Cabin air filter ?️

[Dugornot]

I'll tell you what, when I replace mine it's like "oh wow, fresh air again". So satisfying.  K&N makes a more breathable and reusable version.

[enigma-2]

I need to change mine, been 6 months. Got a spare sitting on the shelf in the garage, quietly calling me ... !

 

I use a filter from "Fun-Driving". I like these because they use bamboo charcoal embedded on the filter. Think there around $14 delivered. The charcoal embedded filters help a little with smoke from leave burning and certain other fumes. Overall, it's just as good as the OEM filter, better if you consider the  charcoal. 

https://a.co/d/j0a4rp9

 

I was using the Fram filters with Arm & Hammer Bakimg Soda and charcoal  with good results. But the price got too high. I see where their now back under $14 so I may go back to these on the next change.

 

I also spray my cabin filter with two different sprays (same as I use on my furnace filters). One is a filter charger  spray (spray adhesive that Improves filter efficiency & has a Fresh citrus scent). 

https://a.co/d/dqv9sqG

 

And tge second is an a/c filter booster which also improves the efficiency of a filter. It turns the filter fibers into having an electrostatic charge. Can't say how long the charge lasts, but I do know that my filters are really dirty when changing.

https://a.co/d/8Ayqb7W

 

Either of these will improve the capturing ability of disposable filters.

 

However you would NOT want to use either on a reusable filter. (Although they would benefit most from them). They add an adhesive component to the fibers, which captures and binds dirt and all the other nasties. This would build up on a reusable filter.

 

I don't like reusable filters; they  have some serious drawbacks. For one, washable filters are a MERV 4; at best. I think I read where the K&N cabin filters were MERV 3, which is not all that good at filtering. (At least the fine particles).

 

The second is you can never get all the stuff out by washing. Time after time it starts to build up. Read an article some time back, forget who authored it, where they looked at a filter after washing under a microscope. 

 

Remember to throughly dry your filter after you wash it. Putting a damp filter back in your car will encourage  biological (mold) growth. If it were me, I'd spray it with spray Clorex after washing to kill bacteria and mold spores. Just washing a filter doesn't remove all of these. But letting it sit in the sun for 1/2 hour after washing  should sterilize the fibers.