How To Make A Homemade Air Filter

DIY homemade air purifier made with 3M filter and box fan

I live in Oregon where in the summer of 2020 we experienced record-breakingly terrible air quality due to a serial of wildfires called-for all across the northwest.

This ended upwards blanketing the entire area in thick, gross fume that was terrible for humans to breathe.

While staying inside with the windows and doors closed definitely helps protect y'all from the dissentious effects of smoke in the air, having an air filter helps even more!

When the AQI hither crept to a higher place 300 and out of the "unhealthy" and into the straight-up "chancy", there was a huge run on air purifiers.

(Check out the graphic below for more info on AQI and what it means)

AQI scale

Air purifiers are expensive, though, and many families were priced out.

Home depot has air purifiers starting around $forty but they become upwardly above $100-$200 for models powerful enough to make clean large rooms or even most of the air in an flat.

My own air purifier I already own (which is no longer made) originally price around $120 but a filter that was fine plenty to filter out smoke was $80! Yikes!

Practise DIY homemade air filters really work?

Realizing that people needed an easy, affordable way to filter the smoke and particles out of the air, agencies like the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency started letting people know most how to brand their own DIY air purifiers at dwelling with a box fan.

This method is like shooting fish in a barrel, cheap and information technology actually works!

Chart showing how well a DIY air filter works to remove carbon from the air

Using a DIY box fan air purifier like I am nigh to show you how to make significantly drops the number of black carbon particles in the air - equally you can run into in the nautical chart in a higher place from Puget Sound Make clean Air.

Volition a DIY air filter work for allergens?

The great thing almost this DIY air filtering hack is that information technology should also work for you during allergy season!

Blackness carbon (smoke) particles are smaller than allergens and every bit long as y'all are using a filter designed to pull these out of the air, y'all should be able to use this same box fan air filter projection to help become some allergy relief as well.

Easy DIY Air Filter / Air Purifier Directions

DIY Air Filter Supplies:

Some of the links below may exist affiliate links where a buy made later on clicking will support this website without costing you extra!

Box Fan
Ruler or tape measure to measure your fan
Air filter (same size as your fan or larger)
String or record

How to pick a filter for a DIY air purifier

Air filter labels that can remove viruses, pollen, smoke and more

The filter yous choose to make your homemade air purifier must come across two criteria:

It must be as large as or larger than the length and width of your fan
It must be labeled equally being able to filter the things you lot are most concerned nigh from the air (smoke and allergens in this case)

Clean air authorities recommend a MERV 13 or FPR 10 filter.

bla bla bla. What does that mean?

If you aren't shopping online and hands able to search specifically for a MERV13 filter, the easier thing to practise is pick upward a filter that says on information technology that it tin filter what you lot are wanting to go out of your air.

In this case, it's fume. Simply if you are looking to filter viruses or allergens, look for i that tin do that. It will say on the label as pictured above.

PRO TIP: If yous can't detect a filter that is the verbal size as your fan, that'south ok! For a twenty x 20 fan, nosotros used a 20 x 25 air filter since the 20 x 20 filters were sold out. Every bit long as the filter is the same size or larger than your fan, it will still work!

DIY Box Fan Air Filter Directions:

Even if you are not a DIY pro, that is ok. This homemade air filter is Then DARN Like shooting fish in a barrel to brand that it feels giddy even typing upwardly directions.

Footstep 1: Get a box fan.

Box fans are great because they tin stand up on their own and exist moved effectually to where yous need them.

Stride two: Unwrap your filter

Information technology won't exercise yous any good wrapped in plastic. Make sure your filter is the same size or larger than your fan.

Footstep 3: Attach the filter to your fan

Adhere the filter on the INPUT side of the fan that'southward the contrary side from where yous feel it blowing air.

The non-blowing side if y'all will.

Brand sure that the arrow is POINTING TO the fan.

The filter is designed to filter most efficiently this way.

You can tie information technology with a piece of string similar you see hither or use clamps or tape.

Homemade air purifier made with box fan and 3M air filter

Pace 4: Put the fan in the room you utilise the almost

If you have a big home or have a large family spread out throughout the house, you may desire to brand multiple filters.

These filter fans really piece of work - only but for a limited corporeality of air space.

For best results, place fans in different rooms throughout your domicile.

Actress: If your dwelling house already smelled smokey before setting upwards your air purifier, y'all might savor putting a few drops of a high quality essential oil on a cotton ball and pinning it to the output side of your fan.

That's information technology!

Homemade air filter made with a box fan

If you found this helpful, please relieve it on Pinterest and share it on social media to tell your friends!

Make you own HEPA filtration system for the smoke and allergens in the air. This homemade air filter works just as well as a commercial air purifier to remove wildfire smoke and allergens and make the air inside your house healthier.

PRINTABLE DIY AIR FILTER DIRECTIONS

DIY Box Fan Air Filter

Yield: 1

Estimated cost: $30

prep time: two M perform time: total fourth dimension: 2 K

Filter smoke or allergens out of the air in your home with an like shooting fish in a barrel homemade air filter that will help filter out wildfire smoke and allergens for a fraction of the cost of an expensive ait filter.

materials:

Box Fan
Ruler or tape measure

steps:

Get a box fan and measure out information technology so you tin be sure to get an air filter that is the same size or larger than the box fan.
Unwrap your filter -- It won't practice you any good wrapped in plastic.
Attach the filter on the INPUT side of the fan with tape, string or a bungee cord. Information technology should adhere to the side that's the contrary side from where y'all experience it blowing air. Brand sure that the arrow is POINTING TO the fan.