How Often Do You Replace a Filter, and Why?

As conversations surrounding air quality have grown during the past two years of the pandemic, the demand for air purifiers has risen significantly after increasing concern about air pollution levels indoors. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air can be two to five times more harmful than the air outdoors. 

Air purifiers are cost-effective in reducing the risks of health issues brought about by indoor pollutants. Quality air purifiers can eliminate and cleanse indoor air of contaminants, keeping you and your loved ones safe from respiratory conditions. 

Over time, however, the air quality that your purifier produces may decline. While you’ve been enjoying freshened air in the last couple of months, your air filtration unit might have been working overtime. Now, you suddenly see noticeable dirt buildup on some of your furniture, or perhaps your home looks dustier than usual. Or maybe the indoor air feels stuffier than normal. If your air purifier doesn’t have built-in indicators that tell you to do so, perhaps those scenarios are telling you that your air purifier needs a filter replacement.

Why Should You Replace Air Purifier Filters? 

 

Air purifiers can be a crucial part of decreasing allergen levels indoors. Reducing the chances of airborne illnesses from spreading in your home is important, especially if you live with children or older adults. When your air purifier constantly filters particles from the air circulating indoors, dust and pollen can accumulate over time. A clogged filter hampers the cleaning process, making your air purifier work harder.

Some manufacturers in the air purifier industry have considered this and developed permanent or washable filters. However, reusable filters will require constant vacuuming and washing to maintain overall efficiency. And even if you clean them regularly and thoroughly, there’s no guarantee that they’ll perform as effectively as the time you first bought them. Additionally, attempting to wash a filter that’s full of dangerous particles is the last thing you want to be doing. Trying to replace a reusable filter can expose you to everything you were trying to avoid in the first place.

In short, all filters, regardless of whether they’re washable or replaceable, have a certain capacity. Washing or brushing the air filter might be helpful to some extent, but as your filter only accumulates debris over time, the purifier’s filtration capacity will inevitably decrease.

Determining when you need to replace your filter can be tricky. For the Sans air purifier, you can breathe easier knowing replacement filters for its three-stage filtration process can be purchased separately, whenever you need them. 

How Often Should You Change Your Air Purifier Filters? 

 

Most air purifiers already have built-in features that notify you when it’s time to replace your filters. If your purifier is an older model without filter change indicators, it will be beneficial for you to establish and follow a schedule for when your filter needs changing or replacement.

Although it can vary depending on several factors, most people follow the standard replacement schedule for various filter types. To know yours, check by opening the air purifier and inspecting the filter. Most manufacturers have manuals that include instructions on how to locate your filter. If you don’t have one, check the suggested replacement schedule for each filter type found below: 

• HEPA: Between six and 12 months
• Carbon: Between three and six months
• Pre-filters: Cleaned every 30 days or replaced every three months or when worn out

Other Factors to Consider

It’s important to note that the recommended schedule listed above only factors in the type of filter your air purifier uses. Other environmental elements may mean that you need to change your filters more often. Let’s have a look at them:

• If you have pets at home that can significantly affect indoor air quality, like dogs and cats who shed seasonally or all-year-round, your air purifier will get clogged up by pet dander and hair/fur much quicker. So, we recommend that you change your filter more frequently than usual.
• If your air purifier runs every hour of the day, it’s going to be needing replacement or maintenance much faster than a unit that’s only used every other day or certain days of the week.  
• You might also want to increase the frequency of replacing the filter in your air purifier if you use wood-burning stoves or if someone in your home smokes.
• Some things or areas in your house need to be cleaned or vacuumed daily, while a general cleaning for your entire home is recommended at least once a week. If you find yourself unable to clean regularly, dirt, pollen, and dust may accumulate faster in the air filter. 
• The lifespan of your filter can also depend on the air quality outdoors. Outdoor air enters and leaves a house through natural ventilation, and if you reside in a densely populated city or somewhere that experiences a lot of wildfires, your air purifier will need frequent filter replacement.

While it’s a good rule to follow, knowing the exact right time to replace filters can be confusing for some people. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about schedules with the Sans air purifier. 

You can opt to buy the Sans Three-Stage Replacement Filter once every couple of months, or sign up for a subscription that will deliver the replacement filter directly to you every three months. So, you can just sit back and revel in rejuvenated air all year long without worrying about schedules ever again. 

Mind your health, breathe easier, and protect your air indoors. Shop with Sans today.