Using a Mask for my Health!

[Paula Ford]

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to tell you about my recent struggle with breathing. For the last couple of months I've been having a hard breathing after painting. I don't think I was blowing on my work, but was tapping the excess pastel into the trash every few minutes. Well, it was getting into the air so much, by the end of the night of painting, I could hardly breathe, and my eyes have been running, red and itchy all the time whether I'm painting or not.

So, I came here to WC and did a search for "masks" and decided, after much research and trial and error with other masks that I bought at Lowes or WalMart, that I'd purchase the Totobobo mask.

Let me first I am not associated with the makers of the Totobobo mask. I just feel strongly about what I am about to tell you. This mask may have saved my life.

First, the mask is made out of a rubbery material, so it sticks naturally to your skin. It is a bit tricky to learn how to put it on, but once you've got it, you've got it. At first, there was a slight gap near the nose area and I could feel the air coming in around my nose, so I wrote to the makers of this mask and they responded very quickly and told me what to do and it worked perfectly! Since I found the perfect position on my face for my mask, I no longer have any problems with breathing...at all...period. My nose has cleared up, my eyes are no longer irritated, I don't cough or sneeze at all any more. And, it's comfortable! I hardly know I'm wearing it!

I feel it has given me the freedom to continue using my pastels. Oh my gosh, I could NOT imagine not painting with pastels. My heart would just die!

So, I'm hear to tell you, if you EVER have any breathing problems due to pastel dust, please buy this mask. It will make all the difference in the world and it may just save your life.

Take care of yourself and love yourself enough to prevent any future problems. There is only one of you and you are the only one that can keep yourself healthy.


Love & Hugs,
Paula

[DAK723]

Thanks Paula for the info. I usually wear a mask while painting, but it is neither comfortable nor that tight fitting. I will have to check it out!

Don

[sundiver]

Two words, Paula: oil pastels

[nvcricket]

Paula,

I also have this mask, and it is very comfortable. The only thing you need to do is change out the filters now and then. As it's plastic it is also washable, and I check the website they are antibacterial as well (handy to have in a flu epidemic). I am not affiliated with this company either.

Paula, what do you do to resolve all the dust that settles out in your studio area? Damp mop?

Carol

[Paula Ford]

LOL...Wendy!

Carol, I just vacuum and dust, and when I'm not in the room my air filter is running.

So glad you reminded me of that Carol. It's easy to wash, and the filters are easily replaced.

[Paula Ford]

Oh, when my husband gets home, I'll have him take photos of me in my mask so you can see what it looks like and how we took care of the airflow around the nose problem. It will be at last next Monday though.

[ourcassidy!]

Great thing to learn about Paula...Thanks! I have been told using the vac for our pastel dust is actually something we should not do because the parts are so small they actually can ruin the motor of a vac...can anyone here shed some light on this...Thanks, Pam

[Paula Ford]

I haven't heard about that Pam...interesting.

[DAK723]

Believe me, I am no housekeeping expert - in fact I don't even know the terms for this, but the last time I bought vacuum bags they seemed to come in two varieties - regular and micro-filter (or something like that). I bought the micro-filter ones which hold much smaller particles in the bag. I have never had any problems and vacuum every time I use the pastels. Does anybody understand what I am talking about?? - I am not even sure I understand myself...

Don

[Eleonora Manapova]

I tried to use a mask when I was painting with oils, failure! I bought it in Home Depot - you'll get dizzy soon even without fume so I thought its not a solution, so I switched to the acrylics ... I wish I could know that there is some mask you can actually work in .. Thank Paula for let us know about it!

[snowfall]

Paula - Glad you have managed to find an effective mask. It would be awful for you to have to give up your pastels. Whenever I use a mask my glasses just steam up and I can't see anything.

Would I still need to wear a mask if I was just using harder pastels like FC Polychromos and pastel pencils, (oh, and also rembrandt pastels). I don't blow away the dust myself I use a small blower thingy out of a camera cleaning kit. Is this more of a soft pastels problem? Thankfully, I don't have any problems with breathing but I want to suffer in the future.

Pam

[Colorix]

Paula, so glad you found a solution!

I've ruined a vacuum cleaner with fine dust, but not pastel dust. I was 'rebuilding' the smoothness of the living room walls after taking down horrid structured wallpaper, and chunks of wall... Filling holes in, sanding with a machine, and using vacuum cleaner to catch the sanded dust. Had to stop when flames came out of the engine of the vacuum cleaner... Mind, this was *enormous* amounts of very fine dust that floated in the air, and it happened before microfilter bags existed. Point is, yes, you can destroy the vac with dust, if you try hard enough... :-)

I have an air purifier/filter on the table, next to my pastel set-up, and always use it when painting. It is one of those machines for allergic people, with hepa filters, and it makes wonders. The airborne dust just flow into the machine like smoke, and stays in the filters, it is not spit out again.

Sometimes masks do not mist up glasses if the upper edge of the mask is put under the... the... What do you call those two thingies that rest on one's nose? they hold the mask tight enough to not let lots of air escape that way.

I'm allergic to lots of stuff, which means my mucuous membranes are sensitive, and find pastel dust to be an irritant. Soft surgical masks *and* the filter/purifier allows me to paint.

Oil Pastels are fun too, btw, and you have to get really close to my paintings to see a difference between softies and oilies.

Charlie

[Paula Ford]

Originally Posted by Nandia

I tried to use a mask when I was painting with oils, failure! I bought it in Home Depot - you'll get dizzy soon even without fume so I thought its not a solution, so I switched to the acrylics ... I wish I could know that there is some mask you can actually work in .. Thank Paula for let us know about it!

All masks are NOT the same! This mask provides a complete seal and you can easily and effortlessly breath normally.

Originally Posted by snowfall

Paula - Glad you have managed to find an effective mask. It would be awful for you to have to give up your pastels. Whenever I use a mask my glasses just steam up and I can't see anything.

Would I still need to wear a mask if I was just using harder pastels like FC Polychromos and pastel pencils, (oh, and also rembrandt pastels). I don't blow away the dust myself I use a small blower thingy out of a camera cleaning kit. Is this more of a soft pastels problem? Thankfully, I don't have any problems with breathing but I want to suffer in the future.

Pam

I wear glasses and because this masks seals completely, it does not fog up my glasses. That is one of the reasons other masks have been so awful. They all fogged my glasses.

The harder pastels definately cause more dust than the softer ones Pam. Any pastels will cause particles to float in the air.

[CJMonty]

Am interested in seeing a photo of this mask Paula, sounds like a sensible idea. Is there a web site at all where we can have a look at this mask. Are they available outside of America?

Thankyou
Lots of Love Carolynn

[Paula Ford]

I bought mine here (California) http://totobobo.com/blog/?page_id=98