Coming soon to the USA Face Mask Store: The Adventure Mask 🇺🇸 Our own ear-loop FFP3, made for us by Rosimask, is crossing the Atlantic. Fold-flat, unvalved, five layers, flexible nose clip, individually wrapped. Boxes of 10 in White, Gray, Black or Navy. It's the mask we get asked for most by people who can't get on with headbands: it goes on without taking your glasses off, it packs flat in a bag, and it's the one we point to when someone needs a box by the front door for visitors. Straight answer on the rating: it has been tested and meets the standards of FFP3, which is the top disposable class under the European standard (EN 149). It is not NIOSH approval and so isn't classed as an N95. Happy to answer any questions on this topic. Which colour are you waiting on? Find it on our US store - link below 👇

A disposable mask looks like paper. It's polypropylene, elastic and metal, and it can't go in your normal recycling. Not because of what it's made of, but because of how it's made, and where it's been. A short thread on where used masks actually go 🧵👇

Both write-ups, one on disposal and one on recycling: Can Disposable Masks Be Recycled? The Current State of Play in the UK thefacemaskstore.co.uk/blog/… How to Properly Dispose of Used Face Masks (UK Guide) thefacemaskstore.co.uk/blog/…

Terminology Thursday: What's the difference between a valved and an unvalved mask? 🔍 Last week we covered the letters on gas filters. This week, the plastic disc on the front of a lot of disposables, and what it does and doesn't do. An exhalation valve is a one-way flap. Breathe in, it stays shut and air comes through the filter. Breathe out, it opens and your breath leaves through the hole. That's the whole mechanism. What the valve changes: Comfort. Warm, wet exhaled air leaves fast instead of passing back through the filter. Less heat, less moisture, often less fogging, easier breathing out on long or heavy work. This is the entire reason valves exist. Nothing about inward protection. The FFP rating is the FFP rating. EN 149 holds valved and unvalved masks to the same filtration, leakage and breathing-resistance limits, then adds extra tests for the valve itself. A clean, intact valve contributes almost no inward leakage. A dirty or curled one can, which is why valve inspection is on HSG53's maintenance list. Everything about outward protection. Your exhaled breath leaves through the valve unfiltered. An unvalved mask filters both directions; a valved one filters one. Shrouded valves don't change this. Two things worth a second look: 1. Where valves are banned, and why. NHS England issued a National Patient Safety Alert in 2021 after infections were traced to valved FFP3s and powered hoods in theatre, including a brain abscess and three cases of endocarditis. The rule now sits in the national IPC manuals: no valved respirators where a sterile field is required. If your work involves other people's open wounds or vulnerable patients, that's the model to follow. 2. Covering the valve is a bodge, not a fix. NIOSH tested it. A surgical mask over the top helped but wasn't the most effective option; tape or a pad over the valve from the inside got emissions down to about 5%, which is unvalved territory. Both can disturb the fit, and neither is how the mask was certified. If you need two-way protection, buy an unvalved mask rather than modifying a valved one. Short version: the valve is for you, not for them. Wearer-only protection (dust, welding fume, solo work): valve is fine and often kinder. Anywhere the person next to you matters: unvalved. In healthcare, note that a mask with an exposed valve isn't counted as fluid-resistant either, so look for FFP3 Type IIR if you need splash protection as well. One practical difference: on a valved disposable, only the inhale seal check works. Breathe out to test the seal and the valve just opens. Which do you reach for, and did you ever think about why?

Learn more in our blog posts: Valved vs Unvalved FFP3 Masks: Which Should You Choose? thefacemaskstore.co.uk/blog/… When Should You Use an Unvalved Mask (and When the Valve Is Fine)? thefacemaskstore.co.uk/blog/…