COVID-19: How To Make 1-Piece PPE Gowns at Home

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Read About the Gown CollaborationDownloadable Gown Template

Why Create 1-Piece Protective Gowns?

There are three reasons why developing this particular piece of PPE is important for the world:

  1.  Supply PPE gowns for local medical professionals during pandemic.
  2. Distibute knowledge and template for PPE gown to developing countries.
  3. The 1-piece PPE gown is a safer, more efficient version of the separate PPE currently being used.  Donning & doffing takes less time and with no breaks in the protective wear, there is more protection overall. 

1-Piece PPE Gown Instructions & Materials

Materials Needed:

  • 0.7 mil plastic sheeting (two layers, 6’ x 8’ each.  You can find this at Lowe’s & Home Depot.  Lowe’s has individual rolls of 9’ x 12’ that can fold in half.  Home Depot has 400 ft. rolls of .7 mil plastic in both 12’ and 9’ widths.
  • Clothing Iron or heat-seal roller
  • Gown Template out of oaktag, card stock or cardboard — Download PDF
  • Surface to heat-seal (plywood or cardboard, the bigger the better.  If your surface is smaller than gown template, you will have to heat-seal in sections)
  • Cotton Cloth (pressing cloth in muslin fabric or a standard sheet to place between the plastic and your heat source)
  • Scissors
  • Permanent Marker
  • Yardstick and/or Measuring Tape

HOW TO GET STARTED

*Note: The two most important things to successful production: 1) you need a good amount of flat, open floor space, at least 10’ x 10’ area.  2) your heat-sealed seams are the crux of this gown.  If your seams are not sealed properly, the gown is not effective.  When using a clothing iron, you must find a regulated temperature/timing process to deliver a thorough seal without melting holes.  Every household iron is different, so testing and formulating your process is key.

First, You need the gown template.  Ultimately, you will have 3 options available to you:

  1. We will supply you with our exact card stock template.
  2. Create your own template using a printable PDF.
  3. Create your own template, drafting from scratch.

This is a large pattern (6’ x 8’) but this suggested size (M-L) is the most accommodating for all body sizes—women and men with a height range of 5’4” to 6’3”.

Option 1: Dependent on grant funding, we will have a limited supply of card stock templates.  Contact us to request.  We send it to you.  Ready to go.

Option 2: Print off the multi-page PDF document, tape or glue printed pages to a more substantial card stock or oak tag.  Follow instructions for assembly and you have a full-scale template ready for prodcution.

Option 3: If creating your own template, the ideal material is an oaktag, this is a green-back patterning card stock that comes in rolls with big enough dimensions to house this pattern.  You always want to draft a template one side at a time, transferring to the other side to ensure symmetry.  So, if you are using a single piece of oaktag, you’ll want to fold it down the center before drafting a side.  If you are piecing together cardboard, start by creating a full sheet big enough to house one side of your template, and establish a long, straight line down one side.  This will act as your center line.