Every year, devastating wildfires negatively impact air quality in several parts of the world. Wildfire smoke can cause one’s eyes to heat up and nose to have a watery discharge. In addition, as per the CDC or Disease Control, the particulates in smoke may seep deep inside the lungs, causing many health issues.

So to help eliminate these smoke pollutants from the airstream, people must be aware of the best air purifiers for wildfire smoke to avoid having serious health problems in the future. 

Who are at risk from wildfire smoke?

  • For people with lung and heart illness, wildfire smoke may aggravate the symptoms of lung and heart disease, causing chest tightness or pain and can even lead to difficulty breathing.
  • Older persons are more likely to suffer from lung and heart problems.
  • Asthma primarily affects teenagers and children more than adults. Furthermore, these individuals use more air for every unit of their body weight, unlike adult individuals. These people are also more willing to engage in outdoor activities.
  • People who have diabetes are at increased risk of having existing chronic diseases that could worsen due to breathing smoke.
  • Wildfire smoke has the potential to harm pregnant women and their developing fetuses.

Without air purifiers, wildfire smoke can cause death.

These tiny particles have been related to early deaths in persons suffering from lung and heart illness. In addition, children exposed to wildfire smoke may feel chest discomfort and tightness, coughing, wheezing, disorientation, and difficulty breathing.

If you reside in a wildfire-prone location, general advice includes avoiding outside activities and keeping your home’s windows closed. However, based on a recent study conducted at California University, Berkley, smoke may permeate even closed windows and doors, resulting in sour indoor air freshness and quality among the most harmful particulates created by wildfire. Therefore, it is critical to control your home’s indoor air as spotless of smoke particulates as possible, and you can achieve that with the help of an air purifier.

The best wildfire smoke air purifier:

  • CADR: The air filter must feature a CADR that would be sufficient for the space you will be using it.
  • Fan settings and operating speed: Air filters featuring faster, longer operating durations and quicker rates may filter extra air.
  • Filter Type: HEPA filters remove smaller air pollutants than other filters, whereas carbon filters minimize strong smells.

Not every air purifiers are effective at eliminating smoking particles. The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke feature a HEPA filtration system, which employs a fan to drive air through a mesh to collect particulates.

Following EPA, the finest air cleaners with HEPA filter classified can lower particle concentration levels by 85%. So, if you choose to eliminate the smoke odor and the particles, you will need an air purifier with a large carbon filter that absorbs smells.

HEPA air filters could cost anything from $50 to over $1,000. Experts advise avoiding purchasing one advertised for rooms less than 150 sq ft. Such models often perform poorly in research tests, and you will always obtain solid results with the unit rated for a bigger space than your available space. Air filters for rooms over 350 sq ft are significantly more effective in eliminating smoke.