Prepare a cleaner-air room for wildfire smoke

A cleaner-air room is an indoor smoke-exposure measure only while authorities say it is safe to stay. It does not make a building safe from a nearby fire. Know how to receive emergency alerts, identify evacuation routes and destinations, and keep portable supplies ready.

Use EPA’s AirNow information, state or local air-quality information, and local emergency alerts to understand current conditions. Do not rely on whether you can see or smell smoke. Conditions and official instructions can change faster than a saved plan or app display.

Write an exit condition: an evacuation instruction, fire threatening the area, loss of safe cooling, power failure that affects essential equipment, or smoke that cannot be controlled indoors. Confirm where the household can go and how people, pets, medication, and devices will travel.

EPA describes a clean room as a room arranged to keep smoke and other particle levels as low as possible. Choose a room with few windows and doors when practical, enough space for the people and pets who will use it, and a way to remain safely cool.

Keep windows and doors closed when officials advise it and conditions permit. Reduce activities that create particles, including smoking, burning candles or incense, and some cooking and cleaning activities. The room is not clean in an absolute sense; “cleaner-air room” is a more honest planning description.

Check door and window closures, clear trip hazards, identify seating and sleeping needs, and locate the room away from unsafe fuel-burning equipment. If anyone uses oxygen, powered medical equipment, or specialized ventilation, get professional instructions before changing airflow or room setup.

EPA says a portable air cleaner can help make the room’s air cleaner than the rest of the home. Select equipment sized for the room and avoid devices that intentionally produce ozone. Read the manufacturer’s operating, filter, placement, clearance, and electrical instructions.

A higher-efficiency HVAC filter may help when it is compatible with the system. Ask the manufacturer or an HVAC professional what the system can accommodate; a filter that restricts airflow beyond the equipment’s design can create other problems. Know how the system brings outdoor air inside and which settings are approved during smoke.

Obtain replacement filters before smoke season and record the model and change method. Never bypass guards, defeat alarms, overload an outlet, or use a homemade electrical setup. A do-it-yourself air cleaner needs its own current EPA safety instructions and is not appropriate for every household.

Run a short setup drill on a normal-air day. Close the planned openings, set the approved HVAC configuration, start the air cleaner, bring medication and pet supplies, and verify that the room remains accessible and comfortably cool. Do not create actual smoke for a test.

Ask a health care provider for an individualized plan for anyone with asthma, heart or lung disease, or other concerns. Keep prescribed medication available according to its instructions. PrepperGo cannot interpret symptoms, measure indoor particles, or determine that remaining indoors is medically safe.

Review the plan before local smoke season and after equipment, housing, health, or household changes. If the room becomes too hot, electricity fails, too much smoke enters, or a person has concerning symptoms, use the professional and emergency steps you prepared rather than trying to make the room work at all costs.