The One Thing on Your Move-in Checklist That Might Be Missing

Did you recently move into a new apartment or home? The former dwellers may have taken all of their stuff, but that doesn’t mean that every trace of them is really gone.

While changing your air filters upon move-in is not always top of mind, it should be one of the first things you check. In most cases, filters aren’t changed before the former dwellers move out, which means their dirty filter could be pumping nasty particles into your new home.

Here are some of the things that could be in your new home’s air filters once you move-in:

-Skin cells

-Particles of any fragrances the old tenants used

-Dust particles

-Bacteria

-Mold

-Allergens

-Pollen

Yuck! Right? Another thing that you also may want to check is what type of air filter and what MERV rating it is.

Need to know for Apartment Dwellers:

Most apartment buildings do not invest a lot in their air filters. They usually supply their tenants with flimsy paper filters for the basic purpose of keeping dust off the equipment, not protecting you.  These cheap paper filter will let particles like mold, allergens, bacteria and certain types of pollen slip right through right through the filter into your apartment’s air and right into your lungs.

Need to know for New Homeowners:

In most cases many homeowners select the MERV rating they think they need. But all MERV ratings do not fit everyone. If the former homeowners had a family of 4 with 3 long hair dogs, they may have selected a higher MERV rating. Your job will be to decide what MERV rating will be best for you and how frequently you will need to change it.

Figure out which air filter is right for you here.

One last thing. Do you know when you’re supposed to change your air filter? You’re not alone.

In most cases apartment dwellers are not responsible for changing air filters, that’s usually the maintenance team’s job. But it is a good idea to be aware of the state of your filter. If you see that your air filter is extremely dirty, you should be able to request a new filter from your apartment’s leasing office.

For homeowners, especially first-time homeowners, you should be keeping track of when you need to change your air filter. The rule of thumb is to change your air filter is 3 months, but just like MERV ratings, this is not the case for everyone. Here’s a quick reference guide for when you should be changing your filters:

• Typical Suburban Home? Every 90 days
• Pet Owner? Every 60 days
• Multiple Pets and Allergies? Every 30-45 days

A little overwhelming, right? It doesn’t have to be. When you sign up for the FiltersFast.com Home Filter Club, you can select the filters you need and have them delivered when they need to be changed so you don’t have to worry about keeping track. Don’t wait, sign up today and let keeping track of when your filters need to be changed be one less thing you have to worry about.