How to Set Up One Clean-Air Room During Wildfire Smoke
A practical guide to how to create a clean air room during wildfire smoke, with clear steps, household responsibilities, and an authoritative source.
To create one clean-air room during wildfire smoke, choose a room large enough for the household, close its windows and doors without blocking escape, limit particle-producing activities, and run a correctly sized portable air cleaner that does not produce ozone. Keep watching local alerts because a clean room is for sheltering indoors only while officials say it is safe to remain at home.
Pick a room the household can actually use
A practical clean-air room is comfortable enough for everyone who will use it and can be closed off from the rest of the home. The EPA clean-room guidance for wildfire smoke suggests a bedroom with an attached bathroom as one possible choice because occupants can keep the door closed for long periods.
Choose the room before smoke arrives. Check that people can enter, leave, sit, sleep, and reach necessary items without repeated trips through the house. Never seal a door or window in a way that makes evacuation difficult.
Children, older adults, and people with heart disease or breathing problems may be at greater risk from smoke. Anyone with heart or lung disease, including asthma, should ask a health care provider what to do during smoke events. The room setup does not replace personal medical guidance.
Keep smoky air out without overheating
Close the clean room's windows and doors, then set cooling equipment to avoid pulling outdoor air inside where the equipment allows it. A central system or window air conditioner with a fresh-air option can be set to recirculate or have its intake closed. Exhaust fans and range hoods should run only briefly because they can draw smoke into the home.
Heat can make an otherwise filtered room unsafe or unbearable. Fans, window air conditioners, and central air conditioning can help with cooling, but single-hose portable air conditioners may pull more smoke into the home and should be used sparingly in smoky conditions. Follow the appliance instructions and local heat guidance.
Leave if the home cannot stay cool, electricity fails, or too much smoke continues to enter. Possible alternatives listed by EPA include staying with unaffected friends or family, using a public cleaner-air shelter, or finding a large air-conditioned building with good filtration. Local evacuation orders always take priority.
Filter the room and stop making new particles
A portable air cleaner should be sized for the room, should not produce ozone, and can run continuously at its highest fan setting when feasible. Put it where airflow is not blocked. During heavy smoke, inspect the filter and replace it more often if it becomes heavily soiled, following the manufacturer's directions.
A central HVAC system may use a MERV 13 or higher filter if the system is compatible. A qualified HVAC technician can answer compatibility questions. Setting the system fan to "On" rather than "Auto" can increase filtration when the system and filter support that use.
Inside the clean room, avoid activities that add particles:
- smoking or vaping
- burning candles or incense
- frying or broiling food
- spraying aerosol cleaners or air fresheners
- using gas, propane, or wood-burning stoves
- vacuuming unless the vacuum has a HEPA filter
A damp cloth or mop can collect settled particles without stirring up as much dust. People should spend as much time as practical in the room and avoid exercise there, since heavier breathing can increase exposure to particles that remain.
A DIY box-fan filter is a temporary fallback when a commercial cleaner of known performance is unavailable or unaffordable. EPA recommends a newer box fan from 2012 or later with a UL or ETL safety marking, a high-efficiency filter that fits the fan, and close attention to the fan manufacturer's instructions. Do not use an extension cord or a damaged fan.
FAQ
A clean-air room reduces indoor smoke particles, but it does not make the household independent of changing fire, smoke, power, and heat conditions.
Should we tape the clean-room door shut?
No. Keep the door closed, but do not do anything that makes it hard to exit. The room must remain compatible with a quick evacuation.
Can we cook in the clean-air room?
Avoid cooking methods that create particles, especially frying or broiling, and do not use gas, propane, or wood-burning stoves in the room. Plan simple food that requires little or no particle-producing preparation.
When can we air the room out?
When outdoor air quality improves, even temporarily, EPA says occupants can open windows or the fresh-air intake and run kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans to freshen the space. Check current local air-quality information first.
How HomeCo helps
HomeCo can make the shared-home logistics less muddled. Roommates can assign chores for closing windows and checking filters, coordinate shopping for approved supplies, post air-quality or evacuation announcements, and add filter-review events to a shared calendar.
Keep safety information available outside the app too. A paper list of the evacuation route, meeting place, and necessary contacts still works during a power or internet outage. HomeCo organizes household communication; public alerts, health professionals, and emergency officials guide the safety decisions.