Is Your Home Smoke Ready?

Whether you deal with wildfire smoke year after year, or were caught off guard when smoke blanketed much of the country in a thick haze last summer, it’s always a good idea to get your home ready for smoke. Smoke from wildfires can travel hundreds, even thousands of miles and make the outdoor air unhealthy to breathe. Some of that smoke can enter your home and make it unhealthy to breathe the indoor air as well.

Follow the tips below to get your home Smoke Ready and protect your family and indoor air quality during wildfire smoke events.

Find air quality information for your area

Knowing the air quality in your area can help you decide when to take action to reduce your family’s exposure to smoke. Know where to find your local Air Quality Index (AQI) for smoke on the Fire and Smoke Map and wildfire smoke advisories from your state or local government.

Learn how to keep smoke out of your home

Some home heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and appliances can bring in outside air. Find out if your home has any of these devices and learn how to adjust them to help keep smoky air out during a wildfire event:

• Fresh air intake on central HVAC – Find out how to close it or turn the system to recirculate mode.
• Window air conditioner – Find out how to close the outdoor air damper if your device has one. Make sure the seal between the air conditioner and the window is as tight as possible.
• Evaporative (swamp) cooler – Use sparingly during smoky conditions because these devices must bring in a lot of outdoor air to cool the indoor air.
• Portable air conditioner – Make sure the seal between the window vent kit and the window is as tight as possible. If your device has a single hose, use the device sparingly during wildfire smoke events because it can create conditions that bring smoky air inside. Note - Portable air conditioners with two hoses do not create these conditions.

Plan to filter the air in your home

Filtering the air in your home can remove smoke particles from the indoor air. Fine particles, such as those in wildfire smoke, can affect the heart, lungs and other organs, causing health problems such as burning eyes and runny nose, and aggravating chronic heart and lung diseases. Consider these options to filter the air in your home:

High-efficiency filter in your central HVAC system - Choose one with a MERV 13 rating, or as high a rating as your system fan and filter slot can accommodate. You may need to consult a professional HVAC technician to determine the highest efficiency filter that will work best for your system. Find out how to turn the fan to “On” (instead of “Auto”) so that you can run the system fan as often as possible during a smoke event.

Portable air cleaner - Choose one that is sized for the room in which you will use it. Make sure the portable air cleaner does not make ozone. The California Air Resources Board maintains a list of air cleaners that have been tested and shown to emit little or no ozone. Learn how to set the fan to run continuously at the highest speed during a smoke event. If a portable air cleaner is not available or affordable, learn how to build a DIY air cleaner.

For more information about choosing an air filter or portable air cleaner for your home, see the Wildfire Smoke Factsheet on Indoor Air Filtration and EPA’s Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home.

Learn More to Prepare for Wildfire Smoke Events

• Learn more about Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality
• Wildfire Smoke Factsheet: Prepare for Fire Season
• EPA Why is Coco Red?
• EPA Smoke Ready Toolbox for Wildfires
• EPA Wildfires
• CDC Wildfires
• CDC Ready Wrigley Prepares for Wildfires & Smoke
• Ready.gov Wildfires
• Ready.gov Prepare with Pedro! Wildfire

Learn more about Indoor Air Quality

Learn more about Emergencies and Indoor Air Quality