Bushfire smoke can turn a familiar room into a place that feels stuffy, dusty and hard to settle in. The haze outside is only part of the problem. Fine particles and smoky odours can enter through open windows, gaps around doors and ventilation points. Knowing how to prepare home for bushfire smoke gives your household a practical plan before conditions worsen.
The aim is not to make a house perfectly airtight. Most Australian homes cannot be sealed completely, and they still need sensible ventilation when the outdoor air clears. The goal is to reduce the amount of smoke getting indoors, create one cleaner room where the family can spend time, and avoid bringing extra smoke inside.
Prepare your home for bushfire smoke before it arrives
The best time to act is before you can smell smoke indoors. Check windows and external doors first. Make sure they close properly, then use weather seals or door snakes where you can feel a draught. Pay attention to sliding doors, older window frames, pet doors and gaps around exhaust fans. Small gaps add up during a long smoky day.
When smoke is forecast or visible nearby, close windows and external doors early. Avoid leaving them cracked open overnight, even if the temperature drops. If your home has a split-system air conditioner, use the recirculation setting where available rather than drawing outdoor air through the system. Settings vary, so check the unit manual rather than assuming every air conditioner works the same way.
There is a trade-off in hot weather. Closing up the house can make it warmer, particularly in homes without air conditioning. Choose the coolest shaded room, close curtains or blinds against afternoon sun, and use fans only when they are circulating indoor air. A fan will not clean smoke from the room, but it can make a closed room feel more comfortable.
Also bring washing in, close the garage, and avoid going in and out unnecessarily. Smoke and ash can cling to shoes, clothing, prams and bags. Leave shoes at the door if practical, and wipe down hard surfaces with a damp cloth rather than dry dusting, which can stir settled particles back into the air.
Set up one cleaner indoor room
For many households, a designated cleaner room is more realistic than trying to manage every room at once. Pick a room that is easy to close off, ideally a bedroom or living area where people already spend a lot of time. It should have windows and doors that shut well, enough room for the people using it, drinking water, chargers and a few quiet activities.
Keep the room simple during smoky periods. Skip scented candles, incense, oil burners and aerosol sprays. Avoid frying, grilling or charring food indoors, as cooking can add particles and odours to already compromised indoor air. If possible, choose meals that need little cooking or use appliances that produce less smoke and steam.
Vacuuming can help with ash that has already settled, but timing matters. A vacuum without effective filtration may send fine dust back into the room. If you need to clean, use a vacuum designed to contain fine particles, or wipe surfaces and mop floors with a damp cloth or mop. Never use a leaf blower or dry broom around doors, patios or entries while smoke is present.
If outdoor conditions are severe, limit opening the cleaner room door. This is especially useful when someone has just returned from outside. They can remove outer layers near the entry, wash hands and face, then move into the cleaner space without tracking in extra ash and odour.
Use an air purifier in the room you are using
An air purifier can be useful during bushfire smoke because it continuously filters the air already inside the room. Place it on a stable, open surface with clear space around the air intake and outlet. Do not tuck it behind a lounge, under a desk or against heavy curtains. It needs room to draw air through the filter.
For smoke, look first at the purifier's coverage guidance and match it to the room size. A unit that is too small may still run, but it will take longer to cycle the room's air. In a larger open-plan area, it is often more effective to focus on one closed room than expect a small unit to handle the whole house.
A True HEPA H13 filter is designed to capture fine airborne particles. True HEPA filtration is commonly rated to capture 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns under test conditions. That makes it relevant for the fine particle component of smoke. A pre-filter catches larger dust, hair and debris first, helping protect the main filter.
Activated carbon serves a different purpose. It helps reduce smoky odours and some gaseous compounds, often described as VOCs. Carbon has a limited capacity, so it cannot absorb every gas forever and it should not be treated as a substitute for following emergency advice. Still, a purifier with both True HEPA H13 and activated carbon gives a more useful response to smoke than particle filtration alone.
Some models also include UV. UV sterilisation is not the feature to prioritise for bushfire smoke. The key stages are the pre-filter, True HEPA H13 filter and activated carbon. Choose the unit that suits your room, keep it running on an appropriate setting, and replace filters when the manufacturer's guidance says they are due.
What to switch off and what to keep running
During a smoke event, avoid systems that intentionally pull in outdoor air unless you know they have suitable filtration and can be safely set to recirculate. This may include some whole-home ventilation systems, evaporative coolers and bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans. You still need to manage moisture and cooking odours, so use common sense rather than shutting everything down for days.
Rangehoods are a good example of the trade-off. They remove cooking fumes, but they can also pull replacement air into the home through gaps. When outdoor air is smoky, keep cooking low-smoke and brief. If you need to use the rangehood, run it only as much as necessary, then close the kitchen off if you can.
A humidifier does not remove smoke particles or smoky gases from the air. It may help a room feel less dry if heating or air conditioning is running, but it should not replace filtration. Keep humidity sensible too. Excess moisture can create condensation on windows and damp corners, which is not helpful in a closed-up home.
Check the air outside, not just the smell inside
Smoke can be present even when the smell seems mild, and a strong smell can remain after particle levels have dropped. Follow local emergency warnings and air-quality advice for your area. If authorities advise leaving, do not stay behind to manage windows, filters or appliances. Take your emergency plan, pets, medications and essentials, and leave when directed.
After conditions improve, do not rush to open every window. Check local advice first, then air the home out when outdoor air is clearer. Open windows on opposite sides of the home for a short period if it is safe to do so. Wash outdoor furniture and entry areas, clean window tracks, and replace or clean purifier pre-filters if they are visibly dusty.
A simple smoke-day routine
Keep your plan easy enough to use when everyone is tired and worried. Close the house early, set up the chosen cleaner room, run the air purifier with doors and windows shut, and keep indoor activities low-smoke. Before anyone comes in from outside, have a spot ready for shoes and outer layers. Check official updates at regular intervals rather than watching the sky all day.
Bushfire season asks a lot of Australian households. A few practical changes can make the indoors feel calmer while you wait for clearer air. Set up your cleaner room before you need it, keep your filters ready, and let that space be the quiet place your family can return to when the outside air is not inviting.