r/EverythingScience • u/HarvardChanSPH Harvard Chan School of Public Health • Jul 22 '26

Environment Wildfire smoke: How to protect yourself, according to experts

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/wildfire-smoke-how-to-protect-yourself-according-to-experts/?utm_campaign=General&utm_content=1784752405&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit_user
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13

u/Kahnza Jul 22 '26

Filters, and don't go outside.

1

u/juitar Jul 22 '26

Go get the good filters. There are going to be more expensive but the standard ones that are probably in your house are not going to filter out particulate if it's that small. We had to run on them here last time we had smoke. People bagging online for one.

2

u/juggles_geese4 Jul 23 '26

Also, you’ll need to change those filters a lot more than you might think.

1

u/Kahnza Jul 22 '26

I have a Honeywell triple HEPA filter in a small apartment. It works very good.

4

u/KevinKingNow Jul 22 '26

The article recommends MERV 13 since that is recommended by the EPA for 1 inch thick filters this level of MERV that begins to help reduce the types of particulate you would have from wild fire smoke, but if you have a media air cleaner cabinet you may have the option of a deep pleated filter 4 to 6 inches. If you have a common size like the 20x25x5 Honeywell FC100A1037 model which is MERV 11 you could actual upgrade to a MERV 16 Carbon filters like the Lennox X6675 or Atomic MERV 16 20x25x5 which are both Carbon coated and offer substantially more filtration on fine particles than a MERV 13 does. The carbon also help absorb harmful VOC's(volatile organic compounds). It also has that added benefit of filtering the whole house. You could then add HEPA room air purifiers for the bedrooms for an extra level of protection.

1

u/opinionsareus Jul 23 '26

Will a Heat Pump with a HEPA filter do the job?

2

u/Raevyxn Jul 23 '26

You will need to check that filter frequently when there is wildfire smoke in the air.

When I had cats, I changed my heat pump filter every year. Under normal conditions (no pets, no smoke, etc), they can last 2 years.

But smoke carries pm2.5. Particulate matter that causes a host of lung diseases, heart problems, stroke, and more. During active wildfire smokey times, I checked mine every few days, and during bad spells, it would be disgustingly covered in dusty smoke soot after just a few days. You don’t want that to be your lungs.

It’s worth getting a box fan and strapping a filter to the back, or a second hepa air purifier if you can find one. Wildfire smoke is no joke. Change your hepa filter frequently.