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People in both Washington and Oregon are waking up to hazy orange light, smoky skies and quickly changing air quality due to intense wildfires blazing across Canada. That’s in addition to the several fires popping up in Oregon, including the most recent burning in the Cascade mountain range. With that in mind, we’ll have a few suggestions below including buying a best-rated air purifier with HEPA filters that have fast shipping from Amazon or HEPA air purifiers with local, same day pickup from Lowe’s or other hardware stores located near you. Other things you can do involve using DIY window-sealing tape and other products, making adjustments to your HVAC unit, making DIY air filters along with other ideas to improve indoor air quality below.

• Keep tabs on wildfires in and around Oregon with our live wildfire tracker map

Due to the poor air quality that poses several health concerns, Portlanders and Oregonians everywhere are facing suggestions to wear masks and stay indoors. Smoky air, which can travel miles from a fire’s origin, is expected to last throughout the rest of this week, but those conditions could persist. Whether you’re living in hazardous air quality conditions, or want to know how to keep your home as smoke-free as possible during fire season on the West Coast, air purifiers with HEPA filters are one of the best places to start.

• Your emergency go bag needs to have these essentials in case of wildfires

If you want to know other good ways to keep smoke from infiltrating your home, the Oregon Health Authority, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other experts recommend these DIY ways to improve indoor air now:

1. Seal Out Smoke

Close your chimney flue. Make sure all windows and doors are shut. Use weather sealing or even masking tape to cover gaps.

Turn on your air purifier and air conditioner to repurpose clean inside air.

Avoid activities that increase indoor pollution, like smoking, burning candles and using a gas stove, or that stir up dust already inside your home. Limit vacuuming unless your vacuum has a high efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filter.

Avoid cooking, and if you need to use the stove or oven, don’t open your vents too wide.

Do not light incense, candles, or anything else that can contribute to smoke amount in your home.

2. Adjust Your Air Conditioner

If you have a central HVAC system, set the fan to “on,” rather than “auto” to make sure the fan is constantly circulating and filtering air. HVAC systems do not pull air from outside.

If you have a fresh air system, however, turn it off until the smoke is cleared since it will draw in polluted air from outside. Turn it back on after the smoke has subsided.

Read more about adjusting your HVAC system here.

3. Make an Air Filter

You can create an air purifying filter by covering the front of a box fan with a HEPA furnace filter or one rated MERV-13 or higher. For safety, turn the fan off if you leave the house. Here are instructions to make a DIY air filter.

4. Purchase a Portable Air Purifier

No air cleaner or filter will completely eliminate all air pollutants. But air purifiers, properly fitted with HEPA filters, can reduce particle concentrations by as much as 85 percent, according to the EPA.

If you want to get rid of the smoke smell, you’ll want an air purifier that has a carbon filter to absorb odors, says Consumer Reports. Many units have the two types of filters.

Corsi recommends buying a portable air cleaner that has a clean air delivery rate (CADR) greater than 300 cubic feet per minute for highly-occupied rooms or a bedroom for someone with asthma.

Norton of Pyramid Heating + Cooling says the Air Scrubber air purifier will help with smoke smell and overall air quality. She stocks units for conventional, forced-air systems and ductless mini split systems as well as a pocket-size unit to take when you travel in a car or to a hotel room.

5. Indoor Plants

While indoor plants won’t necessarily stop wildfire smoke from entering your home or filter it once it does, having indoor plants can generally help purify your air to make your home a clean-air haven. Consider opting for specifically purifying plants like spider plants, peace lilies, snake plants, and philodendrons that thrive in the Pacific Northwest with little light exposure.

Some other great HEPA cost-effective air purifier options on sale now with fast shipping include:

For a last-minute DIY air purifier using a filter replacement and box fan, try air filters like these:

More information on wildfires and how to best protect yourself in these conditions:

• The latest news on wildfires and wildfire smoke dangers in Portland and Oregon

• Where are wildfires happening? Keep tabs with our live wildfire tracker map

• How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke as hazy skies loom

• Wildfire near Sisters triggers ‘go now’ evacuation order

• Blue Pool, McKenzie River Trail closed due to Lookout fire in central Cascades

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