How To Create A Mask Storage System to Keep Your Family Healthy

The year 2020 has thrown us for quite a loop! COVID-19 has brought about the whole issue of mask-wearing. I know that other countries (particularly Asian countries) have been doing this for years…but this is completely new territory for the majority of us here in America. So creating an organized mask storage system is our best bet for keeping your family healthy.

Want more ideas? Check out my other posts: After School Routine Checklist Free Printable, Our Complete Chore System + Free Chore Cards, and Free Kids Chore Chart Printables

Why Have a Mask Storage System (or Mask Station)?

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.

In my younger years before I had a family, I wanted to become a nurse. And one of the prerequisites of our nursing program was to be a Certified Nurses Assistant. Going through my CNA course really opened to my eyes to the concepts of germs spreading from one person to another and how easily things can spread if we aren’t conscious about everything that we’re doing. 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 mass 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. Now that our kids are going back to school, it’s not just Covid-19 that we’re worried about! I have a phobia for the stomach flu so I have always been a bit neurotic about germs because I hate it when my kids throw up all over everything!

Find A Convenient Storage Space

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.

Decide What You’ll Need at your Mask Station

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 shelf or hook system that can accommodate everything you need.

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.

I have masks that fit my youngest boy perfectly but the same mask will make my middle son’s ears poke out way bad. Over time, that will get really painful on his ears so making sure that each person has their own fitted masks will be really helpful…especially because they’ll have to wear them at school all day.

A Place to Put 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.

Hand Washing Reminders

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 this file from the Silhouette Store 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 from a website called Freepik 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.

After School Routine Checklist

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!

If you want to download the after-school routine checklist, you can check out my other post or I talk all about it. I even include a blank checklist so that you can edit the checklist and put whatever things you want!

Other Great Resources to 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