The Gross Reason You Should Clean Your HVAC System in the Spring
After a long winter, spring is a welcome reminder that warmer days are ahead. As you start to rid your home of the stale indoor air and residual dust that’s collected during all the colder months spent inside, you should expedite this refresh process by crossing off one ultra-important task off your spring-cleaning checklist that you might not have thought of.
Before you start deep-cleaning your fridge and putting all your bulky sweaters in storage, you’ll want to check out your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) filters (or AC unit filters, for those of you who don’t have central air) and replace them if needed before it gets too warm.
There’s nothing worse than blasting stale air through an HVAC system or AC unit that’s not been used in a year, if you live in a location that only needs AC seasonally. The spring-cleaning frenzy also stirs up particles in your home that a healthy HVAC system would otherwise filter out, like dust, mold, bacteria, pet dander, smoke, and pollen.
Melanie Powers, president at Goodberlet Home Services, previously told Apartment Therapy that in general, you should be changing your HVAC filter once every 60 to 90 days. However, you might need to be doing this more often if you have pets, as their fur and dander can clog the system. Outdoor air quality might also play a factor, too — my mom combats the smoke and pollution from California wildfires by changing her HVAC filters more frequently.
In addition to experiencing unhealthy indoor air quality with a dirty HVAC filter, you might also end up paying a lot more to blast your AC when it gets warm. Because a clogged system has to work a lot harder to maintain your desired temperature, it can also lead to increased energy consumption, and thus, higher utility costs for cooling your home.
While changing your HVAC filter seems intimidating, it’s actually not that difficult once you know where to look. Find out where your air filter is located (you might have more than one in your home, including an air conditioner unit, furnace, or a return air duct). Measure the filter and order a replacement online or at a home store like Home Depot, then replace it using the directions of the product. (You can also hire someone from Taskrabbit to install a new filter for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.)
Keep in mind that if you live in a place where air conditioning is seasonal and you have a separate AC unit, you’ll also want to wipe down the unit separately and replace the filter to prevent higher energy bills, keep it from getting clogged — or even the system from failing completely in the heat of summer.
Once you’ve swapped out your HVAC and AC filters, you can really jump into your spring-cleaning checklist of dusting, mopping, sweeping, and deep-cleaning every inch of your home — and your HVAC system will be working alongside you to prevent any grime from impacting your air system.
AT Spring Cleaning Cure 2025
Get your most refreshed home yet with this year's Spring Cleaning Cure — it all starts April 7. Plus, you’ll also receive a totally free downloadable checklist for everything you need to clean all year long.
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