If you have always gone to the home improvement store and bought those cheap red A/C filters thinking that all A/C filters are the same, you need to learn about the numerous types of A/C filters on the market.
Those red ones are called fiberglass A/C filters, plus they are just about the worst A/C filters you can buy.
They are only slightly better than using nothing. In fact, it might be better to use my pantyhose as an A/C filter instead of one of those red A/C filters. So, if you have always bought those kinds of filters, it’s okay. Just take this learning experience to make better choices for your heating and A/C unit in the future. The next kind of A/C filter is normally called a pleated A/C filter. They are usually made of cotton or some other fabric, and they are just slightly better than the fiberglass option. Another option I want to mention is the HEPA A/C filter. In my house, the two of us use HEPA filters. I want to protect my heating and A/C unit as much as possible, plus I want to keep particles out of the air, so I have nice indoor air quality. At the same time, I have no interest in spending lots of currency every month on more expensive heating and A/C filters. Another kind of A/C filter is the UV A/C filter. UV filters are nice at killing off viruses plus bacteria, but they are not as efficient as HEPA filters when it comes to filtering out dust and debris from the air. That’s why the HEPA filters are my go to A/C air filters.