Clean Air at Home, Built from What You Have
When critical air quality events happen, how can people clean the air inside their homes, fast and with everyday materials?
That’s the question driving our current study. We’re developing and testing simple do-it-yourself strategies that help people breathe cleaner air at home during short-term air quality emergencies. These are solutions you can put together in an afternoon, without special tools, and take down when the air clears.
Why this matters
Not everyone has an air purifier on hand when air quality turns bad, and store shelves can empty quickly during critical air quality events. Our research shows that one of the most effective things people can do is clean the air already inside the room while reducing how much outside air leaks in. Even a modest homemade filter can meaningfully cut indoor particle levels, and sealing up drafty spots makes it work even better.
How the study works
1. Listening first. A nationwide survey of 1,000 households will help us learn what materials people have at home and what they’d realistically be willing to build.
2. Testing in the lab. We will measure how well everyday fabrics filter particles, how fans hold up under extra strain, and how designs perform when built by people with different skill levels.
3. Trying it at home. About 100 volunteers across the country will build our designs using our step-by-step guides and tell us what worked and what didn’t.
4. Measuring real-world results. We’ll do field tests at approximately 20 homes, measuring air leakage and air cleaner performance before and after to see how much protection these strategies really provide.
The end result will be, easy-to-follow guidance (e.g., videos, illustrations, and written instructions) that anyone can use when the air outside turns unhealthy!