You probably have many more exciting things on your mind than your furnace filters. However, if you want to breathe easy (literally!) every time you’re at home, you need to pay special attention to them.
That means following these 5 dos and don’ts:

1. DON’T forget about it during the warmer months
Just because your heater isn’t running doesn’t mean your heater filters are A-OK. So, before you turn yours on for the first time in the winter, take out your filter and take a look at it. Make sure it’s clean and ready to handle another winter before you just blindly flip the switch. Even if it’s pristine, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

2. DON’T assume that one size fits all
You can tell by looking at your vent cover approximately how large your replacement furnace filters need to be. However, there are a lot of home air filter options out there. If you try to “wing it”, you’ll wind up with a filter that doesn’t fit!

3. DO measure carefully
OK, so you understand that you have to measure your existing home air filter before you can buy a replacement. However, we can’t emphasize strongly enough the importance of measuring carefully. Heck, measure a few times! Since different heater filters will only differ by a quarter of an inch or so, you need to make sure you buy the right one. Otherwise, you’re going to wind up with an annoying return on your hands.

4. DON’T try to “make it fit”
If you accidentally get the wrong-sized furnace filters and think you can just “make them fit”, think again! Brute force is not your friend in this situation. If you try to squeeze in a home air filter that’s too large (or stick in a replacement filter that’s a little too small), all you’re going to do is damage your furnace. Are you willing to risk that in order to save a few minutes measuring?

5. DO keep an eye on your nose
Well, not literally! But if you start to sniffle or cough a little more, your heater filters could be to blame. Specifically, they could be full of dirt, dust, and other debris and in desperate need of changing. Even if you follow a regular replacement schedule, your nose knows! If you don’t feel quite right, see if a dirty filter is the source of the problem.

You’ll find the best filters at Your Filter Connection!