That is one chore I managed to get done!
I didn’t change them this time because the one in the furnace is supposed to be good for 3 months and this is only the end of the first month. You can also save a little bit of money if you can find the multi-packs of air filters as they are often cheaper.
I took it out and used a hand broom to brush all the caked on dust off. There was a quite a bit of dust on it. Not as much as in the summer when it is dry and really dusty here.
In the summer they need to be cleaned every couple of weeks.
The more dust they get on them the harder it is for the furnace/air filter to pull the air through and the harder it gets the more energy it uses. So keeping them clean uses less energy. So we save a bit of money we could use elsewhere.
I also have a couple of Idylis air filters that help clear allergens out of the air and those need cleaning at the same time.
The big one has two filters in it and I take them out and brush them off and put them back. They are supposed to only need changing every 18 months if used properly.
This is one of those chores that need to be done on the first of the month so you get in the habit. I know this because my father has told me that for years. He is making sure I never forget!
- Change/clean air filters.
- Medicate the animals(heartworms, worms, fleas).
- Treat the septic tank.
- Check the oil and tires on the car.
Those are some of the things that need to be done each month. As I posted a few days ago I am running late this month. The first three have now been done! The last has to wait till the hubby gets home…he has the car. Besides that is one of his chores.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I didn’t know I was supposed to treat the septic tank monthly. There are so many little things that I’m probably not doing right, lol. Thanks for the tips on cleaning air filters!
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Twitter: Elleberra
January 5, 2013 at 4:47 PM
Well my dad says you are. He hasn’t had to have anything done to his in the whole time he has lived here…so I figure he must be doing something right!
Elle recently posted..Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop – January 2013
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January 5, 2013 at 4:41 PM
Would you believe we rented a house for about 2 years and never changed a filter? Once we bought our new house, we have started to do it more often. I like your idea of setting all things on the first of the month…I might do it as the first week of the month.
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Cleaning the air filter is my husbands job and I’d like to keep it that way so even though I read your post I’m still going to plead ignorance of how to do it. :)
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January 6, 2013 at 1:32 PM
LOL. I wish I’d thought of that! But than my hubby knows my daddy taught me all that stuff….so I doubt he would believe it.
Elle recently posted..Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop – January 2013
I am so impressed that you have a schedule. Its what I need for sure, pretty much I just clean it as I see it!
Twitter: Elleberra
January 6, 2013 at 1:33 PM
I used to do it that way but then it didn’t get for too long and my daddy kept telling me I should put it on the calendar and do it the first of every month…I finally listened. It does get done more often now.
Elle recently posted..The Devils Garden by Brady Christianson Spotlight And Review
Thanks for great tips!
Thank you for the reminder. I need to change and clean ours this week. we have all been down with the flu since Christmas night. So, I’m a little behind.
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I haven’t done any air cleaning yet.
I am still busy keeping away all the Christmas stuff in our house.
I should probably change my filters more often, but I just let the landlord change them every few months. I’m so bad about that!
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I need to put this on my list…to clean the filters on the first of every month. It’s amazing how much dust collects!
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I never thought to brush off the air filter to help lower costs… I’m going to talk to my husband about that today. Thanks for the great post!
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January 8, 2013 at 9:31 PM
I need to put this on my list…to clean the filters on the first of every month. I like your idea of setting all things on the first of the month…I might do it as the first week of the month.
Cleaning the air filters is so important – to your health and your energy bill.
As for checking the tire pressure, I don’t do that as often as I should in the colder months. I’m thankful we have a full service station where they check your fluids at each fill up!
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I am going to make a monthly chore list like you have and put it on the family calendar. I admit we don’t clean our air filter monthly, but I know we need to!
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This is such a great tip! We just recently started doing this and it makes a huge difference!
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We change our filter regularly but we should probably be cleaning them in between…especially with cats. We do mark the filter with the date it’s changed to help keep track!
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Twitter: Elleberra
January 13, 2013 at 2:35 PM
Yep. Animal hair tends to get stuck on them too. We have a dog that sheds a lot and you wouldn’t believe how much hair can be on one of the filters. It also bunches up behind things so you have to actually move them to clean…I hate that! But I’m not getting rid of my dog.
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