Heat-based Decontamination of N95 Masks Using a Commercial Laundry Dryer

We propose a dry heat method for decontaminating N95 masks of SARS-CoV-2, designed around placing them in resealable plastic bags, packed in large cardboard boxes installed at the rear end of commercial laundry dryers. Our protocol rests on data collected in collaboration with Alliance Laundry Systems (ALS) and the CDC/NIOSH laboratories, under the “NPPTL Respirator Assessments to Support the COVID-19 Response” initiative. We test the two most widely available ALS tumbler models, the UTF75N and UT075N, and show that if our procedure is carefully followed, the masks will be subject to suitably high and stable temperatures for decontamination; in particular the masks will be heated to at least 80 °C for at least 65 min. For the mask models 3M 1860, 3M 8511, and Halyard 62126, we establish that they pass quantitative fit tests and retain sufficient filtration performance after three cycles of our decontamination procedure. All masks used in this study were new and uncontaminated: the evidence for the levels of biological inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 is provided by [1]. While the protocol outlined here is currently specific to certain tested dryer models, this equipment is widely available, with machines estimated to be within 15 minutes of most US hospitals. Models from other manufacturers may also be appropriate for this decontamination method, though we stress the need for explicit testing on alternative models before use.