One of Our Favorite Bedding Companies Has Turned its Factory Into a Mask Manufacturer

Photo credit: Matouk
Photo credit: Matouk

From House Beautiful

We love Matouk for its soft yet crisp cotton bedding. Well, turns out that same cotton is an ideal fabric for making the kind of backup masks many companiesand individuals—have begun crafting as the country faces a shortage amid the coronavirus pandemic. It's a realization that has led the company to pivot their Massachusetts factory from churning out bed and bath linens to making masks for healthcare workers.

Photo credit: Kwesi Budu-Arthur
Photo credit: Kwesi Budu-Arthur

"Our immediate reaction to the crisis was to provide the product that we know best: bed linens," Mindy Matouk tells House Beautiful. "We knew from the reports that were coming in that it was only a matter of time before temporary hospitals and shelters would be in need. All of those places were obviously happy to have bedding, but what they were pleading for was masks, something that we didn't realize we had the capacity to make."

Photo credit: Matouk
Photo credit: Matouk

When a bit of research led to the realization that Matouk's materials would make an ideal mask (in the absence of the N95 masks in short supply) the Matouk family went all in. "The masks we are making are sanitary masks and are not expected to be substitutes for the N95 and other FDA approved surgical grade masks, but are intended as best possible solution in light of the crisis situation," Mindy explains. "However, we were pretty happy to find that sheeting has been identified by several sources as the best material to use, both because of its breathability and because it does filter out 60% of particles."

Photo credit: Matouk
Photo credit: Matouk

Within a few days, the factory had produced prototypes; yesterday, they shipped their first batch of masks to Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC.: 1,000 child-sized masks and 1,000 adult masks. "We were cheering as they left the building," Mindy recalls.

Matouk expects to be able to produce 2,000 masks a day going forward and is working on collaborating with its partner mills in the Philippines to produce more. "We are in awe of doctors and nurses on the front line of this crisis and want to support them, their families and their patients," says Mindy.

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