How to Clean or Replace Air Filters All Over Your Home

All over your home are air filters which need cleaning or replacing on a regular and consistent basis. From your HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system to your refrigerator, these filters when dirty, don’t work as effectively as they should. The results of dirty air filters can vary from reducing the quality of the air circulating inside your home to causing appliances to overheat, a result of working harder than for what they are designed. Nearly all of these filters are out of sight, out of mind. Think about it, how many air filters did you actually clean or replace in the last year?

Cleaning or Replacing Air Filters in a Timely Fashion

Timing is everything when it comes to cleaning or replacing your home’s air filters. On top of timing, you also have to consider the number of family members living in your home (especially those with allergy issues), the appliance itself, and any pets you have.

In most cases, your filters should be changed or cleaned annually, but more often, every three to six months is recommended for best performance. If you have pets, those adorable family members, the frequency will increase for changing air filters in your HVAC system, moving from every four to six months to every two months to maintain air quality.

Pets aren’t necessarily a factor in timing of the cleaning or replacement of other air filters in your home, but you should perform this necessary maintenance annually, getting into a routine, and even marking it on the calendar, so you won’t forget.

HVAC Air Filters

Keeping you HVAC air filters clean means keeping allergens and dust out of your home, enhancing air quality in your home, and maintaining clean air ducts. Depending on your system, you may find the filter near your unit or elsewhere in the house. For centralized units, the filter location(s) should be easy to find and are simple to replace. Remove the fasteners, open the panel and replace the filter. In a larger home, you will have more than one filter to replace and they may be varying sizes and styles. Before you begin, make the measurements and determine what type of filter(s) you need. And an easy way to remember when the next replacement is needed is to write the replacement date on filter with a permanent marker. For a window mounted unit, determine if you have a reusable filter or a replaceable filter and clean or replace it as needed.

Refrigerator Filters

Every refrigerator is unique, so always be sure to check the maintenance recommended by the manufacturer and follow their recommendations so as not to void any warranties attached to your appliance. Your refrigerator may have filters for keeping odors out, water filters for keeping water at its best, and all refrigerators have condenser coils that need to be cleaned, just like the air and water filters. If you do them all at once, you’ll keep your refrigerator running at peak performance and you will reduce your appliances energy consumption, saving yourself a few dollars.

Reusable Air Filters

In your home, you have other household appliances which have air filters – your vacuum, dehumidifiers, hood fans, etc. In most instances, these filters are reusable – so all you have to do is remove, wash, dry, and re-install them. The frequency they need cleaning is based mostly on usage, but a good guideline is when you replace your HVAC filters.

Now you know how to keep your air filters clean – and keep your appliances working optimally. Whenever you need back-up with any of your cleaning needs, call on the team at Signature maids to help with weekly or specialty cleaning.

‍