When wildfire smoke rolls through Kootenai County, closing the windows isn't enough. Fine particles, soot, and chemical residue infiltrate even sealed homes — and they don't leave on their own. Here's how to properly clean your home after wildfire season.
If you've lived in North Idaho for more than a few summers, you know what wildfire season feels like. The haze settles over Lake Coeur d'Alene, the mountains disappear, and the smell works its way into the house no matter what you do. Most people figure that closing the windows is enough. It's not.
Wildfire smoke particles are small enough to slip through gaps around outlets, door frames, and attic vents. By the end of a bad smoke week, your carpets, upholstery, and every horizontal surface in the house have collected a layer of residue that won't leave on its own.
Starting cleanup while the outdoor air is still bad is like mopping during a rainstorm — your HVAC will pull fresh contamination in as fast as you're cleaning it up.
Check AirNow.gov before you start. When the AQI for Coeur d'Alene drops to 50 or below (the "Good" range), you're clear to open windows and begin. Until then, keep the house closed and run a HEPA air purifier if you have one.
Your furnace filter has been catching smoke particles the whole time — which means it's likely saturated and may be pushing some of that residue back out. Replace it before you run the system again. If your system is designed for it, a MERV-13 filter is the EPA's recommendation for wildfire smoke; check your furnace manual or the filter slot label to confirm your system can handle it. If not, go as high as your system supports — standard filters rated MERV-8 or lower don't catch smoke particles effectively.
Once you've replaced the filter, run your system for a few hours to help flush the air before you start on surfaces. If the smoke was bad for more than a few days, it's worth having a duct cleaning company take a look — residue that settles inside ductwork gets redistributed every time the furnace kicks on.
One rule applies everywhere: don't just dry dust or dry sweep. Feather dusters and dry cloths kick particles back into the air rather than removing them — always follow up with damp microfiber cloths on surfaces and a damp mop on floors.