Wildfire smoke can enter your home through windows, doors, vents, air intake, and other openings. This can make your indoor air unhealthy. The fine particles in smoke can be a risk to health.
Using an air purifier to filter wildfire smoke
Those who are most vulnerable to the health effects of wildfire smoke will benefit the most from using an air purifier in their home. People who are at a higher risk of health problems when exposed to wildfire smoke include:
seniors
pregnant people
infants and young children
people who work outdoors
people involved in strenuous outdoor exercise
people with an existing illness or chronic health conditions, such as:
cancer
diabetes
lung or heart conditions
You can use an air purifier in a room where you spend a lot of time. This can help decrease the fine particles from wildfire smoke in that room.
Air purifiers are self-contained air filtration appliances designed to clean a single room. They remove particles from their operating room by pulling the indoor air through a filter that traps the particles.
Choose one that is sized for the room in which you will use it. Each unit can clean categories: tobacco smoke, dust, and pollen. The CADR describes how well the machine reduces tobacco smoke, dust, and pollen. The higher the number, the more particles the air purifier can remove.
Wildfire smoke is mostly like tobacco smoke so use the tobacco smoke CADR as a guide when selecting an air purifier. For wildfire smoke, look for an air purifier with the highest tobacco smoke CADR that fits within your budget.
You can calculate the minimum CADR required for a room. As a general guideline, the CADR of your air purifier should be equal to at least two-thirds of the room's area. For example, a room with dimensions of 10 feet by 12 feet has an area of 120 square feet. It would be best to have an air purifier with a smoke CADR of at least 80. Using an air purifier with a higher CADR in that room will simply clean the air more often and faster. If your ceilings are higher than 8 feet, an air purifier rated for a larger room will be necessary.
Getting the most out of your air purifier
To get the most out of your portable air purifier:
keep your doors and windows closed
operate your air purifier in a room where you spend a lot of time
operate at the highest setting. Operating at a lower setting may reduce the noise of the unit but it will reduce its effectiveness.
ensure that your air purifier is sized appropriately for the largest room you will be using it in
place the air purifier in a location where airflow will not be obstructed by walls, furniture, or other objects in the room
position the air purifier to avoid blowing directly at or between people in the room
maintain your air purifier by cleaning or replacing the filter as needed
reduce sources of indoor air pollution, such as smoking, vacuuming, burning incense or candles, using wood stoves, and using cleaning products that can emit elevated levels of volatile organic compounds.
Post time: Jul-15-2023