Oregonians facing smoky skies due to wildfires went looking this weekend for inexpensive ways to remove harmful smoke and pollutants that had crept inside their homes.
Many returned empty-handed. Home Depot had a run on its air purifiers and shelves in many smoke-laden areas still needed to be restocked Tuesday.
Smoky air, which can travel miles from a fire, is expected to linger in Oregon and Southwest Washington through at least Thursday, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
Health experts are advising all residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. Most non-medical grade masks won’t protect lungs from the fine particulates of wildfire smoke.
The Oregon Health Authority, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other experts recommend these DIY ways to improve indoor air now:
Close your chimney flue. Make sure all windows and doors are shut. Use weather sealing or even masking tape to cover gaps.
“If you are in a leaky old house and can see cracks around windows or under doors, take a slightly damp towel and place it securely against those openings,” says Richard L. Corsi, dean of the College of Engineering & Computer Science at Portland State University and an expert on indoor air quality and climate.
Move quickly through exterior doors, says Corsi. Stay as long as you can in a room with the fewest windows, preferably without a fireplace, vent or other openings to the outside, and keep a portable air cleaner running constantly in that room.
Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution, like smoking, burning candles and using a gas stove, or that stir up dust already inside your home. Limit vacuuming unless your vacuum has a high efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filter.
Harry Vanderpool of Salem, who worked in industrial automation, says when it’s smoky outside, he doesn’t run any device that draws in air from outside, like a clothes dryer. “Hang up clothes to dry,” he says.
Lakin Norton of Pyramid Heating + Cooling in Portland thinks running an exhaust fan for a shower “is fine, but you do not want to run it in excess.”
She says some people think a fan will exhaust smoky air, but it actually will cause negative pressure in the house, which means the house will try to pull air in from wherever it can, such as cracks in windows, doors or floors.
Corsi says if you cook, you have to turn on the range hoods fan. For that reason, “it’s better to use a microwave to cook frozen foods for meals or eat more uncooked fruits and vegetables” for now, he says.
Since the air is dry, running a humidifier will improve your comfort, says Norton.
“Many people have been boiling a pot of water on the stove and putting essential oils in it for the scent," she says, "but I would advise against that as they further pollute the air and release VOCs” or volatile organic compounds.
Check your heating filters daily. You will need to change or clean them more often due to the amount of wildfire smoke. Once a filter is full, it no longer traps particulates, Consumer Reports found through its testing.
Make sure you have the right size filter to make sure particulates are being captured. Have backup filters ready.
Health experts and others recommend using only HEPA filters, which force air through a fine mesh and trap particles in central heating, ventilation, cooling and air (HVAC) systems.
If you have a central HVAC system, set the fan to “on,” rather than “auto” to make sure the fan is constantly circulating and filtering air. HVAC systems do not pull air from outside.
If you have a fresh air system, however, turn it off until the smoke is cleared since it will draw in polluted air from outside. Turn it back on after the smoke has subsided.
Read more about adjusting your HVAC system here.
You can create an air purifying filter by covering the front of a box fan with a HEPA furnace filter or one rated MERV-13 or higher. For safety, turn the fan off if you leave the house. Here are instructions to make a DIY air filter.
No air cleaner or filter will eliminate all air pollutants. But air purifiers, properly fitted with HEPA filters, can reduce particle concentrations by as much as 85 percent, according to the EPA.
If you want to get rid of the smoke smell, you’ll want an air purifier that has a carbon filter to absorb odors, says Consumer Reports. Many units have the two types of filters.
Corsi recommends buying a portable air cleaner that has a clean air delivery rate (CADR) greater than 300 cubic feet per minute for highly-occupied rooms or a bedroom for someone with asthma.
Norton of Pyramid Heating + Cooling says the Air Scrubber air purifier will help with smoke smell and overall air quality. She stocks units for conventional, forced-air systems and ductless mini split systems as well as a pocket-size unit to take when you travel in a car or to a hotel room.
Pyramid Heating + Cooling has all three types of Air Scrubbers in stock and offers contact-free phone and video consultations, Text the Expert services at 831-346-5955 and free deliveries.
Dyson offers a range of advanced purifiers that remove gases and odors, and capture 99.97% of allergens and pollutants as small as 0.3 microns. Select from cooling air purifiers, air purifiers with humidifiers, and ones with heaters.
The Dyson Pure Hot+Cool HP01 purifying heater and fan is on sale for $399.99, a discount of $100 plus free delivery. Dyson purifiers are certified asthma and allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
The family-founded Molekule brand has Molekule Air (covering 600 square feet), Mini or Mini+ (250 square feet) devices that don’t just collect pollutants in homes, but destroys them. Bundle an Air and Air Mini+ and save $140 (regular price $1,298; sale price $1,158) and receive free shipping.
Consumer Reports ranked these air purifiers as the best to counter wildfire smoke:
- Alen BreatheSmart Classic air purifier was designed for floor or tabletop use in a large room. This device is usually available at Amazon and Lowe’s for $649, but is now out of stock. The Allergy Buyers Club sells it and similar products.
- Blueair Blue Pure 211+ air purifier ($299 at Best Buy and Home Depot) stands on the floor and can cover a large room. Blueair Classic 605 ($899 plus a 10% discount at Allergy Buyers Club) is for floor or tabletop use in a large room. The brand is also available at Amazon.
- Honeywell 50250 Enviracaire Air Purifier ($266) that covers 374 square feet is out of stock online at Office Depot and Office Max. The Honeywell HPA300 air purifier ($250) is out of stock at Amazon, but there are other Honeywell air cleaners. Home Depot has the Honeywell True HEPA air purifier that covers 456 square feet for $221.
Other options: HoMedics has air cleaners with UV-C light that kills up to 99.9% of airborne bacteria and viruses. Receive free shipping on order more than $50.
Bed Bath & Beyond has heating and cooling air purifiers including the HoMedics TotalClean 5-in-1 tower with HEPA filters (limit three per customer) for $129.99. Some air purifiers start at $49. Shipping is free on orders more than $39.
Sharper Image has air purifiers with HEPA filters for people with an allergy or who need a filterless UV air cleaner. For a complete comparison of air purifiers, click here. Enter your email address to instantly receive a promo code from 5% to 50% off. Take $25 off orders of $99 or more with the code 25OFF99.
Walmart has air purifiers to combat allergens, smoke, mold and other pollutants. There is free, next day pick up at the store or delivery on some devices. The Honeywell True HEPA Allergen Remover HPA104, which covers 155 square feet, is $193.99 and can be delivered for free.
For more information: Read the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s guide to air cleaners in the home and the California Air Resources Board guide to air cleaning devices.
Read more: “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality” is an online reference guide prepared by the EPA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission that includes sources, health effects and steps to reduce exposure for each pollutant.
Even when skies are clear, levels of air pollutants are often greater indoors than outside, according to the EPA and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which offer ways to identify air quality problems as well as reduce the release of gases or particles inside your home and dilute emissions by improving ventilation.
Indoor air quality monitors are designed to alert you to contaminants that affect the air you breathe so you can fix the problem.
Awair Glow C Air Quality Monitor + Smart Plug ($89) tracks airborne toxic chemicals (VOCs), humidity and temperature levels, and provides actionable tips.
The Temtop M10 air quality monitor ($79.99) watches for PM2.5 (microscopic atmospheric particulate matter), HCHO (Formaldehyde), TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) and the AQI (air quality index).
To check the air quality in your area, visit IQair.com. Or visit the EPA’s air quality website, airnow.gov, and type in your city or ZIP code. View interactive maps at the state’s web page, oregonsmoke.blogspot.com, or the EPA’s web page, fire.airnow.gov.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality also allows smartphone users to check air quality though an app that can be found by searching for “OregonAir” in the app store.
— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman
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