What Is The Best Furnace Filter For Allergies

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Sneezing at home? You're not alone. Millions around the world suffer from symptoms caused by allergens in their home. Things such as pollen, pet dander, and insect debris can trigger an allergic reaction that is accompanied by coughing, sneezing, and a runny olfactory organ.

In this article, I'll accept a look at some of the best furnace air filters for allergies. I'll also go over air filters for different kinds of allergies, such equally pollen, pet dander, and smoke.

Best furnace filters for allergies

Filtrete Micro Allergen Air Filters

These MERV 11 filters volition capture particles such as fine dust, pollen, and pet dander. Perfect to assistance foreclose seasonal allergies.

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The Filtrete Micro Allergen air filters are my pick for the best furnace filters for allergies. With a MERV-11 (MPR one thousand) rating, they are sufficient to capture about fine particles, including pollen and pet dander.

These filters also take more pleats than other filters with a similar rating. And then what are pleats—and why is having more pleats of import?

Pleats are the ridges that are in the air filter'due south material. Pleats are important because they provide additional surface area in the air filter.

The more than surface area that an air filter has, the easier fourth dimension your furnace volition take producing airflow. If a potent air filter does non accept plenty pleats, then you run the risk of "suffocating" your furnace—causing all kinds of problems like low airflow, or a burned-out fan motor.

That's why I recommend using a high-quality pleated air filter for keeping your home's air clean during allergy season.

All-time furnace filters for pollen

19.two meg Americans accept had seasonal allergies orhay fever in the concluding year. If your allergies are triggered by the bloom of flowers in the spring, using an air filter designed for the removal of pollen will help keep your stuffy nose away.

Fortunately, there are many options for air filters that are specifically designed to remove pollen from your home'southward air. When choosing an air filter for pollen allergies, look for a filter with aMERV rating of around five to 8.

Many air filters that are able to remove pollen from the air will specifically land that on their packaging. Nonetheless, if you're really sensitive to pollen, then you might desire to upgrade to a higher MERV rating such equally MERV-10 or -11.

Best furnace filters for pets

Filtrete Allergen Defense Odor Reduction

These MERV 11 filters get one step further to reduce odors in your home's air. Perfect for people with pets, or those that are sensitive to certain types of smells.

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If you have pets in your home, then you'll need a furnace filter with activated carbon if you want to proceed odors away. Activated carbon neutralizes odor particles, and then your habitation'southward air will olfactory property make clean.

Pets also produce dander particles, which cause allergies for many people.

Reverse to popular belief, there is no such thing as a "hypoallergenic" breed of domestic dog or cat. This is because the allergen is not the pet's hair. Rather, the allergy comes from the saliva, urine, or expressionless skin flakes (dander) from the pet. Your pet's pilus only serves every bit the medium for the allergen to spread.

Having an allergy from your very own pet can exist miserable to live with. Fortunately, you can use your home's furnace to assist gainsay some of the sneezing and watery eyes that come from pet allergies.

Even better, you'll be able to freshen up your habitation by removing pet odors with a furnace filter that contains activated carbon.

Besides removing pet hair and dander, anair filter with carbon will also remove the stinky odors that pets brand.

Best furnace filters for smoke

Nordic Pure MERV fifteen Carbon Air Filters

These MERV fifteen filters are recommended if you desire to remove smoke particles from your dwelling's air. They also have activated carbon for neutralizing those nasty fume odors.

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If you lot need to remove smoke from the air in your dwelling, you'll need an air filter with a high MERV rating. Await for an air filter with a MERV rating of at least thirteen for constructive fume removal.

If you need to remove as much smoke from your air as possible, so you'll want a filter with ahigh MERV rating – around xv or 16.

The high filter ratings are needed considering fume particles are extremely tiny. Most normal filters won't cake out these particles. Even though some smoke is captured in a normal filter, far more than smoke ends up getting through.

One note of caution – be sure that your furnace's blower is capable of maintaining sufficient airflow if you lot are using a strong filter. The stronger a filter is, the more airflow it restricts. A restricted fan motor can atomic number 82 to failure of your home's HVAC system.

What are the most mutual home allergens?

Grit Mites

Dust mites are a common home pest that triggers many people'due south allergy symptoms. They are constitute all over the firm, only they thrive in warm environments such every bit upholstery, bedding, and carpeting.

Proceed your bedding clean past washing it every week in hot water and dried in a dryer on the hottest setting. Rut will kill dust mites.

Dust mites thrive in a humid surroundings. So in improver to keeping your dwelling clean and sheets washed, it is also important to proceed excess moisture out of your abode'due south air.

Due to their microscopic size, dust mites are virtually invisible to the naked eye. However, an air filter with a sufficient rating will exist able to easily filter out whatever dust mites from your home's air.

If the humidity is loftier in your dwelling, so using a dehumidifier is one mode to remove humidity and keep dust mite levels down.

Pets

Pet allergies are not acquired by the animate being's hair. Rather, they are caused by your pet'due south saliva, urine, or dander. Your pet's pilus acts every bit the vector for these allergens to spread.

The onset of pet allergies happens apace, with some owners experiencing allergic reactions a few minutes later on coming into contact with their pet.

If you become allergies from your pet, then using an air filter that is rated to remove pet dander from the air tin can help to alleviate symptoms.

Pollen

Seasonal allergies, or Hay Fever, are usually caused by pollen in the air. During certain times of the year, plants will emit an abundance of pollen that tin can cause an allergic reaction in many people. Commonly, the allergic reaction occurs in the form of eye allergies or a stuffy nose.

Getting an accurate pollen count for your expanse can help immensely to curb seasonal allergies. Monitoring pollen counts volition permit you to limit your exposure to the outside air when counts are loftier.

To get the latest pollen count for your area, visit the National Allergy Bureau Pollen Count website.

If you demand to keep pollen levels down within your home, using an air filter with a high plenty MERV rating will remove pollen from your habitation'due south air.

How to choice the all-time furnace filter for allergies

Choosing the advisable MERV rating for your furnace filter is of import to prevent the infiltration of allergens into your HVAC organisation. A MERV rating of 7 or viii is fine for well-nigh household particles, dust, and pollen.

Withal, if y'all demand to continue pet dander and dust mites out of your dwelling house'south air, then you'll need an air filter with a higher MERV rating.

Using an air filter with a MERV rating of 10 to fourteen volition help remove fine dust and particles from the air y'all breathe. The higher the MERV rating, the meliorate the filtration.

If you have sensitive allergies that are triggered past smoke or smog, so you'll want to go an air filter with a MERV rating on the higher cease of the calibration. Air filters with MERV ratings of fifteen to 16 are able to trap fume, smog, and even bacteria.

What about other ratings such as MPR, FPR, and HEPA?

Even though the MERV rating is the established industry-standard air filter rating, there are some other rating systems that you might come up beyond. These other rating systems were developed by manufacturers and retailers to give consumers a better idea of what kind of air filter they are purchasing.

MPR rating

The Microparticle Performance Rating, or MPR, is an air filter rating that was developed by 3M to grade air filters based on their ability to filter out particles less than 1 micron. You'll commonly find MPR ratings on 3M's Filtrete brand of filters.

While MERV ratings measure the air filter'due south ability to filter out both macroscopic and microscopic particles, the MPR rating only measures the power to filter out microscopic particles from 0.three to 1 micron in diameter.

MPR ratings are measured on a calibration from 100 to 2800, with 2800 being the best air particle filtration rating.

FPR rating

The Filter Operation Rating, or FPR, is an air filter rating that was developed past The Habitation Depot to give their customers a way to measure the performance of dissimilar filters confronting each other. The FPR rating is measured on a scale from 4 to 10, with the college number offering better filtration.

HEPA air filters

HEPA air filters are a completely unlike beast. HEPA air filters exceed the rating of the highest MERV filters. In fact, HEPA air filters are the Just air filters that are tested to meet a specific efficiency at a specific particle size.

In order for an air filter to exist classified as a HEPA filter, information technology must meet a minimum efficiency of 99.97% for particles that are 0.iii microns. This means that HEPA filters are at to the lowest degree fifty% more effective than the highest MERV-rated filters at removing fine particles.

Replacing a furnace filter? Here'due south what to practise.

Replacing an air filter in their furnace is something that most homeowners can do themselves. However, there are a few steps that are of import to complete to ensure that you are replacing your filter correctly:

Find the right air filter size

Figuring out the right size is the first step to replacing your furnace's air filter. To figure out your furnace's air filter size:

Turn off the ability to your furnace. You don't desire the furnace to be on while you're changing the filter.
Open the filter tray and remove the erstwhile filter. The filter tray is usually located between Sometimes, the old air filter volition have its size printed on its side. If this is the instance, and so you're done! Only use the measurement of the old filter (bold information technology fits correctly). If not…
Measure the former air filter. Using a record measure out to measure the size of the onetime filter will give you a expert thought of the size that y'all need to employ for the new one. Go on in mind that most air filters are slightly smaller than their advertised dimensions. For example, an air filter that is advertised equally twenty" x 20" x 1" will actually measure nineteen ½" 10 19 ½" x ¾". If you don't have an old air filter to mensurate…
Measure the air filter tray (if needed). Utilise your tape measure out to measure out the dimensions of the tray that the air filter sits in. Once over again, exist certain that your furnace is turned off and asunder from power before doing this! The dimensions that you measure in the air filter tray are the size of the air filter that you lot should buy.
Sometimes, the air filter tray will be slightly larger than the air filter that it was designed for. So it is okay to get an air filter that is slightly shorter than the filter tray- as long equally the filter has no large gaps around its edges when it is in the tray.

Choose the proper air filter MERV rating

Choosing the proper air filter MERV rating is critical to maintaining the wellness of your domicile's occupants, and the health of your furnace.

Likewise low of a MERV rating won't catch modest particles such as dust mites and pet dander.
Too loftier of a MERV rating volition catch fine particles, simply will restrict airflow in your furnace. This will cause higher energy costs and possibly more strain on your fan motor.

If you are going to be getting an air filter that can take hold of fine particles, exist certain that your air handler can handle the airflow restriction brought on by the filter.

Since yous'll get lower airflow with high MERV filters, make certain that your furnace is able to maintain sufficient airflow and static pressure with the filter that you choose.

For most residential homes, a MERV rating of 5 to 8 is appropriate. However, if yous take allergies, then you'll need a filter with a MERV rating of around 10 to 14 to ensure that it is filtering particles such as pollen, mold spores, and pet dander.

For more than information about air filter MERV ratings, check out our air filter guide.

Replace the air filter

Subsequently finding the correct size and proper MERV rating, it's time to supersede your onetime air filter with the new 1.

First, turn off your furnace and ensure that everything is completely powered downwardly. Plow off the furnace's disconnect to be safe. You want to make sure that there is no airflow going through the system while you're changing the air filter.
After the furnace is powered downwardly, remove the filter tray comprehend (if you have one) and take out the old air filter from the filter tray. Sometimes, the air filter tin be hard to remove, so it helps to use a screwdriver to prop it out of the holder.
It may be benign to have a trash purse nearby to put the sometime filter within of afterwards you remove it. You lot don't want dust particles dislodged from the sometime filter all over your business firm.
The side by side footstep is to insert the new, make clean filter in its place. Carefully slide the new air filter into its slot. Afterwards installing your new air filter, supervene upon the filter tray embrace.
If for some reason you lot don't have a filter tray embrace, you run the risk of sucking in unfiltered dust and other particles. Information technology'southward a good idea to go on your filter tray covered with a piece of tape or a furnace filter slot seal.

Quick Pick

Direction of air filter

Which mode does the air filter go? Sometimes, your new filter will accept an arrow on information technology that indicates the direction of airflow.

The dominion of pollex is that the arrow on the air filter e'er points towards the blower. This is because the air filter's frame is built in such a way to be stiff when airflow flows in only one management, not the other.

If your air filter has a wire mesh, then the mesh goes on the side towards the blower. The purpose of the wire mesh is to ensure that the filter is non torn apart by the airflow pressure when your furnace's blower runs.

If you put the air filter in backward, information technology runs the risk of collapsing since it does not have enough strength to withstand the airflow from your furnace's blower.

After installing your new air filter, supervene upon the filter tray comprehend. If for some reason you don't have a filter tray cover, you run the risk of sucking in unfiltered dust and other particles.

If don't have a filter tray cover, and then you can use a furnace filter slot seal instead.