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Various Air Filters: How Do They Effect You?
As a patient living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I am very mindful and cautious about the air quality surrounding me in different environments. I actively avoid smokers, or wear my mask in large crowds of people, where some of them may be sick. I also take it upon myself to frequently change the air filters in difference spaces I frequent, such as my home and car.
I think the recommendation to change your furnace filter in your home is every few months, but at the very least when each season changes (ie. from AC usage in the summer to heat in the winter months). I have a calendar where I track my furnace filters “shelf life” and change is as often as I can. I am even more paranoid about the air filter in my car though, and pay a little extra to change it every time I have an oil change done. This is probably unnecessary, as I think the recommendation to changing this air filter is a lot less than what I have it done. I appreciate that the employees where I take my car for servicing bring out the air filter and let me see it, before I decide on changing it. I’ve also disclosed to them that I have a life-threatening lung condition, and that it is important to have as clean of air as possible circulating inside my vehicle while I am driving.
That said, the other day I was driving home from work with the air conditioning (AC) on and I noticed a bit of a funky smell, almost as though the AC had stopped working and I was inhaling stale air. I’ve not had a problem with this since, however, it will be something I look into right away if it happens again as it impacted my breathing. As soon as I smelt this difference, I started coughing and needed my inhalers. This experience left me wondering:
As a patient living with IPF/PF, how often do you change your furnace filter at home? What about the air filter in your vehicle?
Do you find a difference in your ability to breathe if you let these filters get dirty or overused?
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