If You've Got an Electronic Air Cleaner In the House, Now's the Time to Maintain It

As one of the most effective filtration systems in your South Florida home, your electronic air cleaner can remove 95 percent of the contaminants in your indoor air. That includes even tiny particles of smoke, pollen and other lung irritants. To work this efficiently, the air cleaner’s components must be kept clean.

Over time, your air cleaner’s pre-filter and metal collector plates accumulate debris from your air. If too much debris builds up, the pre-filter and plates can no longer clean your air. To keep your air cleaner in good working order, clean the filtration components every three months, ideally in February, May, August and November.

Spring cleaning is particularly important. At this point in the year, your electronic air cleaner has been dealing with the abundance of tree pollen from early spring and still faces a month or two of pollen from grasses and weeds. Mold spores from both outdoor and indoor sources are also plentiful in spring. To improve your indoor air quality in these conditions, your electronic air cleaner must be in top form.

Before you clean your pre-filter and collector plates, check the manufacturer’s care guidelines for any special instructions. Most air cleaners can be cleaned with the following method:

Find a plastic tub or container large enough to hold the pre-filter and collector plates. Pour in enough hot water to cover the pre-filter and plates, and add 3/4 cup automatic dishwasher detergent per plate.
Put in the pre-filter and plates, and let them soak for 15 minutes. Occasionally agitate the water.
Rinse the pre-filter and plates with a gentle spray of clean water.
Soak just the plates in clean hot water for another 10 minutes. Remove them to drain. If they look soapy, rinse them again.
Let the pre-filter and plates air dry for at least 12 hours before you replace them.

For more expert tips on keeping your home comfortable year round, please contact us at NisAir Air Conditioning and Heating. If you’re in Martin, Palm Beach or Indian River county, we can help you get the most out of your cooling, heating and ventilation equipment.