Before you can even think about throwing a stitch, you have to first consider which fabric you’re going to use for your DIY face mask. According to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams , anyone can make a mask at home using items such as a hand towel, a bandanna, or an old T-shirt. However, these fabrications alone are really only effective for keeping germs — especially COVID-19 germs — from getting out. In other words, they’re good at halting the spread of germs from a sick person to a healthy one. Without added layers of protection, though, they aren’t likely to actually protect healthy people from breathing dangerous germs in.