I admit I do not have much knowledge on this front, so I would like to ask knowledge here from others for best options to reduce. While I know there is no perfect solution truly, what could be a good resource for reducing?

  • solrize@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    5 days ago

    Filter elements are consumables, though for heavier particulates you can wash them. Finer particulate filters rely on electrostatic charge to the filter that gets messed up more easily.

    Also, if you’re talking about wildfire smoke, sleeping with a mask on is not very nice. You want some kind of powered filtration in your living space, if you have electricity. Look up “Corsi-Rosenthal box” for a DIY method using a box fan and furnace filters.

    • HerbGrower@slrpnk.netEnglish
      0·
      3 days ago

      I remember bigclive trying to make a simple air filter with toilet paper. I wonder if you could scale that up to something like a corsi-rosenthal box?

      Then also what kind of filtration you actually get from toilet paper. Should make a good dust filter at least, but not sure about smaller particles.

      • solrize@lemmy.mlEnglish
        0·
        2 days ago

        I don’t think that would work well. I did a crude thing with a single furnace filter instead of 4 of them and that worked ok though.

        • HerbGrower@slrpnk.netEnglish
          0·
          2 days ago

          May have to try and dig out his video. It absolutely worked, but may have been more of a dust filter.

          • solrize@lemmy.mlEnglish
            0·
            24 hours ago

            It might be useful as a desperate improvisation but otherwise get a real filter. You want to filter out very fine particles. AQI is measured at 2.5 micron but you want sub micron filtering if you can get it.

    • foxymochakitten@slrpnk.netEnglish
      0·
      5 days ago

      I have a powerful air purifier inside my home, but for leaving it, I would really like to protect my lungs from particulates (my area is being hit hard by wildfires right now). Is my best option just buying and wearing KN95s like usual or is there something better I could get and buy a box of filters for?

      • solrize@lemmy.mlEnglish
        0·
        5 days ago

        For particulates you should use a real N95 instead of KN95. If you want something more permanent try a half-face or full-face respirator with replaceable cartridges. I have a 3M 6297 (https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b10013131/ ). I’m not convinced the particulate reduction is any better than an N95, but it’s easier to get a good seal and easier to breathe through, and gives more odor reduction. If doing it again I’d probably get the style with the trapezoid shaped cartridges (https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b5005625039/) instead of the round ones, since there are more choices of cartridges for different classes of contaminant. As an extra benefit, it gets you the stylish Darth Vader look. You can get them at hardware stores or Home Depot since painters and so on use them. I got mine at Office Depot. I think it was $25 or so including a pair of P100 cartridges.

        The filter cartridges last a pretty long time but they are way more expensive than N95’s, like $10 a pair maybe? IDR, it’s been a while.

        Don’t worry about N95 vs N100/P100, there really isn’t much difference under testing. Look up Aaron Collins’ youtube channel for a gazillion mask tests from 2020 or so. N95 vs P95 shouldn’t matter since the P designates oil resistance which isn’t relevant here.

        Here are 3M’s full face respirators which is the next step up from half face: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/c/ppe/respiratory-protection/reusable-respirators/full-face/

        I don’t have one but sort of wanted one some time back.

        At least on my 6297, it looks pretty easy to convert it to a powered respirator (PAPR) by removing the cartridges and connecting an air hose to the cartridge ports to deliver filtered air from wherever.

        • just2look@lemmy.zipEnglish
          0·
          5 days ago

          The GVS Elipse is a lower profile option that should have comparable performance to the 3m respirators. They offer both half and full face respirators as well.