A portable HEPA cleaner is the best indoor smoke defence
When wildfire smoke is bad outside, the most effective protection is clean indoor air. Health Canada recommends portable air cleaners with HEPA...
When wildfire smoke is bad outside, the most effective protection is clean indoor air. Health Canada recommends portable air cleaners with HEPA filtration, sized so the clean-air-delivery rate (CADR) for smoke is at least two to three times the room volume per hour. Look for a model with a smoke CADR rating, ideally one certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) or the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Run it on the highest setting in the room you spend the most time in — typically a bedroom or living room — and keep doors closed. Replace or clean the filter according to the manufacturer’s schedule; clogged filters do not remove smoke. If you have central HVAC, upgrade to the highest-MERV filter the system can handle and run the fan continuously during smoke events. Keep windows and doors closed, and avoid burning candles, frying food or running gas stoves without ventilation, which all add particles to indoor air. A single bedroom-sized HEPA cleaner is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost health interventions a household can make for fire season.
A portable HEPA cleaner sized to the room is the single most effective household defence against wildfire smoke — central HVAC alone usually is not enough.
Source: Canada — Using a Portable Air Cleaner
Last reviewed 2026-05-02.
See live fires, evacuation alerts, air quality, and road closures for Western Canada and 18 western US states on our free live map, then run through the preparedness checklists before fire season.
This is the same wildfire safety library that lives inside our free app. Browse it all in the safety library.