FAQ
Properties of TOTOBOBO mask
How long does the anti-virus agent last?
The TOTOBOBO anti-virus agent lasts for the entire product lifetime.
Is the anti-virus property affected by washing or disinfection?
The anti-virus agent is embedded in the mask body, it will not be washed off or rubbed off from the mask.
What is the weight of the TOTOBOBO mask?
The complete assembly of the TOTOBOBO mask including the filter and the strap is 20g, by far the lightest reusable respirator in the market.
Does the mask interfere with spectacles?
TOTOBOBO mask does not interfere with spectacles (glasses), because it is very thin and light weight which can follow the nose profile closely.
What is the largest (and smallest) face size that TOTOBOBO can fit?
TOTOBOBO mask can fit most adults right out of the package. It can also be trimmed to fit smaller faces such as those of children and Asian female. The face-length (distance from eye-level to chin bottom) it can fit is from 83mm to 128mm.
How many times can you reuse the mask?
You can reuse the mask many times if you use it and keep it with care. In normal usage condition there should not be any issue to reuse the mask for 50 or even over 100 times.
Will the strap lose the elasticity after many times of reuse?
Unlike the cheap strap of disposable mask, the TOTOBOBO super elastic strap is made of a very pure ingredient. It can endure well over 5000 times of stretches without damage.
I am allergic to rubber, is the strap made of rubber?
The strap contains no rubber, or any other irritant substances. It is safe to contact the human body.
Use of the mask (first time use)
How do I put on the mask?
Please check the demo page
Will the mask fit my face?
TOTOBOBO mask is made of very flexible material, together with the ergonomic nose profile design, it can adapt to many adult faces without modification. If it doesn’t fit your face, read on the following answer.
How do I ensure the mask fit my face and forms a good seal?
When a mask touches your skin, there is a seal where air can not go through. A continuous seal is necessary to form a complete loop to enclose the nose and mouth in order to prevent pollutants from leaking into the breathing zone. All face masks require a fit-test to validate proper face seal. However, in many practical situations, such as in an emergency or at home, either fit-test facility is not available, or it is too impractical and time-consuming. TOTOBOBO provides the best alternative called “Clear-Seal check”. Carefully examine the peripheral and underneath the mask; to check if a continuous seal exist surrounding your nose and mouth.
If the seal breaks at some point, it can be improved simply by adjusting the position and the tension of the strap.
If the mask is too big, trim the mask smaller to try again.
There may be a small gap around the nose bridge area. In this case, trimming away the edge that presses deep into your cheek will help to close the gap.
How do I know if the strap (loop) is the correct size?
For optimal comfort (e.g. woodturning), the strap can be adjusted to provide sufficient tention to hold the mask on your face, yet soft enough to allow exhale air to be released between the edge of the mask and the face.�
for optimal safety (e.g. hospital), the strap should be tighten such that the mask maintain a good seal regardless of inhale or exhale.
How can I adjust the strap if it is not too loose or too tight?
You can optimize the mask wearing security and comfortable by adjusting the size of the strap-loop. To adjust the strap, press on the release knob on the adjustable clip. Adjust the starp so that it provide the suitable level of force.
open up the strap clip by pressing on the two little dots to release the catch. Fasten the clip after adjusting the strap.
Reuse of the mask
Do I need to clean or disinfect the mask for reuse?
For protection against non-contagious pollution, such as traffic pollution, dust or fine particles, there is no need to disinfect the mask. TOTOBOBO mask contains Silver ion, an anti-virus agent. This active agent limits the growth and slowly kills the bacteria or viruses chance on its surface. For most non-contagious situations, it is safe to reuse the mask after 24 hours of leaving it in a clean environment. However in situation that the mask may be contaminated with contagious viruses or bacteria, or when working in critical area in hospital (e.g. ICU), you will be required to disinfect the mask before it can be reused.
How can I clean/ disinfect the mask?
The mask can be disinfected by washing it with disinfecting soap, (like washing your hands), rinse it and letting it dry in a clean environment before reuse.
Do I need to clean/ disinfect the strap as well?
It is a good practice to clean /disinfect the strap together with the mask. Although the entire strap is on the outside of the mask during use, there is a part which can get very close to the eyes, if not careful, virus or bacteria may be on the strap may be accidentally transported to the eyes.
Filters
How do I change the filters?
Use the protruding lid to bend open the filter cap. Replace the filter inside, close and lock the filter cap afterwards. To minimize contamination, change the filter after cleaning/ disinfecting the mask. If that is not possible, change the filters in a clean environment and take care not to touch the inside of the mask during this operation.
How long does the filter last?
The effective usage time of the filter depends on a number of factors: – Concentration of contamination – Breathing rate – Heat – Humidity – Hygiene factors. These factors depend on your location and different environment. As a role of thumb, you should change the filters when the white filter turns grey. The filter should be changed before the particulate overloaded. It is recommended a filter should not be used longer than a month, even there is no signs of color change.
For more details: http://totobobo.com/blog/how-long-can-the-filter-last/
Features
Advanced features of TOTOBOBO
Anti Virus = Auto-disinfection
TOTOBOBO� mask contains BioCote�, a silver based anti-microbial agent. The silver ion ingredient provides continuous antimicrobial properties through out the life time of the product. BioCote® effectively inhibits the function, growth and reproduction of a wide range of micro-organisms. Silver ion based antimicrobial additives have been proven to work throughout history. It is not toxic, flammable nor corrosive and will not cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics.
BioCote� active ingredients are registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
One Mask Fits All
The patented TOTOBOBO� mask is the world first customizable mask designed to fit all face shapes (face length 85mm~135mm).
Visual Seal Check (VSC)
A quick Visual Seal Check (VSC) is all you need to ensure good face seal. It’s much more intuitive and 100 times quicker than typical fit-test.
We validated the VSC with the golden standard fit-test- TSI PortaCount Plus quantitative fit test system, so you don’t have to do it again. Your time can be saved for more important tasks.
Reusable
Normally, you have to dispose away the whole disposable respirator after use, including the rubber band and the metal nose clip. With TOTOBOBO, the only thing you need to dispose of is the used filter. It is a lot more eco friendly, consider the millions of disposable respirators dump into the land fill every day.
Reuse is safe, easy and does not require special equipment for disinfection. Just wash the mask with soap and rinse it with water and dry. Pop in a new filter and snap the filter cover back on and the mask is ready to be used again.
High Filter
High Efficient Filter combines high filtration efficiency (protection) with high flow rate (ease of breathing).
It makes breathing through the mask very easy and yet provides high level of protection.�
The secret of this highly desirable characteristics lays in the 3D structure of the filter media, which is much thicker than other disposable respirator. The filter media is charged with static electricity, arresting the finest particles before they have a chance to penetrate the media.
The filtration efficiency of Totobobo filter (F94) is 94%, that is 1% less than N95 type of filters. This means it is able to filter out at least 94% of the most penetrating particles size of 0.3 micron. This filter is able to block very small (often invisible) particles and aerosols from combustion sources such as motor vehicle exhaust, industrial processes, cigarette and incense smoke, cooking, and woodburning activities; biological components such as pollen and mold spores, and dust mite and cockroach allergens; fine fibers such as asbestos; and soil particles. However, it is not suitable for gases such as Ozone or carbon monoxide.
Super Elastic Invisible Strap (SE strap)
It is difficult to get a clear picture of the Invisible Strap used to hold TOTOBOBO mask.
Apart from aesthetic reason, the Super Elastic (SE) Strap has many desirable properties:
- It provides a soft yet firm and comfortable holding
- it’s highly flexible and comfortable, super thin and unobtrusive
- It is safe and does not cause irritation for delicate skin yet it is strong enough for sports wear
- It is much more enduring than rubber (3 times) and proven resistance against perspiration, urine, oil, water, sea water, Lt. acid cosmetics, general solvent.. etc.
- It retains its elasticity from -35C to 80C
It can be washed by hand and machine or dry cleaned.
Soft & comfy (TotoSoft)
The transparent elastromer (TotoSoft) developed specially for TOTOBOBO is soft and comfortable to wear. Easy to trim and easily adapted to different face shape.
Thin and follow the nose bridge snuggly, it does not require a nose clip yet fitting much better than most other respirator thanks to the ergonomically design profile.
Almost like a second skin, it does not cause any interference or fogging when wearing glasses.
Heat come out of the thin and transparent mask much faster than other disposable respirator, keeping your face cooler.
The inside rim is finely textured, making it easier to detect face seal with presents of moisture.
Three stepping contour lines for easy trimming to fit smaller faces.
The two opennings fit snaggly with the filter cartridges ensuring an air-tight assembly.
Spring open design for easy donning.
Finally, the mask body can be folded flat and easily kept in a shirt pocket.
All ingredient goes into the material formula are approved by FDA (USA).
Simple Stock
TOTOBOBO can drastically simplify your logistic burden for keeping track of multiple brands/sizes of masks in order to fit different people within your organization.
Because the mask is reusable, it is only necessary to keep a small number of TOTOBOBO for occational replacement.
TOTOBOBO filter takes up less than 1/12 of the space of a foldable disposable mask.
It cost less than half of a typical disposable solution and yet provide improved protection for all your staffs.
To buy TOTOBOBO mask
How to customize TOTOBOBO mask
User feedback
It is always more important to hear what uses say about a product than listening to the manufacturer. Here are some great links from others sites talking about Totobobo mask:
Reviews of Totobobo in reputable sites:
myhealthbeijing.com
London Cyclist
Totobobo mask for bike riding (China)
brendaboylan.blogspot.com
www.kk.org
scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.sg
Below is a collection of what the users have said about Totobobo mask. Wherever possible external reference (url) is inserted for easy reference.
Parents Say:
Debra Witte, author of www.freehelpforcancer.com – USA
Dabbie’s daughter Kayla was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She is now cancer free.
Dabbie wrote to us said: Your mask is the ONLY mask that fits the way a mask should. It is also the most economical product on the market. The other masks are hot, poorly fitted and have to be replaced repeatedly. I love your product and keep one of the masks in my purse, in case it is needed for Kayla. I am never without it.
“Kayla has worn the Totobobo mask every day since January 2009 and she has not been sick in any way since that time. She attends school every day and no sickness. This despite still being immune compromised. The doctors said that her immune system will not recover from the chemo for another six months. Your mask is our safety net that has proven for us its workability. When Kayla did not have the mask and went to school she ended up in the hospital for two weeks, every month, for three months, totaling 45 days. With the mask -no sickness, no hospitalizations, no colds, nothing. Your mask is far superior to any other mask on the market. Period!”
“One day I went to Kayla’s school and it seemed as if all the kids were sniffling and coughing. This was during Flu season. As usual because of your mask, Kayla stayed healthy the whole time!”
“I wish we knew about your mask last winter (2008) because Kayla got the flu from another patient in the hospital. I just was not prepared. This was a lesson for us.”
http://www.freehelpforcancer.com/chemo-consequences/flu-prevention
Cyclist Say:
Ross, Lawyer and Cyclist advocate. Los Angeles, California, USA
The SuperCool mask is great–hands down. I don’t work for Totobobo–nor am I paid to say this, and I’ve been using this mask for a few months now. I breathe in through my mouth, which is in the mask/filter, and out through my nose.
When I need to talk to other cyclists, I simply pull the mask down around my chin, then pull it back up when I ride on. The straps are very stretchy.
Since I am no longer exhaling into the mask, the fogging glasses issue has completely disappeared. Actually, I think I get a better seal with this smaller mask than I did the full one. And I find there is much less condensation collecting in the mask (no humid exhale within the mask), which means I do not need to wash the mask as often.
Big props to the company–who has seemed to design a great, simple product–and whose customer service has been very responsive and helpful. When I change out the filters they are visibly discolored–and I’m glad that at least some of that stuff that I otherwise would be breathing (dirt, pollution, particulate matter, brake shoe dust, etc.) is in the filter instead of in my lungs.
Read more about Ross and others cyclist’s feedback about Totobobo mask:
http://totobobo.com/blog/users/cyclist/
Wood worker:
Trusty Steve from Scrollsawwworkshop
I opened the package to find the plastic mask already fitted with filters and a supply of extra filters. The first thing I noticed was what looked like a delicate head strap. After a closer look it is actually quite durable. It’s obviously made from some high tech plastic. The strap is a single loop that goes around your neck through the mask and then over your head. There is a small clip that allows the mask to be tightened for a good seal. Because the strap is so thin it is very comfortable.
The body of the mask is also made from a transparent plastic. The transparency is actually a feature. When you put the mask on your face you can look in a mirror and see through the mask. This lets you see the seal where the mask contacts your face. The body of the mask is made to be trimmed for a perfect fit. A good seal is very important for dust masks. This one seals very well. In my opinion it is easier to get a good seal with the Totobobo than the Dust Bee Gone.
It’s also important that a dust mask be comfortable or you are less likely to wear it. The Totobobo might be slightly less comfortable than the Dust Bee Gone but not by much. After you get it trimmed the comfort is very good compared to most non-fitted masks on the market. I wore the mask for nearly an hour with no serious discomfort. The plastic body of the mask is very soft and feels good against your face. Breathing felt natural and like the Dust Bee Gone I had no fogging of my glasses. If you wear glasses and have worn other masks you will probably know how much trouble fogging is. The Totobobo and the Dust Bee Gone do a great job in this area.
“So far I like this mask. This will probably be my go to mask for emptying my dust collector. I get a large amount of dust in the air during the process and this mask seals better than my Dust Be Gone. If it filters the dust as well as I think it will then I might give this mask a slight edge over the Dust Bee Gone.”
Artist:
Brenda Boylan, Pastel Artist and Blogger, USA
Pastel demonstration: Season's Between
Wearing Totobobo mask while making pastel art
Protecting my lungs from the airborne pastel dust is serious business. I’ve tried heavy ventilators and they don’t fit my small featured face. I’ve tried 3M, and a few other disposable face masks, but it seemed like they were not protecting me enough. For my own health I searched high and low for a small, comfortable, and highly effective filter and found another pastel artist, Paula Ford using a Totobobo. Artist’s are always at risk by their mediums, especially soft pastel dust! I wanted to bring this up because recently my favorite online blogger friend Loriann underwent lung surgery and so I wanted her to see that she too, can continue working in pastel! I still have to gently wipe up any remaining dust with a damp rag to keep from getting airborne. I’m not sponsored by Totobobo, but I certainly do encourage pastel artists to check them out for their own health.
More artist’s review:
http://totobobo.com/blog/users/artist/
Doctors:
Dr. Anil Simhadri MB MChir (Cambridge) MRCP (London) from UK
I am a doctor /physician in the UK at UCL, and bike daily in london to work using totobobo mask. I also suffer from asthma using a ventolin inhaler.
I have been using totobobo masks since feb 2010 when I placed my first order and find them very useful.
My cycling performance with regard to speed of cycling has improved. Previously I might cycle 6 miles in 1 hour. Now I cycle 6 miles in 50 minutes. Totobobo mask helps improve my control of asthma. Asthma is a disease of airway hyper-responsivesness. The tracheal airways are hyper-responsive to various triggers. Pollutants in the air as in inner city london can trigger the airways to constrict or narrow. Totobobo masks prevent these pollutants reaching the airways and so help remove the “trigger” for asthma.
More doctor’s recommendation