COVID-19 Holiday Gift Guide

We started Fix the Mask for a variety of reasons, but among the biggest is the fact that our father is asthmatic and immunocompromised. A side effect of this is that he’s become increasingly interested in what gadgets and tools he can have at his disposal to manage his risk against airborne threats like COVID-19, the flu, smoke, and pollution.

We’ve taken this into consideration when shopping for him this holiday season, and thought you all might find it useful for any of the low risk-tolerance folks on your shopping list.* Take advantage of some Cyber Monday deals to get your shopping done early!

Introducing: Our COVID19 Holiday Gift Guide**:

Sanitizer + PPE

1. Naked Bee Orange Blossom Honey Hand Sanitizer: We love this hand sanitizer because it smells amazing, and has 70% ethanol content (The FDA recommend at least 60%). It’s way easier to have a good hygiene routine when it smells delicious. They’re offering 20% off for Cyber Monday.
2. Zubrex 3ply Safety Mask: As you know, two of the most important factors to consider when selecting a face covering are filtration efficiency, and cost per use. While we cannot guarantee the performance of this mask (we don’t make them), Zubrex is still our favorite. Based on our data, these masks achieved a whopping 96.6% filtration efficiency***. We feel like the extra protection is worth it. And at $0.25 per mask, you can’t beat the price.
3. Fix the Mask Essential Mask Brace: The final factor to consider when picking your face covering is fit, and the Essential Mask Brace checks the box on both cost and quality. When paired with a high quality surgical mask, the EMB has helped dozens of people pass fit testing to the N95 level. At $15/brace, it fits right within your holiday budget. Get a 2 pack so they can have a spare, and if you buy before 12/1 enjoy 10% of your order.

Air Quality

1. EG Air Quality Monitor: Given that COVID-19 is an airborne disease, keeping your air clean is one of the best ways to decrease risk. Interestingly CO2 levels are a great proxy for how clean your air is. Based on the Amazon reviews, the EG Air Quality Monitor seems to be the most accurate, and it’s portable. We hope our dad can use this to ensure the air in his home is clean, especially when contractors like plumbers or wifi customer support people come to help him troubleshoot household issues. At $116, it’s a bit on the pricey side, but we’re hoping the extra cost is worth it. If you find any cheaper alternatives, please leave them in the comments below!
2. LEVOIT Air filter: Beyond monitoring your air quality and keeping windows open, getting an air filter is a great way to keep your air clean. We’ve been using the LEVOIT Air filters since the California fire season in August, but there are definitely other options on the market. From what we can tell, anything with a HEPA filter should have you covered. If this is out of your price range, and you’re open to more DIY options, COVID Straight Talk has some hacks on their website to get you the same filtration efficiency for a fraction of the cost.

This year the best gift we can think of giving is peace of mind. We hope these suggestions help you knock a few items off your shopping list, and ensure you and your loved ones breathe easy.

Stay safe, and have a happy holiday season,

The Fix the Mask Team

*We know this might seem overkill with vaccines being rushed to distribution, but we aren’t out of the woods yet, and many of these suggestions will have applications for fire and flu seasons in 2021.

**We don’t receive profits from any of the products recommended on this list apart from the Essential Mask Brace. We swear these are just our favorites!

***Please note that Fix The Mask cannot guarantee filtration efficiency of any masks that you purchase, as each of our data points represent 1–3 samples from a single point in time, and we have no relationships with any of the brands to maintain their quality.