5 Things You Didn't Know About Filtrete™ Filter Material

When you use a Filtrete™ Filter, rest assured you’re providing tried-and-true ingenuity to improve your indoor air quality, as expert science is in every inch of its design. Here are five things you may not know about our filters, their materials and how they’re engineered to protect your home in many ways.

Not all air filters are the same

Filter media refers to the material that captures air particles in air filters. Some air filter media is fuzzy and thick, and some—like that in high efficiency Filtrete™ Filters —is stiff, strong and thin. Other attributes of air filter media may include electrostatic charging, carbon layers for added odor protection or True HEPA, which captures 99.97% of airborne particles.

Electrostatic charge lets big fibers capture very small particles

Considering many of the unwanted particles in your air are too small to see, the filter media fibers are large in comparison. Most Filtrete™ Filters (those above MPR 300) have fibers with a permanent electrostatic charge. That charge lets filter media fibers capture teeny-tiny particles much more efficiently—without restricting airflow.

Materials matter

Filter media is a mix of fiber and air, and it’s often pleated. In fact, Filtrete™ Filter media is less than 15 percent fiber; the rest is air. This very low density allows air to easily flow through the media. It also increases its ability to capture particles through the depth of the pleated media, not just on the surface. The more pleats, the better.

Our filter design helps protect your home’s equipment

Filtrete™ Filters are designed to capture particles big and small, so you can keep your heating and cooling system, plus any room air purifiers, performing optimally. Filtrete™ Filters are designed with exclusive 3-in-1 technology from 3M that acts like a magnet to attract and capture microscopic particles that can easily pass through fiberglass or non-electrostatic filters. Your air is cleaned each time it passes through the filter.

As your air is cleaned, the process also helps keep your HVAC’s heat exchangers clean from dust and debris. It prevents plugging of the heat exchangers (reduced airflow), and it prevents contamination of the heat exchange surfaces.

Expert engineering means your filter lasts its full lifetime

Our filters are tested to last their full lifetime:
 

• For 1” HVAC air filters, that means three months.
• For 4”, 5” and 6” deep pleat filters, that means 12 months.
• For Room Air Purifier filters, that means 6 to 12 months, depending on the type of filter.