How To Clean Your Home’s Air Filters For A Healthy House

Air filters in your home are a crucial part of the ventilation system. They keep dust particles, mould spores, pollen, and other allergens from entering your home and polluting the indoor air. However, to ensure you have a healthy house, you must routinely sanitise these filters and replace them when they are no longer in the best state to clean the air in your home. You can hire professionals to sanitise air filters. Your home’s air filters are among the first line of defence against dust, dirt, pollen, allergens and other contaminants. They are an important part of the heating, ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC) system of your house. Therefore, the fixtures collect clumps of dust & pollutants, making them look unpleasant. What’s more, the build-up interferes with the system’s efficiency by reducing the functionality and increasing the electricity bills. You can take the assistance of professionals for deep house cleaning or end of lease cleaning in Ipswich to get air filters and other areas of the property. Here is a complete guide for DIY cleaning of air filters to have a healthy house.

Should You Clean Or Replace The Filters?

Before getting supplies and starting the sanitation process, inspect the air filters to determine whether you need cleaning or replacement.

• Replace disposable filters instead of washing or vacuuming them.
• Get rid of filters that are heavily soiled, damaged or broken and get new ones.
• Replace reusable filters twice a year and clean them at least once a month

If you are moving out of a rental property, hire experienced end of lease cleaners in Ipswich to clean the air filters. Since professionals have the skills, high-performance equipment and expertise, they can help get your bond back in full.

Signs The Air Filters Need Cleaning

You should clean the air filters in your house regularly to prevent bad indoor air and high utility bills. You can clean the filters every month or when you observe the following signs.

• More dust than usual on floors, countertops, furniture, slabs and other household surfaces.
• There is a musty smell lingering in every room
• The HVAC system is not heating or cooling household areas properly
• You cannot feel the vents pushing out air at a good rate.
• The vent grates look dirty or mouldy, meaning the filters are too.
• The vents are making an unusual noise like something is obstructing the airflow.
• There is a sudden burst of dust whenever you turn on the HVAC system.

Gather The Supplies

You need supplies & tools on-hand to sanitise the air filters in every room without any stress or hassle like professional bond cleaners. Here are the things you will need to clean the fixtures thoroughly.

• A vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter and hose, crevice, brush, and other attachments.
• Microfiber cloths
• Sponges and brushes
• A multipurpose liquid soap
• Screwdriver
• A bucket, spray bottle and mug

Clean The Air Filters

Depending on the HVAC system, your house can have a single air vent or multiple ones, meaning you can have more than one air filter to clean. Here is what you should do.

• Turn off the heating/cooling unit and the exhaust fan to inhibit the circulation of unfiltered air. This step will prevent degradation of the indoor air quality.
• Open the vent using a screwdriver and wipe the grates with a microfiber cloth.
• Reach inside the vent to take out the filters and inspect their condition to ensure they are not damaged or heavily soiled.
• Replace filters if they are over six months old or extremely dirty.
• Collect all the filters and take them outside
• Vacuum the air filter to remove dust, dirt and debris. Brush the filter gently to agitate build-up pollutants before vacuuming if necessary.
• Make a solution of warm water and white vinegar in equal proportions plus one-two teaspoons of liquid soap in a large sink or container to dip dirty filters. Leave them there for 45-minutes or an hour to loosen the grime and scrub with a sponge before washing with warm water.
• Many green bond cleaning Ipswich professionals use organic and natural cleaners like vinegar, baking soda etc., while sanitising homes.
• For filters too big to fit inside the sink/container, pressure-wash them with a garden hose. Keep the water pressure low to avoid damage.
• After washing, let the filters air dry completely before placing them back in the vents. This step helps prevent mould growth.
• While placing the clean air filters back or replacing them, make sure they face the right direction.
• Vacuum the vent to remove any dust, dirt or debris before putting the filters back to prevent them from becoming dirty quickly.
• Close the vents by screwing the grates back
• Turn on the HVAC system to heat, cool or ventilate your house.

Wrapping Up

Most people don’t pay attention to air filters in their homes while cleaning. Since these fixtures are highly neglected, they become heavily soiled and pollute the indoor air. You can hire reliable end of lease cleaners in Ipswich to sanitise them and other areas of your rental property to get a full bond refund. But to clean them yourself without any stress or hassle, use the guide shared above. Identify the signs the air filters are dirty and apply the tips to deep clean the fixtures like a pro.