In terms of cleaning, one of the most overlooked parts of the home is its filters. You may not even realize just how many filters your home has—and if you don’t know the filters are there, they’re certainly not being cleaned properly! For the benefit of your knowledge, here’s a list of the common types of filters in your home.
HVAC
An HVAC system includes your air conditioning unit, furnace, ductwork, and several other parts of your home’s ventilation system. In order to maintain good air quality in your home and avoid overworking these machines, it’s important to clean or change their filters regularly.
Water
If you have a water filtration system in your home, it’ll need to be replaced periodically as well. These water filtration systems are often built into refrigerators and filter out impurities in your water to improve safety and taste. In order to keep doing their job, they should be replaced every 6-12 months.
Range Hood
Your range hood is the fan above your stove that filters smoke, steam, and dangerous air pollutants from the air when you cook with the stove. Range hoods must be cleaned properly to remove grease, dust, and other food residue. If your range hood is visibly dirty, it’s time for a cleaning, but at absolute minimum it should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a year.
Microwave
Built-in microwaves have filters that become dirty over time. Your microwave’s filter should be cleaned at least once or twice a year, especially if it’s located above your stove. Soap and water usually does the trick. Some microwave filters are even dishwasher safe.
Dryer
As they dry your clothes, dryers collect lint in a lint filter. Lint should be removed from this filter every time you begin drying a new load. Lint buildup in the dryer’s filter can cause clothes to dry less quickly, and too much lint lodged in your dryer can also be a fire hazard.
Each of these common types of filters in your home plays an important role, so it’s important to keep them all well maintained and functional. Regular maintenance of your filters will help you to keep your home a clean, safe, and healthy environment.
For more tips on managing home maintenance, check out these posts:
The Top 3 Values of Simple Home Air Filters
