Tech & AI
Can Air Purifiers Clear Wildfire Smoke From Your Home? What Our Lab Data Reveals
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.
On a normal day, I’d 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’t fog at all. It was smoke from wildfires that were raging in Canada. The air quality monitor on my phone’s weather app confirmed it.
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’t alone, as people in my office began passing out dust masks. I wasn’t sure if they’d help much, but I took one just in case.
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. I’ve had one running ever since.
A perfect storm
Although the smoke cleared relatively quickly, and the New York skyline bounced back after two days, not every area is as lucky. Texas and the West Coast are particularly vulnerable to these recurring disasters due to their dry climates and the intensifying effects of climate change. Similarly, the 2023 Canadian wildfires occurred during the country’s driest period since 1980, according to NASA.
Data from the National Interagency Fire Center underscores the increasing threat of wildfires. There were 64,897 wildfires in 2024, a sharp increase compared with 77,850 in 2025. Rising temperatures, reduced rainfall and earlier snowmelt around the world create the ideal setting for wildfires to run rampant.
These types of statistics can feel overwhelming, and while you largely can’t stop a wildfire from happening, you do have control over the air you breathe indoors. To see if air purifiers can make your home’s air safer and cleaner during wildfire season, we tested more than a dozen models to find out.
Key takeaways:
- According to our exclusive lab data, air purifiers can help clear smoke from a home, but some do significantly better than others.
- After testing 18 air purifiers, the Coway 450 was the best overall in our 2026 tests. It had the best overall average results in our particle-removal test and received an Editors’ Choice award.
- The Coway 400S was selected as the best air purifier for wildfire smoke because it cleared T90 fine particles in 39 seconds on high fan, earning it a CNET Lab Test award for that performance.
Best Air Purifiers of 2026
What our testing revealed
To conduct our particle-removal tests at our lab in Louisville, Kentucky, our technicians built a custom smoke chamber to test how quickly an air purifier can remove particulate matter from the air. They created a homemade smoke bomb made from potassium nitrate (KNO3), sucrose (sugar) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), then placed it in the smoke chamber along with the unit being tested and a particle counter.
This test showcases how well each air purifier works at clearing both coarse and fine particles. When determining which unit is best for wildfire smoke, we paid close attention to the fine-particle result, since, according to AirNow, “approximately 90% of total particle mass emitted from wildfires consists of fine particles.”
Fine particles are also the most detrimental to human health because they are tiny, less than or equal to 2.5 microns, so when they are inhaled, they can embed deep into your lungs and cause numerous health issues.
Our lab data revealed that two Coway air purifiers and one Dreame air purifier especially excelled at clearing fine particles.
The Coway 400S is our top pick for clearing smoke from your home because of its exceptional performance at high fan speed. In our 2026 test, it cleared T90 (the time it took for 90% of particles to be removed) fine particles on high fan in just 39 seconds.
The Coway 450, CNET’s choice for best overall air purifier of 2026, was close to matching the 400S’s performance on high fan, but outperformed it on low fan, taking 1 minute and 53 seconds to remove T90 fine particles.
However, the Dreame Furcatch was the top performer in terms of low fan performance. It cleared T90 fine particles on low fan in 1 minute and 24 seconds, winning a CNET Lab Test award in the process. But it did not perform nearly as well as the Coway options above when set to high fan.
While all three models are great options for different reasons, your choice ultimately depends on how you plan to use the air purifier.
If you need quick bursts at high fan speed in the event of sudden smoke, go with the Coway 400S. If you prefer a unit that does particularly well on low fan and you plan to always keep it on that setting, opt for the Dreame Furcatch. For the most consistent performance at both high and low fan speeds, the Coway 450 is the best option.
In addition to our particle-removal tests, we also tested energy usage and loudness. The Dyson HushJet earned two CNET Lab Test awards for being the quietest and most energy-efficient option on our list.
Air purifier use in real life
CNET’s wellness editor, Anna Gragert, has experienced wildfires firsthand. In 2025, California’s Eaton Fire forced her to evacuate her apartment, but luckily, it stopped five miles short of her home.
“Despite taping up our window seams before deciding to evacuate, we returned to an apartment that smelled of smoke, and everything was covered in a thin layer of ash,” Gragert says. “We relied on two air purifiers to filter the air and remove the smoke smell, and wouldn’t have been able to comfortably live in our apartment without them after experiencing a wildfire so close to home.”
While an air purifier won’t protect your home from a wildfire and you should always pay close attention to evacuation orders in your area, it can provide an important line of defense if smoke hits your city so you can breathe easier, both figuratively and literally.
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