When to wear a mask around the house

I only wear mine when I dust.

I wear a mask when I dust, sweep, use cleaning supplies and water my plants. When boiling equipment, etc. (I occasionally put on a mask) I put a lid on the pot and turn on the vent to take up the steam. I used to wear a mask when I did laundry but when I went to NJH recently they said that was not necessary. I really think it all comes down to what you are comfortable with.

I never wore a mask cleaning my tiled shower and this may have been the cause of me recently being diagnosed with MAC. I now where a mask when I clean it or use any kind of sprays while cleaning other parts of my house.
I got rid of all my candles ( which I always burned) and am now wondering if my gas fireplace is ok to run. I have been wearing a mask when I go into the stores. I don't wear it to do laundry or dust, maybe I should. It's just so scary, not knowing where this nasty bacteria is.

I've become careful with opening the dishwasher after the end of a wash cycle. My hubby and I pitch in to empty it and put the dishes away. I let him open it while I stand away from it--until any steam can dissipate. If he is not around, I drop the lid open, hold my breath and walk away 'til the steam moves away from the area.

I'm the odd [wo]man out as usual.
I turned over the dusting and vacuuming to my husband & he does it when I am out of the way.
I wear an actual respirator when working with noxious fumes, fiberglass, or where there is possible mold and we are disturbing things (our house & daughters' all range from 50-70 years old.)
I wet down the soil or wear an N95 when in the garden or potting plants.
I wear an N95 in indoor crowds, airplanes or going into doctors' offices or hospitals during cold/flu season or whenever anyone asks me to do so.
Otherwise, I go naked.

So far this has worked for me. My MAC has stayed "under the radar" for four years following this protocol with airway clearance (except during Covid, of course - until the infection and hospital rates dropped very low.) I am vaxxed against everything there is a shot for. If Covid flares again (it is the lowest ever since the beginning in our state right now) the masks will come back out.

I know this approach is not for everyone, but it is working for me right now.
Sue

@brdross I am an artist too with asthma, and for years I could not oil paint with artist groups when people were using turpentine. (I also paint in watercolor.) Paint thinner and "odorless" thinners made improvements, but if you have reactive lungs, that can still be an issue. I gave up oil painting for a number of years to this, but now artists use walnut oil for a painting medium and no solvent thinners. I also found a painting gel medium that is some alkyd and some oil, so it is solvent free and I use that while painting. I don't bring out the odorless thinner at all until I clean up and I do that with a respirator on, and then it is recapped, and all the used paper towels are put in a plastic bag and tied shut. This has been good enough since I paint at home in a dedicated spare bedroom and I close the door.

Sue made a good point that it is in disturbing things are stirring up dust that causes exposure to bacteria that may be present, or if it can be atomized into water droplets. This is why I don't use a "cool mist" vaporizer, and instead, if needed, use one that creates steam by heating water, because that water is just water that changes phase from liquid to gas and doesn't take impurities with it. This is how they make distilled water which when the vapor is condensed again it becomes pure water. Of course watching humidity levels is important so you don't promote the growth of mildew. I also use HEPA filters in standalone units that also have activated carbon to absorb impurities in the air. Keeping those filters changed regularly and furnace filters is important so they don't get overloaded and start shedding airborne dirt. These filters are good enough to take solvents out of the air and I run that in my art studio.

I too had to give up painting in oils several years ago. I tried water miscible oils, but they just don't act like real oils. Just about any cleaning substance bothers my lungs, smells in general are way too obvious for my nose. I also use a mask for dusting, but fortunately I have a helper for the big cleaning, baths and kitchen. I also use air purifiers since Covid, and living in the dusty desert it is really a help. I wear a mask going out anywhere as I do not want one more issue for my lungs.
Thanks for sharing all of this. I sometimes think others think I am paranoid but too bad.

Thank you for all of your helpful painting tips. I will definitely look for oil paints made from walnut oil. I'll need to replace all of my tubes of paint, but they're very old anyway!

I found that I can wash my paint brushes with just soap and water and not use any solvents.

@brdross I don't think walnut oil is used in manufacturing oil paint because it slows the drying time a lot, so if you use it as a medium while painting, use it sparingly. Typically, they use linseed or poppy seed oil for paint. The paint does not contain solvents in it, just oil as a binder that the pigments are ground with. Walnut oil can be used to clean the brushes too, but leaves oil on the brushes. There is also a citrus based oil for cleaning brushes, and that will also slow the paint drying time if there is too much of it left in the brushes. When I have left over solvent free gel medium at the end of my painting session, I use that to remove paint from the brush, then blot with paper towels, so there isn't much left to clean. That is when I use the "odorless" solvent, wipe off all I can, and then dish washing liquid and water to clean the rest off and let it dry. The solvent free gel is an alkyd medium that can be used with oil or alkyd paint and it speeds up the drying time and is a clear gel for thinning paint and getting transparent glazes. It must be removed completely in cleaning the brush so it doesn't dry and glue it all together. I hope that helps! Happy painting!

Jennifer

Those of you with MAC- when you travel do you take a shower in a hotel room or a rental?

Mary Jane