Using a face mask has become commonplace throughout much of the world, aimed at halting the spread of the Coronavirus. Even once the pandemic has passed, mask-wearing will likely continue to become much more commonplace, as it has in Asian societies before us. Using masks to retain moisture, to prevent the spread of seasonal illnesses, and to protect yourself from airborne particles is a great idea, and we’re happy to see it spread, even if the circumstances are unfortunate.

One problem you’ve likely experienced – both before the pandemic, if you’re a regular mask-wearer, and during the pandemic now – is forgetting your mask. Just like your phone, your watch, your wallet; your mask is an accessory that isn’t strictly necessary to have when you leave your house, in the way your keys or your pants are. It’s easy to let it slip your mind and arrive at your destination lacking a mask to get in.

There are solutions to this problem. We have several recommendations for ways you can remember your mask before you’ve reached a point where you’re stuck without it. Here are our six best tips.

1. Carry a Mask Accessory Case

Some masks (including ours) come with a storage case or bag to hold them when you’re not using them. If yours does, feel free to use it. If it doesn’t, you can pick up a case or pouch from pretty much anywhere these days; Etsy and Amazon both have options available, and to be honest, any relatively small case you can carry with you will work.

There’s just one trouble with many mask cases; they’re not exactly sterile. They protect your mask from outside contaminants, but they don’t protect it from whatever is inside the case. That means if you put a dirty mask inside a case, that case is now dirty, and you should avoid storing a clean mask in the case.

Our solution is to keep two or more cases on hand. One case should be clean and able to store your clean mask when you’ve washed it. Once you’ve washed a mask and dried it, put it in the clean mask case.

The other case is for your dirty masks. After you’ve worn a mask – whether it’s through a shift at work or just through a short trip to the grocery store – be sure to store that mask away in the dirty mask case.

You can keep as many cases around as you have people who need masks, as well. This is great for families; each person in the family, children included, gets their own mask case. You can encourage mask usage by allowing the kids to pick out their masks and their cases, and even decorate the cases with stickers and other treats.

You only need one dirty mask case, and you should still clean that case from time to time. Additionally, if you carry several clean masks for each person (more on this in a moment) you can store all of the clean masks in clean cases, and use one larger dirty mask case for the used masks.

This is assuming you’re using reusable, washable masks, of course. If you’re using disposable paper masks or surgical masks, you don’t need to worry about saving or reusing the dirty masks, and just need a storage case for your clean masks.

Finally, we recommend skipping out on the “sanitizing” mask cases. There are a lot of products entering the market that claim to be cases using UV light to sterilize a mask while you’re not using it. UV sterilization is a complicated process, and may not be effective, especially if you’re getting it from a box you bought for $40 on Amazon.

2. Keep a Backup Mask (or Two) on Hand

Perhaps one of our best tips is to keep backup masks anywhere you think you might want one. Usually, one or two in the car is the best choice, followed by keeping one in a coat pocket, in a first-aid kit, or in another handy location. Many businesses will not let you in if you don’t have a mask, and rather than having to run all the way back home if you forgot yours, it’s easiest to just pull one out of the glove box.

In fact, keeping several backup masks on hand at any given time helps ensure that you’re always going to have one on hand. It’s one thing to have several clean masks in a single case, but if you forget that case, what are you going to do? If you have one stored in your car hanging on the mirror, one in the glove box, one in the trunk, and/or one in your coat pocket, you’ll always have one on hand.

Just remember not to use a mask and then store the dirty mask back in your glove box. Masks can remain contaminated for days, and in some cases can contaminate other things in the same container they’re stored in.

This is actually the reason we’re a little hesitant to really recommend storing a mask in your pocket. Keeping a clean mask in your pocket or your purse is fine if your pocket or purse is clean itself. Dirty masks should always be kept inside something that prevents them from contaminating other surfaces or items you use.

3. Hang Your Mask Visibly

One of the most common tips we’ve seen, and one we also agree with, is to keep a mask hanging in a visible location you’re guaranteed to see before you leave or get to your destination.

Probably the most common location to hang your mask is hanging on your rear-view mirror in your car. You don’t need to wear a mask in your car (unless you’re driving with people who don’t live with you, in which case everybody should wear a mask in the car), but having one with you in the car is a good idea in case you need to stop.

Many people these days leave their masks hanging from their rear-view mirrors unless they need to take them inside to wash them. The trick, of course, is remembering to put your mask back in your car when you’ve washed it.

Another option is to hang your mask from a hook near your door, or even from your doorknob, though hanging it in such a rarely-cleaned location might not be a good idea. In any case, hanging your mask somewhere visible is always a good way to help ensure that you bring it with you when you go anywhere.

4. Put Your Mask Somewhere Visible After Washing

The number one cause of forgetting a mask is washing the mask and failing to remember it once it has been washed. Whether it’s put on a table to bring back to the car, or just buried in with the rest of the laundry, it’s not where you’re used to seeing it, so it’s easy to forget about it.

There’s not a lot you can do about this if you have trouble remembering things out of the ordinary when they’re tacked onto your daily routine. The best advice we can give you is to hang your mask somewhere visible when you’re done washing it. The aforementioned car mirror, doorknob, or table are good places, if and only if you’re actually looking in those places before you get to your destination.

To be completely honest, the best thing you can do is keep multiple masks in rotation. Any time you need to bring a mask in and wash it, put a clean mask in its place so there’s one there for you the next time you need it.

You can even “punish” yourself with a worse mask than your standard mask as a backup. A mask that isn’t as comfortable, or a mask that doesn’t have an ear saver or even just one with a style you don’t like as much all work. This kind of negative reinforcement can remind you to take care of the cause of the problem next time, to keep it from happening.

Another common option we’ve seen is mounting a mask hook near your door. These are just like coat hooks or jewelry or accessory hooks. In fact, the same products can be used for both purposes. If you like the idea of a hook, there are a lot of options available, in different styles and presentations. You can even make a family event out of decorating a mask hook, with each person getting their own hook to hang their own masks.

5. Keep Your Mask with Your Keys

Another strategy you can use is to keep your mask alongside something you need before you can go anywhere. Usually, this is going to be your keys. You can’t go drive to the store or anywhere without your keys, you can’t lock your front door without your keys (unless you’re inadvisably using a smart lock), and you probably don’t leave the house for any length of time without your keys in a pocket.

So, keep your mask with your keys. A mask pouch or case is recommended here, as keys are often quite dirty and rarely cleaned, but keeping your mask in the same place as your keys helps ensure that you always bring your mask with you.

If you have a relatively small and flexible mask, like a cloth mask (as opposed to a face-covering mask, or even a mask with a stiff nose piece), you may even be able to use a small pouch that you attach to your keys with a keychain. Normally the idea of a keychain mask would be a joke with a tiny mask, but a cloth mask can often fold up nicely and be stored in a relatively small space.

Alternatively, simply attach the mask to your keys via a binder ring through the ear-strap. This helps keep your mask separate from your keys, but still attached, so it’s there when you leave.

6. Accessorize with Mask Chains

A final option we have to recommend is making a mask accessory part of your daily outfit. You have a few options here.

The first option is a mask chain. A mask chain is similar to the chains you might attach to the earpieces of your glasses so that when you take your glasses (or the mask) off, it hangs about your neck.

Yes, we know that the general recommendations are to avoid taking your mask off and hanging it around your neck. The reason for this is because it spreads contamination to your chin and neck, and from your chin and neck back to your mouth. Essentially, it removes a good portion of the protection a mask gives you, and others around you.

This is different if your mask is attached to a longer chain, and doesn’t press against your chin or neck. This allows it to hang free, lower down on your chest, where it’s more out of the way and more comfortable.

There are hundreds if not thousands of styles of mask chains available, ranging from plastic beads on strands with clasps all the way up to gold chains with gemstones in them. This makes them great as accessories you can use to match with your outfit and keep on hand with your mask.

It may take a little getting used to, but wearing a mask chain can be a pleasant accessory to help tie your mask in with the rest of your outfit.

A similar option is to use a neck extender or ear saver of some sort for the same purpose. Make the ear saver part of your outfit – like headbands – and you’ll be more inclined to remember the mask that attaches to it.

That said, these are just a few of the better tips that we’ve seen and tried for ourselves. If there are any tips that we may have missed that you know of, be sure to leave us a comment down below! We’d love to hear all your thoughts on this topic.