How Often Should You Change Your Air Filter?
If you just purchased a home and want to make sure you’re doing the proper maintenance on your HVAC system, you might be asking yourself that question right now. It’s a good question to ask because changing your air filter is something you should get into the habit of doing at least once every few months.
But the problem is that there’s no set answer to the question. It depends on a number of factors, including how many people you have living in your home, your indoor air quality, whether or not you have pets, and so much more.
Generally speaking, most air filter manufacturers recommend changing a basic air filter once every 30 to 60 days. But here’s a more in-depth breakdown that should help you figure out what will work best for your specific home.
If Someone In Your Home Has Allergies…
Do you yourself have allergies, or does someone else in your home suffer from them?
If so, the last thing you want is for dust, pollen, and other allergens to be floating around inside of your home at any point. It can irritate those who have allergies and send them into coughing and sneezing fits all the time.
Those homeowners who have someone living in their home with allergies should replace their air filter about once every six weeks or so. You might even want to consider doing it more often than that if the person with allergies is having a tough time breathing in your home.
Start checking on your air filter every three weeks or so to see what kind of condition it’s in. You’re going to need to monitor your air filter regularly to keep whoever has allergies comfortable.
If You Have Pets…
If you have cats or dogs living in your home, you probably love everything about them. Well, almost everything.
The one thing you don’t love is how much they shed at certain times of the year. Most cats and dogs will shed quite a bit when winter transitions into spring and when summer becomes fall.
And when that happens, pets can bring down your indoor air quality in a serious way. They can make it difficult for you to breathe and send odors throughout your home.
It’s why it’s so important to change your home’s air filter more frequently if you have pets. In general, you should change your air filter about once every two months when this is the case.
Even during the times when your pets aren’t shedding, you’re still going to have pet dander in your home. Avoid having it affect your indoor air quality by staying on top of changing your air filter.
If You Have Young Kids…
It’s absolutely essential for kids, especially young kids under the age of 5 or so, to get access to clean air inside of their homes. Their immune systems are still developing, and if you don’t make changing your air filter a priority, it could take a huge toll on them.
It’s a good idea for those homeowners with kids to change their air filters at least once every two months and potentially sooner if the kids have allergies or if there are pets in the home.
You should also make sure you’re vacuuming your home at least once a week to prevent dust and allergens from moving throughout your house. It’ll help your kids breathe easier when they’re in your home.
If You Live In A Suburban Home Without Pets…
People who live in more urban areas should usually change their air filters more often than those in the suburbs. The air quality in most American cities isn’t as good as it is out in the suburbs.
If you have a suburban home and you don’t have any pets or people living under your roof with allergies, you should feel free to change your air filter about once every three months. That should do the trick and keep your home’s air clean.
You should, of course, adjust that accordingly if you have a home with a lot of people in it or a home located near a construction site. But changing your air filter once every three months should work just fine for the average suburban homeowner.
If You Live In A Rural Area Or Have A Vacation Home…
Just like the air quality in the suburbs is usually better than it is in urban areas, the air quality in rural areas is far superior to what you’ll find in the suburbs. There isn’t much air pollution in rural areas, which is why the air quality is so superb.
As a result, you can usually get away with only changing your air filter about once every six to 12 months if your home is located somewhere out in the middle of nowhere.
You can also get away with changing your air filter a lot less often than usual if it’s in a vacation home. Since you probably don’t use your vacation home much, the air quality inside of it should be pretty good almost all the time. So your air filter will only need to be replaced about once every year.
How Often Should You Change Your Air Filter? As Often As You Can
So, how often should you change your air filter?
The truth is that you’re more than welcome to change it as often as you want. You can change it every few weeks if you don’t mind spending a little extra money and ensure your air quality is as good as it gets.
You can also invest in a high-quality air filter if you don’t want to have to change your air filter as often as you do now. There are some pleated air filters that can hold up for six months at a time even under the toughest conditions.
Whatever you do, don’t put off changing your air filter for too long, and don’t forget to have your HVAC system serviced on a regular basis. Contact us today to schedule service on your system to make sure it’s in great condition.
