Wildfires in Canada have led to a surge in air pollution levels in the US, with New York currently having the worst air quality of any major city. There are plenty of images of N95-mask-wearing people walking down smog-blighted streets that wouldn't look out of place in many a dystopia. Many states and cities have urged folks to stay inside unless they absolutely need to leave, and they're pumping out as much Air Quality Index data as they can. But do you actually know what the Air Quality Index is, or what it's for? We've done an AQI deep dive, exploring how it works and how you can keep yourself informed and safe. And, on the subject of being safe, we've also knocked up a guide for how to make a quick-and-dirty box fan air filter.

As a full-time working parent of two elementary schoolers and one large, grouchy dog, there's no way I could keep our floors mess-free without one. In fact, I love them so much that I'm willing to overlook all manner of problems. Yes, you have to perform regular routine maintenance. Yes, you will have to pick up your floors. My kids are experts at setting robot vacuum booby traps (unstrung bobbins of embroidery floss are a favorite around here).

It's easy to forget about your HVAC system--until it stops working and you find yourself baking in the summer heat or freezing in the winter cold. And the last thing you want to do is put yourself at the mercy of an HVAC repair company on the first searing-hot or icy-cold day of the season. SmartAC.com is launching out of stealth mode today with a sensor-and-machine-learning platform that it says will monitor the health of your entire HVAC system, and warn you of potential breakdowns before they happen. The company says it has enough confidence in its tech that it will offer a customer one year of free service in the event of an unpredicted breakdown. The heart of the system is a suite of three sensors that link to a central hub that connects in turn to your Wi-Fi network.

Coway makes Airmega air filtration systems that suck allergens out of the air in your home. And now it's making the devices easier to control, with the integration of Amazon Alexa voice commands, starting in mid-January. On top of that, the company will ship a graphite version of its filtration system in mid-February. The graphite unit will come in the Airmega 400 ($750) and 400s ($850) models. The Alexa integration is one more example of how much easier it can be to control devices when they become part of the Internet of Things, which is making everyday objects smart and connected. With Alexa, you can now ask Airmega for updates on indoor air quality, filter lifetime, fan speed changes, timer setup, and more.