Wildfire smoke occurs from burning vegetation, construction materials, and other materials. It is essentially a mix of gases and fine particles and affects the air quality around the cities.
You certainly need the best air purifiers for wildfire smoke to protect yourself. The main reason being, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wildfire smoke, which can harm your respiratory system and circulatory system and irritate your eyes, throat, and skin.
Choosing an air purifier to protect you from wildfire is essential to ensure you can maintain your indoor air quality.
Top tips for choosing an air purifier for wildfire smoke-prone area
Protecting yourself from the wildfire smoke is essential. While you can avoid stepping out or checking the local air quality index before stepping out, your indoor air quality will still be affected. This is because wildfire smoke can enter closed doors too.
However, a standard air purifier will not suffice for wildfire smoke. So, you need to follow these top tips to choose the correct air purifier:
1. Choose HEPA certified air purifier.
Where wildfire smoke is concerned, you must choose a HEPA-certified air purifier. HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestant. This means that these filters are highly capable of reducing the invisible pollution in your home.
Wildfire smoke emits lots of small particulate matter, which HEPA filters can capture. However, note that these filters alone can’t remove chemicals and gases, so you need a filter with activated carbon, potassium iodide, and zeolite.
2. Look for low-maintenance purifiers.
Look for a low-maintenance air purifier that doesn’t emit any by-products like ozone. You might find it heavy on the pocket to buy a high-end air purifier. However, they require less maintenance and run for a longer period. You will merely need to vacuum the large dust particles from the unit.
If you buy a low-end model, you will end up spending extravagantly for frequent filter changes.
3. Buy the right size.
When buying your air purifier, it is crucial to buy the correct size. Ideally, you should buy an air purifier that is rated well for larger spaces. For instance, it is advised that you buy purifiers specified for rooms larger than 350 square feet to ensure you reduce particle concentration by 85%.
4. Check the noise levels.
You must not compromise on your HEPA filters and high fan speeds for noise levels. Otherwise, you will not get rid of the invisible smoke particles. However, if noise is an issue that obstructs your health, look for purifiers that have a noise level of 50 decibels.
Most air purifiers list the noise rating on the packaging, so you get the right one.
5. Ensure high fan speed and increased filtering capabilities
Ensure you buy an air purifier with high fan speed and increased filtering capabilities. Having a high-speed fan will make the purifier more efficient in filtering smoke and harmful gases from the air.
Moreover, you must run your air purifier for longer hours at high speed when there is a wildfire smoke warning from the authorities.
Wrapping up
Asthma, cough, eyes burning, breathing issues, and other health issues are common when you have a bout of wildfire smoke. That’s why it’s imperative to buy the best air purifiers for wildfire smoke to ensure you prevent illness.
For choosing an air purifier, you must choose one that is HEPA certified and doesn’t emit any by-products. Moreover, the air purifier should not be high maintenance and should have high fan speeds with a high level of filtering capabilities.
