CR’s experts explain how to improve indoor air quality with the filters for your HVAC system
The right air filter can help you breathe easier when smoke from a wildfire fills the sky in your neighborhood.
By Mary H.J. Farrell, Courtney Lindwall
For many people in the U.S., hazy skies and unhealthy air quality have become routine hazards. Just last month, the smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada and northern Minnesota drifted thousands of miles across the Midwest and Northeast, spiking the Air Quality Index to dangerous levels for millions of residents.
With such sweeping fallout, it can be difficult to keep the air inside your home clean. Even if you close all doors and windows, as recommended, pollutants can seep in through cracks and leaks. One way to clear the air is by using the fan on your central heating or cooling system to cycle the smog through a filter. If your system has a fresh-air intake, set it to recirculation mode or close the outdoor intake damper to avoid drawing polluted air inside, the Environmental Protection Agency says.
A good HVAC air filter will catch much of the smoke in your home.
“You want a filter with a high MERV rating,” says Dave Trezza, an engineer who has tested air filters at Consumer Reports. MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value, and the higher it is, the more contaminants the filter removes. The top performers in our tests typically have a MERV rating higher than 10, and range in thickness from 1 to 5 inches.
For getting rid of smoke and other household pollutants, “any filter that gets a very good or excellent score in our tests when the system is running on high would be a good choice,” Trezza says.
Experts recommend changing your filters more often during fire season because they get dirtier faster. (Even if you’re not dealing with a ton of smoke, you may well be spending more time indoors.)
Check whether the filter looks dirty. You may also notice a degradation in airflow. Both may indicate that the filter isn’t cleaning the air properly. You can buy replacement filters in packs online and at home improvement stores. Some online retailers also offer subscriptions so that your supply is automatically replenished every month or so. Below, you’ll find more tips for keeping smoke out of your house. For more information, see our air purifier ratings and our article on the best air filters for your central air system and furnace.
Best Air Filters for Smoke Removal
Here are five air filters from our tests that earn top or near-top scores for smoke removal when used at high speed.
Lennox Healthy Climate CarbonClean 16
Aprilaire Healthy Home 313 MERV 13
Filtrete MPR 1550 Filter
Filtrete Healthy Living Elite Allergen 2200 MPR
Filtrete Ultra Allergen Reduction 1500 MPR
How to Keep Smoke Out of Your Home
In addition to using a high-MERV filter (11 or above) in your HVAC system, follow these steps to keep healthy air in your home and smoke out.
What to Do If There’s Smoke in Your Area
• Keep all doors and windows closed.
• If air is seeping in around windows and doors, try using duct or package tape and towels to plug the openings (where you feel a draft).
• Run the fan on your central air conditioning system on a low setting to filter the air in your home. If the system has a fresh-air intake, close it or set the system to recirculate to avoid drawing poor outdoor air inside.
• Place an air purifier with a certified HEPA filter in the most frequented rooms of your home to trap additional smoke particles.
What to Do Before the Next Wildfire
• Seal all leaks. Walk around the house in search of drafts, usually around windows and doors.
• Use caulk to seal your windows and doors from the inside and outside. (You’ll need different types of caulk for the interior and exterior. Ask at your local hardware or home improvement store.) Always remove the old caulk before replacing it with new. Covering loose caulk won’t seal the leak.
• Look into upgrading your air filtration system. In our tests, we found that thicker air filters were more effective at removing impurities. If your system supports the standard 1-inch-thick filter, you’ll need a pro to install a larger box for a thicker filter.
Best Air Purifiers for Wildfire Smoke
For more options, see our article on models that excel at filtering out smoke particles.
Coway Airmega ProX
Honeywell HPA120W
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