What kind of replacement furnace filter to buy isn't something most of us give much thought to. But you should give it some thought, because a replacement furnace filter does more than just keep your furnace clean and running efficiently. Today's replacement filters are designed with your furnace and your health in mind.

Some of the airborne substances in your home include things like dust, smoke, mold spores, pet dander, particles from outside like pollen, and even hair and skin from the people in the home. The dust that you see, for the most part, doesn't make it into your lungs. It's caught by the tiny hairs in your mucous membranes that are designed to protect you. It's the particles in the air that you can see that are small enough to get in your lungs and lodge there. And ironically, cleaning can stir up more of these particles rather than eliminate them.

But can a furnace filter really help get rid of the particles that you don't see? Even the cheapest furnace filters you can buy are covered in a mat of grime when you remove them, so obviously they're great at getting rid of visible dust. What about the tiny particles we can't see?

An electronic plate and wire replacement furnace filter is one of the most effective at catching such particles and reducing pollutants in the air. A premium filter with 1" pleats removes these particles almost as well. In testing, in which the air in a house was tested before and after the use of these filters, the particles were reduced.

When looking for a replacement furnace filter, don't be wooed by the least expensive one. A fiberglass replacement furnace filter, which is usually the least expensive because it's disposable, also doesn't block anything but dust and large particles. Everything else sails right on through. These protect your furnace, but really don't help the air quality in your house.

Electrostatic filters can save you money over time because they're washable. But this type of replacement furnace filter, charged to attract dust, doesn't do much better at filtering smaller particles than the fiberglass. They only stop about 20% of the particles, while the rest go through.

Pleated filters designed to help ease allergies work better, up to 50% better, because the pleats simply make the filter surface much bigger.

The electronic air cleaners can cost several hundred dollars, but these catch up to 94% of the particles that you don't want to be breathing in your home. It could be worth the investment for peace of mind and for your health, especially if there are frequent illnesses and allergies in your home.

Choose the best replacement furnace filter you can afford, with highest MERV rating. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. The higher number (from 1 to 11 for home use) the more efficient the filter at removing particles that measure between 3 and 10 microns. A MERV 6 filter gets from about 35% to 50% of particles, while a MERV 11 replacement furnace filter catches up to 95%.

Photo Credits: h?lf empty

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air quality, airborne substances, electrostatic filters, fiberglass replacement, furnace filter, furnace filters, grime, hair and skin, lungs, mold spores, money, mucous membranes, pleats, pollen, pollutants, replacement filters, sails, tiny hairs, tiny particles, visible dust