How to Keep Wildfire Smoke Out of Your Home
Practical steps to reduce wildfire-smoke particles indoors using windows and doors, HVAC filtration, portable air cleaners, and a cleaner-air room.
Start by reducing how much outdoor smoke enters
Keep windows and doors closed as much as practical when outdoor smoke is poor. Check obvious gaps and make sure exterior doors and windows close properly. During extreme heat, however, avoiding dangerous indoor overheating takes priority over sealing a home completely.
Filter the air you recirculate
Use the highest-quality HVAC filter your system can safely handle according to the manufacturer, and replace or clean it when needed. A properly sized certified portable air cleaner can add particle filtration in the rooms where people spend the most time.
Create a cleaner-air room
A bedroom or main living area can become a cleaner-air space by keeping it closed from smoky outdoor air and running appropriate filtration. This can be especially useful when the entire building cannot be filtered equally well.
Avoid adding more particles indoors
During smoke events, reduce activities that create particles or pull outdoor air inside unnecessarily. Follow appliance and ventilation safety requirements, and never compromise carbon-monoxide safety or safe indoor temperature in an attempt to keep smoke out.
Common questions
Should I tape every window shut?
The goal is to reduce smoke infiltration while keeping the home safe and habitable. Permanent or excessive sealing can create heat, moisture, ventilation, or combustion-safety problems. Start with normal weather sealing and suitable filtration.
What filter should I put in my HVAC system?
Use the highest-quality filter the system manufacturer says the equipment can handle. An overly restrictive filter can reduce airflow or affect system performance.
What if my home becomes too hot with the windows closed?
Prioritize staying cool. Seek an air-conditioned cleaner-air space or follow local public-health guidance rather than remaining in dangerously hot indoor conditions.
Official and trusted sources
FireRadar summarizes these resources in plain language. Follow the source itself for the newest guidance, local instructions, eligibility rules, or operational decisions.
Federal health guidance on PM2.5, symptoms, exposure reduction, indoor air, and wildfire smoke.
Preparation guidance for respirators, filters, portable air cleaners, medications, and cleaner indoor air.
Current federal hub for wildfire smoke, AQHI, alerts, preparation, and health guidance.
Related FireRadar resources
Learn how wildfire-smoke PM2.5 can enter buildings, why indoor air is not automatically smoke-free, and how filtration and ventilation choices affect exposure.
Learn when a well-fitting N95 or equivalent respirator may help reduce wildfire-smoke particle exposure, what it cannot filter, and why fit matters.
Understand Canada's AQHI scale from 1 to 10+, what low, moderate, high, and very high risk mean, and how wildfire smoke can change air-quality health risk quickly.
Open province, territory, wildfire, hotspot, smoke, and AQHI map views from the FireRadar directory.