How to Set Up a Cleaner Indoor Room During Severe Haze Malaysia
How to Set Up a Cleaner Indoor Room During Severe Haze Malaysia
When outdoor air quality becomes unhealthy or very unhealthy, families and workplaces may need one indoor area where particle levels can be managed more effectively.
This is sometimes described as a cleaner indoor room.
It does not mean the room is completely free from pollution. The objective is to select a practical occupied space, reduce unnecessary outdoor smoke entry, use suitable filtration and verify the result with a PM2.5 monitor.
This approach may be useful for homes, offices, schools and other premises in Banting, Klang, Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur and surrounding Klang Valley areas.
Choose the Right Room
The best room is usually not the largest room.
Choose an area that is:
- Away from frequently opened external doors
- Away from the kitchen
- Away from smoking areas
- Away from loading bays
- Away from dusty renovation work
- Reasonably easy to close
- Suitable for the intended occupants
- Compatible with the air purifier’s intended room size
An internal bedroom, meeting room or enclosed office may be easier to manage than a large open hall.
Avoid Rooms With Frequent Outdoor Access
A room beside the main entrance may receive outdoor particles every time the door opens.
Avoid using areas directly connected to:
- Open corridors
- Balconies
- Car parks
- Loading areas
- Busy roads
- External staircases
- Frequently used entrances
If no alternative room is available, monitor how much the PM2.5 reading changes when the door opens.
Check Doors and Windows
Close unnecessary windows and external doors where appropriate.
Inspect for obvious gaps around:
- Window frames
- Sliding doors
- External doors
- Wall openings
- Air-conditioning penetrations
- Ventilation openings
Do not block emergency exits or ventilation required for safety.
Kitchens, bathrooms, laboratories and rooms containing fuel-burning equipment may require suitable ventilation.
Remove Indoor Particle Sources
A cleaner indoor room should not contain activities that generate particles.
Avoid:
- Smoking
- Burning incense
- Candles
- Frying or heavy cooking
- Dusty cleaning
- Renovation work
- Sanding or grinding
- Spray activities
- Storing dusty materials
The room cannot remain cleaner if particles are continuously generated inside.
Select a Suitable Air Purifier
The air purifier should be suitable for the room’s intended size and use.
Check:
- Recommended room coverage
- Filter type
- Filter installation
- Filter condition
- Air intake and outlet location
- Operating speed
- Manufacturer maintenance instructions
Do not place the purifier behind furniture, curtains or other obstructions.
Allow enough space for air to enter and leave the unit.
Position the PM2.5 Monitor Correctly
The PM2.5 monitor should represent the general occupied area.
Place it:
- Around normal breathing height
- Away from the floor
- Away from direct sunlight
- Away from the air purifier outlet
- Away from air-conditioning vents
- Away from windows
- Away from doors
- Away from cooking or dusty activities
A monitor placed directly beside the purifier may display a lower reading that does not represent the entire room.
Establish the Starting Reading
Before operating the purifier, record:
- PM2.5 reading
- Date and time
- Room location
- Windows and doors status
- Number of occupants
- Air-conditioner status
- Outdoor API condition
- Any nearby activity
This provides a reference for comparison.
Operate the Purifier and Observe the Trend
After switching on the purifier, keep the room conditions as consistent as practical.
Observe whether PM2.5:
- Decreases gradually
- Remains stable
- Continues increasing
- Drops but rises when the door opens
- Improves only at one position
- Rises during cleaning or movement
A consistent decrease indicates that the combination of room control and filtration is helping.
Check More Than One Position
Larger rooms may have uneven particle distribution.
Compare:
- Near the occupied area
- At the opposite side of the room
- Near the door
- Away from the purifier
- Near an external wall
Do not move the monitor constantly. Allow it to respond to each new location before recording the result.
Control Entry and Exit
A cleaner indoor room becomes difficult to maintain if the door is opened repeatedly.
Where practical:
- Reduce unnecessary movement
- Keep the door closed after entry
- Avoid leaving the door partly open
- Place frequently used items inside
- Explain the room procedure to occupants
- Check PM2.5 after repeated door opening
For offices or schools, management should balance access needs with indoor air control.
Do Not Ignore Ventilation
Reducing outdoor smoke entry does not mean ventilation should be ignored.
In an occupied enclosed room, carbon dioxide may rise when:
- Many people are present
- Fresh-air ventilation is limited
- The room is used for a long period
- Doors and windows remain closed
- The ventilation system is not operating correctly
PM2.5 and COâ‚‚ must be interpreted separately.
An air purifier may reduce particles but normally does not remove carbon dioxide.
A multi-parameter monitor may be useful when both haze and room-occupancy conditions must be observed.
How Often Should the Room Be Checked?
Check the room:
- Before occupants enter
- After the purifier starts
- During occupancy
- After the door is opened repeatedly
- When outdoor API worsens
- After cooking or cleaning nearby
- Before sleeping or extended use
The objective is to identify a stable trend rather than react to every small fluctuation.
Compare With Other Rooms
Measure another room using the same monitor and method.
For example:
- Cleaner room vs living room
- Meeting room vs open office
- Internal classroom vs roadside classroom
- Factory office vs guardhouse
- Filtered room vs unfiltered room
This helps confirm whether the selected room is performing better than the rest of the premises.
What a Cleaner Indoor Room Cannot Guarantee
A cleaner indoor room cannot guarantee completely pollution-free air.
It does not replace:
- Official outdoor API information
- Professional indoor air-quality assessment
- HVAC inspection
- Medical advice
- Occupational hygiene monitoring
- Specialised gas detection
Its purpose is to provide a more manageable indoor area during temporary poor outdoor air conditions.
Selecting a Suitable Air-Quality Monitor
For haze applications, prioritise PM2.5 measurement.
Consider a multi-parameter monitor when users also need:
- PM10
- COâ‚‚
- TVOC
- Formaldehyde
- Temperature
- Humidity
MTM Precision supplies Temtop air-quality monitors for homes, offices, schools, clinics, factories and other workplaces.
Customers may WhatsApp us their room size, intended use and required parameters for suitable model selection.
MTM Precision Sdn Bhd
Showroom & Service Centre: No. 29-1 & 29-2, Jalan Bandar 18, Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47160 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: 03-8080 7172
WhatsApp: +6016-660 7346
Email: mtmpre@yahoo.com
Website: www.mtmpre.com.my
06 Oct 2026
