The easy process for making homemade filters that are washable and simple to keep clean and germ-free to keep you breathing freely all year long.
Snow is falling, cold wind is blowing. The furnace clicks on.
Uh oh!
What about all that dust and dirt and who knows what else that has collected in the air ducts over the past months?
Here’s a simple solution for keeping the dusty and even moldy muck from spewing into your air and into your lungs when you breathe.
Make your own washable homemade filters!
How to Make Healthy, Homemade Filters
Find an old 100% wool sweater; perhaps at your local Salvation Army and wash it in hot, hot water and simple soap in your washing machine. This is not a time to worry about the delicacy of the sweater. We want it to felt up good and thick, even shrink.
The idea is to tease the fibers into felty submission. Then dry it in a hot dryer. This will further the felting process. Once the sweater is thick and misshapen, measure the perimeter of the register (the opening on the floor where the heat blows out) and cut the sweater to fit neatly into the opening.
The best part is that you don’t need to hem the ends since felted wool doesn’t fray.
It will make a tidy homemade filter that allows the free flow of hot air while offering a hygienic filter.
These homemade filters are as good, if not better, than any pre-made filters from the store and are easily tossed into the washer monthly, so you and your family can breathe freely and not spend a dime!
When the furnace first comes on in the cooler months, clean the filters more often, perhaps even have a few of them already made and fitted.
In your little girl’s room, choose a pink sweater. In your son’s, blue. Homemade filters can color coordinate too!
Simple solutions for a healthier life … made by you.
Our health is in our hands!
For more information on clean indoor air, this article explains the top 10 house plants proven by NASA to filter toxins out of the air that outgas from building materials and household products.
Better for your home, family, respiratory, etc. is to have the duct work cleaned.
It can be done affordable, removes dust, and kills mildew or mold inside.
And it does not hinder the air flow necessary to keep the furnace running efficiently.
http://Www.moldremovalnh.com
That sweater looks like it’s made of dryer lint.
This does not sound like a good idea for your furnace! it needs air to flow and not get stopped. this may cause it to work extra hard and never get your home heated to the desired temp on the thermostat. Be careful!!!!!
I wouldn’t try it. It will cause strain on your furnace and/or AC and may cause it to burn out and thousands of dollars worth of damage. This is per my husband who is a HVAC technician.
He says it’s a terrible idea that will ruin your equipment. And we know how costly furnaces are. Friends of ours had theirs recently replaced (previous was old unreliable system) and it cost them $6,500.
That air that someone was complaining is not coming out of the vent us pressing back into the system causing motor, fan, and pump to strain, overheat, etc.
my hubby also a HVAC Tech. i asked him after reading. Says better to take the 1″ filter out of your intake, replace it with a 4″ pleated one. increase is about 80% reduction of stuff coming thru your system. You only need 2 of them a season here in NY. my hubby is big about no more then 2 floor vents close all the way in our house at a time. 14X70 home. so covering them would over heat your furnace. Go ahead NY do it. I love his overtime. lol
I would use panty hose for vents in each room
I was so excited to do this today, but when we turned the furnace on, no air was coming out! Can someone please help????? My husband was not a fan of my trying this, ha!
Good thing for you. Doing this will compromise your forced air furnace and you will have a much bigger bill than buying a regular furnace filter when you have to replace the motor.
Love this tip! Thank You 🙂
We don’t have to clean our furnace filters too often because I use the Norwex Microfiber for my floors, dusting and cleaning everywhere. Since I started doing that the filters don’t get dirty as quickly. We are allergy sufferers though and every little bit extra helps. Are you familiar with Norwex. It would probably be something you would love. No chemicals and it still removes all the Bacteria.
i looked up Norwex Microfiber. It’s suppose to be used to clean your face and clear up acne. Is this what you are talking about ? And if so, do you use detergent or cleanser for your dusting and cleaning with it. What kind of cleanser do you use?
I wish I would have read this earlier in the heating season! Bookmarking it for next year for sure!