Can HVAC Air Filters Be Recycled?

January 26, 2019

Air filters play a big role in your home’s indoor air quality. They capture dust, hair, mold spores, bacteria, viruses and other particles that would otherwise go through your home’s air ducts and into your living spaces. Air filters come in disposable and reusable varieties. Therefore, it is important to know which types can be recycled and how to responsibly dispose of a spent air filter from your heating and cooling system. Disposable Air Filters Disposable air filters are made from a polyester fiber or fiberglass insert and a cardboard frame. Fiberglass cannot be recycled. In some places, polyester fibers can be recycled, but you may have to take it to a specialty recycling center that deals with plastics. The cardboard is recyclable in most communities. However, tearing off the cardboard frame from the insert could expose you to all of the dust and other particles captured by the filter. In most cases, you’ll be better off disposing of these filters into the trash. Disposable air filters are designed to last for about 30 to 90 days. Going through four to 12 of these in a year could generate a lot of waste. If this is concerning to you, consider...

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Do I Need an Air Cleaner in My Home?

October 5, 2018

We spend most of our hours of the day at home, and most of that time is spent inside the home, not in our yards. So indoor air quality matters in the home. You breathe it while awake and sleeping. Good air quality can make all the difference in your health and quality of life. So, do you need an air cleaner? That depends on what’s in the air your breathe and how your home is presently removing — if at all — those air pollutants. Indoor air quality Can Contain: Bacteria Viruses, like the cold and flu viruses Allergens, like mold spores, pet dander, dust, ragweed Chemical, like smoke, gases, benzene, formaldehyde Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to cause cancer All of these pollutants make you sick, some more so than others. Making it worse are newer homes that are energy efficient. Energy efficiency is great on the pocket but bad on health because not only does it seal in energy, it seals in all these pollutants. What Home design or Upgrades can Remove Pollutants? Removing pollutants is hard to do, but you may already be doing it without knowing it. Your home’s design can act as...

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