The Scott Fire Department is asking people to not place masks in microwaves to sanitize them
Their plea comes after firefighters with the Natchitoches Parish Fire District #6 have begun to seen an increase in people placing protective mask in a microwave.
They say a viral social media post is going around advising people to heat their face coverings in the microwave for 3 or more minutes to "sanitize" them.
Many masks contain a nose strip and the combination of the fabric and metal creates a significant threat of fire, the fire department says.
"We are assisting in spreading the word of NOT placing any face mask in the microwave for any amount of time, there is no evidence that this will properly sanitize the mask," a post on Facebook from the department reads.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that a hot spin in the washing machine is the best was to clean and sanitize the cloth face masks.
