Wildfires and their smoke are becoming more and more of a problem for homeowners, and while you’re hopefully safe from the fires themselves, the smoke and the air quality issues they cause may not be. Below you’ll find 4 home solutions for indoor air quality issues from wildfire smoke, from the quick, short-term fixes to long-term solutions to improve your home’s indoor air quality, from smoke and more.
1. Understand Natural Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality
Many of us practice natural ventilation—the process of opening doors and windows to let in outside air (sometimes called house burping). This air exchange is an important part of indoor air quality, especially with older homes. However, if wildfire smoke is in your area, even if it’s thousands of miles away, suddenly this practice works against you. Fine particles from these fires remain airborne for long periods, so you need to keep your house closed up.
2. Take Your HVAC and AC Systems Off Air Intake
Of course, most homes have some form of mechanical ventilation as well, from standalone AC units to whole home systems such as HVAC or whole home ventilation.
- Closing or Turning on Recirculate Mode: For both HVAC systems and individual AC units, review their manuals to learn how to turn on recirculate mode and close intakes to avoid pulling in outside air.
- Inspect and Replace Filters: Especially if the air quality is already bad, inspect your current filters, even when using systems in recirculate mode. If possible, it may be worth upgrading your filters to MERV 13 for fine particles.
- Installing Exterior Filters: If your HVAC system doesn’t have filters or you’re using systems like an evaporative cooler, you may need to place filters on exterior air intakes. The best options are 4-inch-thick high-efficiency filters, such as MERV 13.
3. Buy a Portable Air Cleaner or DIY One at Home
To help with indoor air quality, especially in specific rooms such as your and your children’s bedrooms, you may want to buy a portable air cleaner. Make sure it’s properly sized for the room and equipped with the proper filters. If they are unavailable, you can create a DIY air cleaner using an appropriate fan and filter, but this should be a last-resort option.
4. Proof Your Home Against Wildfire Smoke Long-Term
It’s also worth considering long-term solutions that improve indoor comfort and air quality. Home performance covers upgrades and updates to your home, from air sealing and insulation to ventilation overhauls and air quality monitoring, even maintenance like duct cleaning. This way, you can have a healthier, more comfortable, and more efficient home year-round, with modern systems to help when outdoor air quality is poor.
Your St. Louis Air Quality & Home Performance Experts
If you’re suffering from a home that no longer feels comfortable and healthy, it’s time to talk to home performance experts. If you’re in the St. Louis area and dealing with indoor air quality issues from wildfire smoke and other sources, contact us at Greenmark Home Performance today. We will come out to your home for a full home evaluation, including air quality testing, and build a plan with you to tackle any ventilation and other home performance issues.
