MIT colleagues demonstrate that cough and sneeze micro droplets may stay airborne for up to 25 feet. With masks at a premium, many people are resorting to DIY masks made at home. Most DIY masks are made of cotton or paper towel. These materials RAPIDLY absorb water thus the virus vi·rus | \ ˈvī-rəs : a disease-causing agent that is too tiny to be seen by the ordinary microscope, that may be a living organism or may be a very special kind of protein molecule, and that can only multiply when inside the cell of an organism may get INSIDE the mask into your breathing zone. We tested some over-the-counter water repellent products to see if we could improve the performance of a home made mask. We were successful! Watch and find out how to better protect yourself from exposure to the coronavirus co·ro·na·vi·rus : any of a family (Coronaviridae) of single-stranded RNA viruses that have a lipid envelope studded with club-shaped projections, infect birds and many mammals including humans, and include the causative agents of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19 and COVID-19 \ ˈkō-vid-nīn-ˈtēn : a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 of the genus Betacoronavirus), is transmitted chiefly by contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets), and is characterized especially by fever, cough, and shortness of breath and may progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure. .