Wildfire smoke
Clean air indoors when smoke drifts in, and masks for going out.
Three ways to breathe cleaner air
All three are things you can do yourself.
Portable air purifier
Cleans the air in one room. Health Canada suggests a smoke CADR of at least two-thirds of the floor area in square feet.
You can do this yourself
Our pick
Coway Airmega Mighty Air Purifier
Smoke CADR 233 in a compact HEPA unit, with a smoke filter set
Heating system on recirculate
With a MERV 13 filter, or the best your system takes, and the fan on, it cleans the air through the whole house.
You can do this yourself
Official advice
The US EPA’s smoke advice
epa.gov
N95 mask for going out
Cuts the fine smoke particles if it fits well. It does not stop the gases.
You can do this yourself
Our pick
Moldex 2200N95 N95 Particulate Respirator
NIOSH N95 (TC-84A-0327) with a foam nose seal and no metal strip
The plan
Make one cleaner-air room
Keep its windows and doors shut and run a purifier sized for it.
Set the heating system to recirculate
Fit a MERV 13 filter, or the best your system takes, and run the fan, as the US EPA suggests.
Keep a fitted N95 for going out
Check the TC approval number printed on it against the NIOSH list. Children under 2 should not wear one.
Safety: Avoid air cleaners that produce ozone, as Health Canada advises. Anyone who struggles to breathe in a mask, or cannot take it off alone, should not wear one; the Public Health Agency of Canada’s mask advice covers the rest.
Questions about wildfire smoke
What CADR do I need for wildfire smoke?
Health Canada suggests a smoke (tobacco smoke) CADR of at least two-thirds of the room’s floor area in square feet, so about 80 for a 120 sq ft room. The ratings assume 8 ft ceilings; size up for higher ones.
Are ionisers and ozone purifiers safe?
Avoid anything that produces ozone. Health Canada advises against ozone-producing air cleaners and points to the California Air Resources Board’s list of units tested for ozone emissions.
What else helps on smoke days?
Do N95 masks work for wildfire smoke?
For the fine particles, yes, if they fit well. The Public Health Agency of Canada says a well-fitting NIOSH-certified N95 reduces exposure to fine smoke particles, but not the gases. Cloth and surgical masks, bandanas and face shields don’t protect against smoke.
Can children wear N95 masks?
Not under 2. The US EPA says N95s don’t come in children’s sizes, though some older children can wear an adult small; PHAC adds that anyone who struggles to breathe in one, or can’t take it off alone, shouldn’t wear one. Keep children in a cleaner-air room instead.
How do I check a mask is NIOSH-approved?
Find the TC approval number printed on the mask (TC-84A-…) and look it up on the NIOSH approved respirators list. Both masks here are on it. Replace a mask when it is dirty, damp or damaged, per PHAC.
