DIY guideWildfire

Wildfire smoke: close up and run the furnace fan

When smoke drifts in, shut the house, put in the finest filter your furnace takes, and run its fan to keep cleaning the air.

7 steps

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Close every window and outside door, and the fireplace damper if you have one, so the smoke stays outside.
Run the kitchen and bathroom fans only while you need them: they pull smoky air in through the gaps. Set a fresh-air unit to recirculate, or off.
Swap the furnace filter for the finest one that fits, the kind sold for smoke or allergies, its arrow pointing toward the furnace.
Set the thermostat's fan from Auto to On, so air keeps moving through the filter even when the heat or cooling is off.
If you have a portable air cleaner, run it in a bedroom with the door shut, so there's one room with the cleanest air.
Skip candles, frying and vacuuming until the air clears. When the smoke has passed, look at the filter: grey means change it again.
If anyone is short of breath, has chest pain or feels faint, call 911. Smoke is hardest on children, older people and anyone with asthma.

Handyman says: Hard to breathe? Call 911 first.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.