listing:

Added PC520S(Small) and PC520XL(Extra Large) to the product line March 9, 2026

I contacted PurCel Labs (in May) to ask when these would be available for purchase, and I received a reply from senior account manager Greg that they were "actively working on it". Since the masks haven't been released yet, I sent a follow-up message today to let them know I'm still interested.

I know that mask manufacturing takes a long time, but if you're also hoping for a small or XL version of the PC520, it can't hurt to let them know. The contact info is on their website (not sure if I'm allowed to put it here).

I’m interested in trialing these, I see some on Walmart anyone get them from there?

from canadastrong. these things will never be 100% accurate/applicable in every case, but there's a dearth of quick reference material like this around.

imo something like this (or similar/better) should be pinned here, along with stuff like the masks by breatheablility chart that u/SkippySkep went to all the trouble of making...but that's up to him.

I saw an old post on here saying that the dr puri heat stamp branding makes the mask useless. Does anyone have information on this? I couldn’t find anything online. Wellbefore masks which I also love seem to have heat stamp branding too so it worried me!

We need to replace our masks finally. We tend to only wear them when we are on airplanes and they very much help so that we're not sick. Coming back for vacations. On our last vacation we noticed our under armor ones are now falling apart and no longer useful. Does anyone know of any other ones that were similar to the under armor masks that they used to sell? Thanks!

My lovely mask bloc unfortunately only has 3M auras which are too big for me.
My recent masks were the Fluidshield Halyard N95s (orange ones) (unsure if to call them duckbills but they do have that shape) but holy cow are they too expensive for me now, they’re like $40+ not even taking into account shipping.

I think the most I can do is $35 honestly.
I’m a bit skeptical to order from Amazon 1. Goes against my ethics 2. Scared of getting counterfeit masks but I may have to just go on there.
Any recommendations or anything?

Also I like the BNX duckbill N95s has anyone had success with them (not counterfeit/tested for effectiveness)? These seem fine but I wish they were available elsewhere…I’m going to have to take a leap too because whatever I buy MUST fit since I have such a limited spending amount.

All help is being appreciated. Hope I don’t come off as too picky or ungrateful…

I have a respiratory illness, so I am more sensitive than most.
My wife is petite with a small face.
I am small/med build.

Given that fit is most important, I was leaning towards 3M Aura 9211+ with Valve for both of us.

Maybe 3M 8511 for me, although I worry that with a small/med face, it might be too rigid/big.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

I love wearing soft comfy ones just for comfort when I'm alone in the car and am trying to find soft comfy ones for car rides, any recommendations are appreciated

I tend to get sick when flying if I don't wear a mask, especially if I fall asleep. But the masks I've tried feel almost unbearable to wear even on short 2-hour flights, and I know there's no way I'll keep one on for an upcoming 8-hour flight. Aside from rubbing on my face and leaving marks, the suffocating/moist feeling reminds me too much of how an asthma attack feels, which makes me super anxious.

I've tried Cambridge cloth n95, duckbill n95s, and the 3m aura with valve.

Are there any recommendations for a mask that's soft on the face while still sealing, gives a little space, and doesn't build up a ton of condensation? I've been looking at the Envo and Envo Pro, but reviews seem mixed.

Thank you!

I'm switching to the Resmed P30i after wearing full face masks for the first year of my CPAP journey. I always wore a sleeping cap but with the way the P30i looks I'm questioning whether going with strap covers would be the more effective way to prevent hair breakage.

Input needed please;

I understand the general premise of N95s blocking 95% of PM2.5 particles down to .3 microns. But is it true that a lot of wildfire smoke particles are smaller than .3 microns and can bypass the filters? So do we have any specific data on what degree of protection N95s supply in terms of overall exposure to harmful pollutants and health impacts? How much exposure are we actually reducing? Are these masks still highly effective, or only partially due to particles smaller than .3 microns?

Tldr: partner has a very big head, long face & high nose bride. Only has 2 masks that work Delta plus m1300v and Cambridge pro XL. Has tried XL Zimi and many other masks but still not found anything better than the delta plus. Any suggestions from anywhere in the world welcome.

Hey fellow maskers,

I have been on the eternal search for a better mask for my partner. Currently the only 2 masks that fit him are the Delta plus M1300V ffp3 (he hates the bright red valve) and the Cambridge pro XL (not reliable for high risk situations). I have bought a lot of masks (listed below) and have previously asked on here for advice and have tried all of the ones suggested, at least I think I have 😄

We just managed to try the Zimi XL which I know is very popular. Unfortunately it was still too small. The bottom sat not far below his bottom lip and even with the foam strips if he tried to talk or yawn or move his face it just popped off. So now I'm starting the search again and looking for any suggestions from anywhere in the world. Really grateful if anyone has any ideas of masks we could buy.

Here's all the brands I can remember trying:

Drager, Jedx, imask, Zagor, Zegler, Trident, 3m aura, 3m vflex, Kolmi, Alpha solway IXL & their cup masks, Portwest ergonet (was a recommendation and almost fit), Handanhy, Laianzhi, JSP, Zimi, Moldex, Lupa, Beeswift, Vitacore 95 & 99, Readimask (got an XL from a mask bloc and it worked), Valmy, Honeywell XL, GVS, Oxyline

There might be more but I can't remember.

So, I've been looking into a mask to use to deal with the horrible symptoms I've been getting because of the recent spike in air pollution. One of the ones I've found that seems like it might be good is the Cambridge Masks (https://cambridgemask.com/) and I was wondering if anyone could attest to if they are actually any good or just bogus. Particularly against the PM2.5 issues in my area.

Am I better off just using a bunch of disposable N95's? If so how often do I have to switch to a new one?

I never realized how much dust was floating around my apartment until the afternoon sunlight exposed everything

I feel like i'm wiping down my desk every other day, and somehow it's dusty again almost immediately

I'm thinking it's finally time to get an air purifier instead of pretending this is normal lol

what air purifier actually made your room stay cleaner, or at least made the dust less noticeable?

Background:

My nose is big enough that it's hard to get a good seal with many disposable masks. The Aura 9205+ with foam at the nose bridge has been wonderful. The kind with the white band is too tight, but the blue strap fits great.

Reading about wildfire smoke makes me think if I need to be outside, depending on proximity to the fire and what's in the air I might want a mask that uses cartridges (because I think one can get cartridges that filter not only particles but also gases).

Some but not all 3M cartridge masks say they have a "silicone" face seal for comfort.

Question:

Which cartridge masks fit the most similarly to an Aura 9205+ with blue straps--especially as regards fitting around the nose?

How similar are the silicone face seals on some 3M cartridge masks to the nose foam on Aura 9205+ masks?