The year 2020 has thrown us for quite a loop! COVID-19 has brought about the whole issue of mask-wearing... Having a mask on hand when leaving the house is essential - especially now, when it is time to get back to school and back to work!
Our guest author Michelle Hansen created a wonderful Mask Organization and Storage System for her family!
Why a Mask Storage System is so important
Because my kids are going back to school, they need to be wearing a new clean mask every day that they go to school. But that can get confusing trying to remember which ones are clean and which ones are dirty. Because even something as simple as touching your face or rubbing your eyes has the ability to spread illness from one person to another!
I’m sure there are going to be those days when our kids forget to bring a clean mask to school. But if you create an organized system, this will make it so much easier for everyone to remember! Making sure that kids wear a clean mask to school will help decrease the spread of germs.
1. Find the right Place for your Mask Station
One of the most important parts of creating a max station is putting it in the most convenient place possible. The more out-of-the-way someone has to go to get their mask or put their dirty mask away or find the sanitizer, the less likely it will be to happen. One of the most logical places to put a mask storage system is by the door that you constantly use to come into your house.
If everyone comes into your house through the garage, then you should try to find a place to put it either in the garage or right inside the door. My mask station is right inside of our garage man door.
So as soon as my kids take off their shoes and backpack, they can put their dirty mask where it goes, and wash their hands! Or if they are leaving in the morning, they don’t have to search all over for their clean mask, they just grab one right as they ran out the door.
2. Add Accessories
Each family will be different as far as how you set up your mask station. These were the important elements that I wanted to have for our mask storage:
- A place to put our after school routine checklist
- A place to sanitize their hands
- A place to store clean masks
- A place to put dirty masks after coming home from school
- A cute reminder for my kids to wash their hands
But yours doesn’t need to have as many things as mine does. For you, it might be just as great to only have hooks to put your clean masks on, and then you throw your masks in the washer when you come into the house.
So decide all of the things that you want to be able to do at your mask station and find a wall organizer or entryway organizer that can accommodate everything you need. For you, might be simple mail organizer or a wall hanging shelf.
3. A Hook For Every Person
Depending on how many people in your family, it can get a little bit confusing whose mask is whose. For that reason, having a hook for each person can be really important.
The size of each person’s head is generally quite different and we often make an effort to get their masks to fit them just right. So keeping each person’s mask in a separate spot will really help everyone to keep their masks straight and know where to find them when they need them.
4. A Place for Dirty Masks
The most important part about this mask storage system is to have a specific place to put everyone’s dirty masks. If you have a place where the dirty masks go, then there’s no question when you grab a mask off the hook if it’s actually clean or not.
I chose this specific shelf on purpose because it had a place where I could put dirty masks until I was ready to wash them. But you could also have a small garbage can right where the kids hang up their backpacks. Or even have them throw their dirty masks in the washer after they get home from school.
5. Hand Washing Reminders and Checklist
I also wanted to have a cute reminder for my kids to wash their hands first thing when they come in the door from school. You could do this in a variety of ways or even put it on a post-it note! But I wanted to incorporate it into the mask station so it was a bit more decorative. I used my silhouette machine and cut out labels with white vinyl.
Teaching kids proper hand washing techniques is also really important! In fact, I doubt that most adults know how to properly wash their hands! It might even be fun to have a family night where you sit down and learn about germs, how they are spread, and how to keep yourself healthy!
I found this awesome infographic and printed it off and laminated it in each of my kids’ bathrooms. That way it can help them remember how to properly wash their hands.
Because my family thrives on structure, I also wanted to create an after school routine and a free checklist to help us stay on top of after-school activities and homework. I put really simple tasks such as hanging up your coat and washing your hands as a part of that list. That may seem a bit menial but habits have to start somewhere!
7. Teach Kids About Germs:
Some kids may wonder what the big deal is about COVID-19 and why everyone is making such a big deal about it. But taking the time to explain things to kids can really educate them on why we are doing the things we are doing, even if we don’t like it. I am planning on having a family night with my family where we learn all about germs, illness prevention and keeping yourself and others safe. Below are my favorite blog articles that I found with some really great ideas that kids will love!
- 10 Ways to Teach Kids About Germs
- Teaching Kids About Germs
- 11 Fun Activities to Teach Kids About Germs
Create your own organizer
Please check out Michelle's blog "Practical Perfection" for more home organization ideas.
You can find the wall mounted organizer Michelle used for her mask organizer project and similar wall organizer for your personal mask storage in the MyGift online shop.
