Gauze Bandage

Gauze bandage on the face - the most simple and affordable individual means of protection of the respiratory tract. Unlike pharmacy disposable masks made of polymer fibers, gauze dressings are reusable, so their use is more economically more profitable. In addition, such a remedy can easily be made independently at home.

What protects the gauze bandage?

The main purpose of the gauze dressing is to protect the respiratory organs from pathogenic viruses and bacteria that spread by airborne droplets along with particles of the saliva of the sick person during conversation, coughing, sneezing . In this way, infection can be prevented by staying in potentially dangerous places - public transport, a polyclinic, a supermarket, etc. Also, using a gauze dressing, patients with respiratory diseases can protect themselves from infection by the infection of surrounding people.

Gauze dressings protect not only from infectious agents, but can also be used in the absence of a respirator or a gas mask to protect against:

• carbon monoxide, smog, dust (pre-moistened with water);
• chlorine vapor (pre-moistened in a two-percent solution of baking soda);
• vapors of ammonia (pre-moistened in a five percent solution of acetic acid).

How to make a gauze bandage?

Before you do a gauze dressing, you need to learn how to choose a quality raw material. Gauze should have sufficient density to provide the necessary protection to the respiratory tract, let in air and allow the skin to breathe. Namely, this indicator should be 36 g / m °. If the packaging does not indicate the density of the gauze, it can be weighed: a cut of 0.9x5 m should weigh 162 g. It is also advisable to use cotton wool to improve the effectiveness of the gauze bandage. Quality cotton wool should not dust when torn off, have lumps, be bleached with chlorine.

There are several ways to make gauze bandages. Consider the stages of one of the standard options:

1. Take a piece of gauze with a size of 60x90 cm.
2. In the central part of the gauze cut, place an even layer of cotton wool with a size of 14x14 cm and a thickness of about 2 cm, or a piece of gauze of the same diameter, folded into 5 - 6 layers.
3. The upper and lower edges of the cut gauze should be folded so that a ribbon with a length of 90 cm and a width of 14-15 cm is obtained.
4. Each side fragment of the resulting ribbon is cut lengthwise to the cotton wool (folded gauze), thus obtaining two pairs of strings - for the parietal and occipital. The edges of the dressings can be sewn.

Rules for wearing gauze dressings

1. The main rule that must be observed when wearing a gauze bandage is that it needs to be changed at least every 4 hours. During this time, a large number of microorganisms and contaminants accumulate on the layers of gauze, which affect the respiratory tract. The used product can simply be washed in warm water with soap and after drying it is ironed at high temperature, after which it can again be used.
2. In conditions when the gauze dressing used for the prevention of infection with ARVI is the only one and there is nothing to replace it, it is recommended to simply iron it with an iron on both sides every two hours, and after the end of the day, it must be washed.
3. When putting on a bandage, it should be borne in mind that it should fit tight enough to the face, covering the mouth, chin and nose to the eye line. The lower ties of the article are fixed on the crown, and the upper ones behind the ears on the back of the head. It is important not to overdo it, tightening the cut ends of the bandage so that its long wearing does not cause a headache.