{"id":4939219,"date":"2026-09-30T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/?p=4939219"},"modified":"2026-09-30T19:21:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T23:21:51","slug":"air-purifiers-wildfire-smoke-lab-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/home\/kitchen-and-household\/air-purifiers-wildfire-smoke-lab-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Air Purifiers Clear Wildfire Smoke From Your Home? What Our Lab Data Reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the morning of June 7, 2023, I walked out of my Brooklyn apartment and noticed the skies were hazier than usual, but I chalked it up to a change in weather and headed to work. When I arrived at my Manhattan office that overlooked the Hudson River, though, I knew this was something very different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a normal day, I\u2019d have a clear view of New Jersey on the other side of the water, but on this day, it was merely a blur. As I inspected the thick fog, it dawned on me: This wasn\u2019t fog at all. It was smoke from wildfires that were raging in Canada. The air quality monitor<\/a> on my phone\u2019s weather app confirmed it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Although there was a thick plume of smoke over the city, I could still see the blue skies peeking through, so I continued to work. But by the end of the day, the sky had turned completely dark with an ominous orange tint. This experience was a first for me, so I was alarmed about having to go back outside to return home, and I wasn\u2019t alone, as people in my office began passing out dust masks. I wasn\u2019t sure if they\u2019d help much, but I took one just in case. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Even in the subway system, the smell of smoke was undeniable. I made it home, took my dog for the shortest walk possible, then immediately went inside, opened my laptop and ordered an air purifier<\/a>. I\u2019ve had one running ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
The view from my office window in the morning, left, and the view from the same window at the end of the workday, right.Corin Cesaric-Epple\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption>