Re-usable air filters for HVAC?

[Treasuremapper]

We have to buy four air filters every month, at 6-10 bucks each. These are the filters that go into the ceiling. It's a hassle, and I would rather buy reusable filters.

Do any of you use them? What kind should I get? I'm totally clueless.

Our house is pretty dusty. We have two floors, a total of 3425 square feet. I have been buying cheap filters at the grocery store.

[jtsmom]

We have two furnaces that both have filters on the furnace itself, not the vents. My dh says one has a reusable filter, and the other one we use disposable ones. He says the reusable ones aren't any good. I guess he vacuums them out. The disposable ones we buy, we get the super treatment, hepa filter ones because my dd has allergies. Our floor registers do not have filters.

I think if you have a forced hot air system you will have dust no matter what.

Could you try to vacuum out the filters you already have and try to stretch their life out a little?

[Think of Winter]

Dh just found out that the electrostatic filters can be rinsed and reused. We haven't tried it yet, though.

ETA: I wrote 'rinsed', but I really don't know how to clean them. Vacuuming makes more sense.

[oneKnight]

Four air filters a month $6+ each sounds pretty bad! Where are you putting these, in each vent?

We just have one filter in the intake vent, and you can get the super-duper filters for around $10 that last up to 3 months.

From the specs listed on the package, the reusable filters don't catch as small of particles as the "uber" micro filtration ones, but they do catch more than the "bottom of the barrel" 30-day filters. That is what I would be looking at to see if they fit your needs.

[angelcollector1]

We use only one filter as well, it goes in the intake part of the system. It's a lifetime filter. We take it out once a month, rinse it off, let it dry for about an hour and put it back in. It cost about $50 from the HVAC company that we have a contract with that comes and cleans our system and does any repair or maintenance.