CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As health authorities begin to recommend the general public wear face masks when venturing outside the home, people across the country are getting creative with ways to cover their faces. Homemade mask tutorials are all over the internet right now.

After watching a lot of videos, including one that turned a handkerchief into a homemade mask, I got a bedsheet, two hair ties and a paper clip and made one of my own. Check out the video above for a step-by-step tutorial.

I’ve worn the mask for hours and it’s stayed on my face with relatively little discomfort. A simpler method I tried called for just using the hair ties to go around each ear, but it was very uncomfortable and felt like it was going to fall off. I added the paper clip to tie the entire mask around my head and have had success thus far.

A homemade mask is not considered personal protective equipment by any means, but there’s a growing consensus that face coverings might help prevent the spread of diseases like COVID-19 by stopping respiratory droplets from being expelled when a person coughs or sneezes. In other words, masks might help protect us from spreading the coronavirus to others.

If anything, this video shows that making a homemade mask does not require a sewing machine and can be done relatively quickly.

Health officials continue to urge the general public to reserve medical masks and N-95 masks for use by healthcare personnel.

While I didn’t include goggles or a face shield with this tutorial, CDC guidance advises healthcare personnel who are using homemade masks as a last resort to also use a face shield to cover their eyes.

If you want to try your hand at sewing your own mask, we’ve also got you covered. Check out this video I did with the help of former cleveland.com reporter Karen Farkas that is a step-by-step guide to sewing your own mask.