Face Mask Material from Filti: Product Review and COUPON CODE
Face mask material made in the U.S. is now available from a company called Filti. I learned about this fabric from a reader and I wanted to show it to you in a product review video as soon as I could.
This review is totally unbiased. I ordered and paid for the filter material independently without their knowledge.
If the review doesn’t play automatically in the video player on this page, you can see it on my YouTube channel.
According to the product data sheet, this filtering material can filter out particles down to .3 micron at 95% efficiency.
Filti face mask fabric is thin and seems to be the same quality as regular surgical masks. I have been told by other readers that this material is hand washable, but to me the fabric does not seem like it would work as well if washed.
You could use it to sew pleated face masks, or make filters to go inside homemade face masks sewn from the Olson Face Mask Pattern.
I found it to be very easy to pleat and make small filters like the ones I made from a HEPA air filter.
At the time of this post, Filti face mask material costs about $30 for a sheet 28’’ wide and 10 feet long. I don’t find the cost to be unreasonable, however shipping for 2 sheets was $39. Ouch!
They need to offer more shipping options, such as U.S. Priority Mail flat rate shipping. The material I ordered could easily have fit in a medium size flat rate box and shipped for $13.20 instead of $39.
On the bright side, it only took 8 days to arrive at my home in Central Florida.
UPDATE: The people at Filti reached out to me and offered my readers 10% off using coupon code CAROLINE10.
Would this product be worth it to you? How would you use it? Let me know in the comments below.
Hope you are staying healthy and safe!
xoxo,
Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting SewCanShe when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. 🙂
I have a question about the hepa material and the batik fabric. Are they both machine washable and dryable? Thank you for that great tutorial on the hepa filter. The mask looks to hard for me to make. I wish you had an email which would make it much easier to contact you. Stella Johnson
Batik fabric is definitely washable and dryable. It holds up wonderfully. The filter fabric seems single use only. I don’t think it can be washed.
I encourage you to try the Olson Mask Pattern. Sewing patterns can be confusing if you read them without following along, but if you carefully follow each step, it will not be all that difficult.
Filti IS washable. I contacted them about a week ago. Hand wash with antibacterial soap and water. Hang dry!
Thank you!
Thank you for all these great videos. I’m just starting to make my own masks for myself and family and friends. I just ordered one sheet from Filti (which they say is enough for 50-80 masks and the shipping was $11.39. Much more reasonable than the $30 you paid. Not sure if that’s because I only ordered a single sheet or they lower their shipping costs.
Thank you SO MUCH! I ordered the Filti fabric. I only ordered one sheet and the shipping was only $11.99. (I’m in Florida too, but on the west coast.)
thank-you. I ordered some tomorrow. I hope my little bit will help.
Hi Caroline,
I tested a piece of Filtrete non-woven filter, rinsing it under running water, no soap. Not a good idea to rub the fabric as it seems to damage it. It can be rinsed and blotted dry, then allowed to air dry. I would NOT do this for masks made for medical professionals’ donated masks but for occasional personal use it does not seem to damage anything.
Thank you
Thank you for the review. I had seen this on Next Door and was wondering how thick/thin Filti was. I went to their website and to ship to my address the 107 sq ft option the shipping is $11.45 while the shipping for the 21 sq ft option is $10.51.
On the Filti material – if using as a stand alone face mask, are you doubling the material as in most face masks or are you making them with a single layer?
Hi Sylvia – I have not tried using it to make stand alone masks. If you reach out to Filti, they may be able to help. Good luck!
I would reserve this material for medical providers and other people at high risk. The general public doesn’t need it, and medical providers desperately do.
I bought some propylene tree cover bags on amazon for 9.99 and cut them up for face mask filters. Much cheaper than filti material and work the same the bags are good size and you can get quite a few filters out of them. I just used the fabric as a liner for the mask, the fabric is soft on your face
Thus company is a scam. Shipping is 1/2 the price of the item and is nothing more than olyfun.costumer
service is non existent. You need to delete this before you are associated with them.
You can onky gently hand wash it 8 times max, no dryer, hang dry, no iron.they dint mention that. Customer service is non existent. Shipping is outrageous. This company is gouging people durning a world crisis fir a simple sheet of polypropylene. I’ll stick with oky fun.
Hi Caroline! Just wanted to say thank you for all of your videos and especially the review on the Filti product. I purchased some and have made several fabric pleated masks for clinics in our area. I have been trying to find an easy way to insert the filter material into the pleated mask and am having a very difficult time. Do you have any suggestions ?
After looking at Filti’s website, which they have changed between when I placed my order and when I received my order this week, and seeing that their furnace filters are washable I bit the bullet and ordered this material. When I received it, I contacted the company about washing instructions. This is what I received back:
Thanks for reaching out regarding our Filti material. We recently tested to see if the material was as efficient after washing, and MERV rating and particle efficiency were sacrificed for washability. The virus can get attached to certain particles, so there’s no proven washing method that would eradicate the virus from the material. Instead, autoclave methods are preferred to sanitize: Heat the material to 150F for 30 min (do not iron). We aren’t currently offering recommendations on the number of times to be worn as we have not tested efficiencies or care instructions in between wearing.
Please refer to the CDC guidelines in regards to sanitizing filter material: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/decontamination-reuse-respirators.html
Stay safe
Client Services | Filti
Info@filti.com
https://filti.com/product/filti-face-mask-material/
I bought the filti fabric, and I agree it’s a better filter. My sons wash it by hand, but I’ve given them extra fabric so they can cut replacements. As for customer service, they notified me that my shipment had been lost, and within two days I had a replacement shipment in hand. I think they’ve done a wonderful job in a difficult situation.
Usually if you buy something in quantity , say 2 or more they drop your shipping cost. Why are they jacking up the price so high. Seems kind of silly. Just saying. 💕🤗
I’m guessing there’s a wrong & a right side to this material? Which side should be against the nose? For lack of technical terms, one side is smoother than the other, less “nappier”. I haven’t seen this issue addressed in any comments, and can’t help but think this matters as to the effectiveness of using the material??
Thanks sew 🧵 much. I
Well, that depends. The filtration is supposed to work with the fuzzy side toward the germs. So if you intend to protect others from your germs, place the softer side toward you. If you mean to protect yourself against others’ germs than put the fuzzy side out.
Either way, the difference in filtration effectiveness is probably small.
Does anyone have any better ideas to share? ❤️
Thanks for the links to the Olsen mask pattern and the tie ideas. A wonderful medical grade fabric company that you may want to check out is Wazoodle Fabrics. The company is independently owned by a family who worked in the medical device industry/ textile mills. All fabric is safety tested, toxin free, made in the USA. Many helpful resources are listed on the site to help with masks, gowns, etc.
as a follow-up: my package got wet when I was not home. I washed, in the washing machine, the filter not knowing I should. It did fine. Now knowing it might not hold up, what am I going to do with this material that cost 30 dollars plus UPS shipping? Why would someone suggest this item when it can not be washed? Not everyone are making masks for health care workers. At the moment I am not happy.
Thanks for the Filti tip. Much easier to work with. I got 3 sheets and only paid $13 shipping. It might also have to do with destination
Poly can be safely soaked in 70% isopropol for 30 min and then air dried. See the You Tube video from Tech Ingredients (not mine)
Filti originally marketed that fabric as washable and have since changed that claim, it cannot be laundered (not even by hand washing). They say you can sterilize the mask by placing it in an oven however this means the mask cannot be washed so I do not recommend using this as a sew-in product, maybe for the removable filter.
I just ordered a sheet. The shipping cost was the same for 2 sheets so I ordered 2! It was UPS, 2-day drop shipped, that’s why so expensive. If I order more, I’ll call first to see if I can get a slower shipping rate.
Worried about washing? Then don’t wash, just make enough masks so you can quarantine each one after you wear it. I don’t know the number of days, so I’m making my own guess.
Sheets are opaque, you can’t see shadows, or object outlines through it. Direct light is brighter. I think other products are thinner.
The bad news – Filti did not compare its filters to the more tightly woven cotton that quilters use. I emailed them over a week ago and have not gotten any response. As such, I’d sooner use a HEPA filter than their product.
The good news is that this is my first visit to your website. I really enjoy it! Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for your review. I did end up buying one of the sheets from Filti and used the coupon code. I plan on making filter inserts that I then quarantine. The good news is they reduced their shipping cost for one sheet to just under $4 for USPS and I live on the west coast of Central Florida. Thanks again and stay safe!
I just ordered the 21 sq foot piece, green which reviewers recommend so it’s easier to know which side faces outward. The discount code still works and the shipping was free via USPS. thank you so much for this review, I’ve been looking forward something like this for a long time and only now did I find your post. Thank you!
Hi Barbara too bad they didn’t respond but if you read about the nanofiber technology there is no way that cotton would ever filter out as much when used as a thin woven sheet. Also there are other sites that do compare cotton fabrics and they tend to filter about 50% of the smaller particles. One reviewer on the filti site did some home testing. Water molecules are too large to pass through. It will hold water for at least 2 minutes (they gave up trying after that) without letting a single drop thru. They could breathe thru the material but not smell anything. Molecules of odor are too large to pass thru. You can’t really say that about any cotton fabric unless it’s been treated with something that would make it impossible to breathe through. I plan to make cotton masks with removable filti filters that are shaped like my masks and gives us both comfort and protection, and style!