As the Bay Area confronts a weekend of potentially unhealthy air, stores across San Francisco and Oakland are rapidly selling out of N95 respirator masks, which trap small particles found in wildfire smoke.

Health Advisory and #SpareTheAirAlerts still in effect through wknd: N95 masks help filter fine particulates. https://t.co/i7aP9NDn1C pic.twitter.com/eAlzvZXWpy

— Spare The Air (@SpareTheAir) October 13, 2017

We spoke to a number of hardware stores, paint shops, art supply stores and medical supply stores in both cities to see which stores still had them, and when others plan to get them back in stock.

When buying an N95 mask, select one with two straps so it's secured firmly over your nose and mouth and seals tightly to your face; pinch the metal bridge over your nose for a better fit. 

Oakland

FLAX Art & Design (Downtown)
1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way

The store has dual cartridge disposable respirators in stock, similar to these.

Sherwin-Williams (North Oakland)
4220 Broadway

"We were sold out in two days," said Kyle Williams, assistant manager at the Sherwin-Williams paint shop. "We'll get a shipment next week."

Williams noted that the store did carry full-face N95 respirators that cover the nose and mouth with changeable cartridges, though he said that it might be "overkill" for some.

For the disposable N95 masks, he recommended that customers check back on Wednesday.

San Francisco

Great Wall Hardware (Parkside)
1821 Taraval St.

An employee said Great Wall Hardware still has the N95 masks available. They have eight boxes that have 20 each, and have placed a limit of 4 masks per customer. 

El Rio (Bernal Heights)
3158 Mission St.

Via Facebook, the Bernal Heights bar said that it obtained a shipment of 150 masks and would be distributing them for free until supplies run out.

Ace Hardware (Castro)
2075 Market St.

"We are sold out," said store employee Francois Nguille, "we might get some by noon today." 

Cliff’s Variety (Castro)
479 Castro St.

"I’m afraid we’re out until Monday," a store manager told us. "We’re completely out of masks, period. We do have some of the industrial-rated ones, some of the larger ones."

Fredericksen Hardware (Cow Hollow/Marina)
3029 Fillmore St.

"We’re all out of the N95s," said Lester Traje, head of receiving. "We're hoping to get them in on Monday, but I heard there was a huge shortage on the West Coast."

Traje said that he was looking at his vendor, based in Washington, and it was sold out. 

Orchard Supply Hardware (North Beach)
2598 Taylor St.

"We're sold out," said a store employee. She said she was not sure when the store would get them back in stock. 

Sherwin-Williams (Inner Richmond)
6149 Geary Blvd.

"We’re completely sold out," a store employee told us. "We’re getting more by Wednesday." 

Sunrise Medical Supplies (Outer Richmond)

"We’re out of the N95 now, but may have them in stock by Monday," a store employee told us. Update, 1:47pm: We've now updated this for San Francisco and Oakland locations below. 

Roberts Hardware (Upper Haight)
1629 Haight St.

"Roberts Hardware has about ten to 12 boxes of 20 left, but is getting several cases delivered on Monday & Tuesday," tipster Stan F. told us. "They are being delivered from Texas and Colorado. Every warehouse in California is out." 

Papenhausen Hardware (West Portal)
32 West Portal Avenue

According to store manager Karl Aguilar, the shop had the masks in stock earlier in the morning, and may receive another one tomorrow or on Sunday, but "shipping keeps changing."

"Yesterday, we got 1200 and we sold out of them in two hours," he said, noting that suppliers were themselves running out. "Today we were only able to get 250 because that is all that was available, and that was gone in 30 minutes." 

He said that customers were coming in to buy them for their family members in packs of five or ten, on average. 

Aguilar also repeated his advice from yesterday, saying that the best thing people could do in the smoky air is to stay inside and run their central heating system (if they have one) as fan only, and to use micro-allergenic filters. He also recommended that people close and lock their windows to create a tighter seal.

San Francisco & Oakland

Cole Hardware (all locations)

"The stores are getting them right now. We have about 5000 being distributed by our truck to the stores this morning," said Rick Karp, president of Cole Hardware. "We’ll be posting on social media as they arrive."

To find the Cole's nearest you, head over to their website.

Sunrise Medical Supplies
257 12th Street (Oakland Chinatown)
6149 Geary Boulevard (Outer Richmond)

Tiffany Kwong of Sunrise Medical Supplies wrote to tell us that the N95 masks are now back in stock today at both locations. 

Update, 2:43pm: According to tipster Patty C., the Outer Richmond store is now sold out of the masks.

Know of a store that still has the N95 respirator masks in stock? Let us know in the comments.